Tic Tac Toe Project

Tic Tac Toe

By: Jenna Bryan, Tyler Cox, Alex Dickenson, Courtney Huskey, and Tori Johnson

R-Word Campaign

 I got my idea from various videos that have been made for Spread the Word, To End the Word Movement. Majority of the script are not my original ideas, but I pieced various lines together to make an unique script with a few of my own lines. The music is "Change" by Tracy Chapman.

Editorial on Charter Schools and Disabilities

          To begin what exactly are charter schools, and are they any different from any other school? They are public elementary and secondary schools just like what are found in normal neighborhoods. Charter schools receive state funding and appeal to parents because they claim to have higher academic values along with smaller class size. Charter schools abide by the same rules  and regulations as public schools, but they operate independently from the school districts. Charter schools have more freedom over the curriculum that is taught in the schools. Teachers can change their curriculum to meet their students' needs. However, charter schools are held accountable to state standards like public schools. Students are required to meet standards set by the state dealing with test scores and school achievements. These schools have the freedom to have longer periods of time in the classroom and also where the actual class might take place depending on the educational need of the lesson. There is a lot of controversy about charter schools because they are not completely federally funded, and they do not have entirely the same guidelines as other schools. They do have to comply with laws and create a learning environment that is accessible to all individuals.

           This is where the system get tricky because charter schools are supposed to follow laws but special education is a little confusing. Under the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) schools are obligated to give students a free appropriate public education (FAPE).  However, if the school has too many applicants for the school that are in the special education program the school may not be able to handle the workload and create a lottery to choose who gets into the school or not. When a child with special needs transfers to a charter school the funding they receive from the state and federal governments follows them to that school. Some charter schools are their own LEA (Local Education Agency) meaning they can develop their own curriculum. This also means they come up with a Special Education program that complies with IDEA. If the charter school is part of an existing school system’s LEA, then the school is able to use the existing program and resources to fund and run its Special Education program. One of the issues that are pressing charter schools now is determining whether schools are discriminating against students with disabilities or if there are other reasons why there are not many special needs children in the schools. There are several reasons why the schools do not have as many special needs students. It may be because parents do not wish to place their students in these institutions or differing ways in determining the extent of the disability. There are some charter schools that are designed primarily for special needs students. These schools were some of the first designed before there were laws calling for a least restrictive environment. Parents and teachers made these schools in order for their students to benefit from a classroom environment that was non-judgmental. Another issue with charter schools is their disciplinary plan for the school. Some people believe that these schools are using disciplinary actions to discriminate against students with disabilities. Charter schools are trying to include everyone especially students with disabilities but laws sometimes make it very difficult. 

Graphic- Breaking Down the Normal/Disabled Dichotomy