ARIZONA SCHOOL DISTRICT FAILS TO OFFER APPROPIATE EDUCATION TO HANDICAPPED CHILDREN CLICK HERE: TO READ HOW OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT FAILED OUR CHILDREN. PUSD ATTEMPTS TO RUN OUT SECOND FAMILY WITH  AUTISTIC CHILD In one year after 4 different elementary schools, 4 different teacher aids,  3 due process claims, 1 adminstritive hearing, autistic student Cody Parenteau's  homeroom teacher tells his school appointed aid, "we hope this program fails as we dont want him in here." WELCOMED BY COLUMBIA MISSOURI Rock Bridge Elementary School special education teacher  Jaime Edwards helps Weston Wiatt, 9, pronounce words during reading. Weston was diagnosed with autism when he was 3 years old.  Click Here: to see Weston's daily schedule. Reaching full potential Intensive-needs program helps bring out the  best in students with developmental delays. click here: to read the story "The bottom line is that you have to have the  heart and you have to have the love for these children because if you dont, and its just a job,  it doesnt work," he said. "My son is a joy  to be around. I love getting up in the mornings and getting him ready for school. He loves school because they know what he needs." -greg wiatt-  MISSOURI CARES  ABOUT AUTISM click here:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO "BEAUTIFUL AUTISM"

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Autism Cover-up Rattles Nation click here:

Children with Autism Lack Adequate  Equal Educational Opportunities In Prescott Arizona  by Ray Parenteau

PRESCOTT, AZ According to Prescott Unified School Districts (PUSD) 2007 fiscal year budget, they have allocated $21,443 toward Autistic programs for the approximately 25 students with Autism currently enrolled. According to the Arizona Department of Education, each child with Autism in PUSD is funded $24,860 annually. These monies total over $600,000.00 in funding to PUSD to allow them to provide an appropriate educational opportunity each year for Autistic children.

Autistic children, currently and/or previously enrolled in the Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) have been given a less than adequate educational opportunity. As clearly outlined in the statistics listed above, PUSD is not allocating funds received on a per child basis for the education of children with Autism.

The current programs, or lack thereof, have forced many families with Autistic children to make very difficult decisions to keep their children in the current system and tolerate regression of their basic skills, provide home schooling and deny them of peer interaction, or move to another city to find an appropriate program specifically formatted for children with Autism.

The parents of an 8-year old boy with Autism are on a quest to "Advocate for Change" here in Prescott, to make a change for their son and all Autistic children enrolled in PUSD. Administrative accountability is obviously broken from the PUSD Board of Directors on down, or there is an awful lot of misuse of Federal and State funds that is being hidden from the public, states the father Raymond Parenteau. We have letters from the past two years in which they, (PUSD) state that they have no programs for the Autistic student body due to lack of space , and if your Autistic child is enrolled in PUSD they will regress two years. How can this be possible when over the last three years they have received over $1.7 million dollars in funding for approximately 25 children?

An example of the problems at PUSD can be seen by examining Cody, an 8-year old boy with Autism. He has been in the PUSD system for a little over three years and has significantly regressed. The results of his basic skills composite test scores have dropped over 21.3% and his IQ has dropped approximately 29.1% since being enrolled at PUSD due to the lack of a program. It was not that he did not have the academic potential; he was not being given an opportunity to learn.

In addition to Codys case, a family with two autistic children has been told specifically by the special education director, "Based on the program your children are currently in, to return to Prescott and our program will have a serious educational impact on your children (who) are Autistic."
 
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ACTUAL LETTER FROM PUSD

There would be a regression of at least two years educationally and socially for your children Since the parents of these children has received this letter, any hope that they had of returning to Prescott is no longer an option unless something can be done to make a change in the current system. It has become self evident PUSD teaching methodologies and practices are substandard.

As in past cases that have occurred across the country in Circuit, Federal and even the Supreme Court, what lies at the heart of this contention, is the future of children with Autism and how we define an appropriate educational opportunity.

Federal Law is clear regarding the opportunities that must be afforded children with Autism. This is not about his mother and I wanting the best possible education for him at public expense, we just want Prescott Unified to provide an appropriate opportunity for him to learn, the rest is up to Cody. The father continues emphatically, Its not just about Cody any more; we all need to be an Advocate for Change, we need to fix the problems with our public education system now, or in the future we will have generations of Autistic adults with no other option than institutionalization at public expense, said Ray Parenteau, Codys father.

According to statements made by the parents, and the 24-page complaint filed with the Arizona Department of Education, Codys experiences at PUSD follow the same sad story line as so many other Autistic children across the country.

According to recent statistics, there are over 24,000 children being diagnosed with Autism every year. It costs less than $24,000 a year to provide an appropriate educational opportunity to an Autistic child. Today, the Arizona Department of Developmental Disabilities states it can cost up to $16,000.00 per month to house an Autistic adult in a group home.

The quest these families are on, with great enthusiasm, is to investigate and receive answers as to why Autistic children are not being offered an appropriate educational opportunity, why funding is not being applied appropriately for the benefit of the Autistic population and answers as to how PUSD is going to make a change to allow families with Autistic children to continue living in Prescott, Arizona.

Children with Autism deserve at the minimum an opportunity to receive an education full of encouragement, developmentally appropriate assistance in an enjoyable, productive environment. Why is PUSD not providing this environment or an opportunity to learn?

For more information, please contact the parents, Ray and Jolene Parenteau at 928-308-1231. The test scores noted above were the results of in-depth assessments given and administered by PUSD to Cody Parenteau. Letters from PUSD referenced above are attached below.

References:

PUSD website for Autism budget for 2006-2007 fiscal year

Website: http://www.prescottschools.com/budget_2006-07_pg2.pdf

Center for Disease Control Statistics on Autism diagnosis

Website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/

INSIDE THE MIND OF AN AUTISTIC PERSON click here click here to visit Natural Learning Concepts

"THE ROTTEN TRUTH" WHY PUBLIC SCHOOLS DONT HAVE TO EDUCATE SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN click here: