Arlene Kanter, director of the Disability Law and Policy Program at the College of Law at Syracuse University—and mother of two graduates from my day school—is currently in Israel on a Fulbright scholarship to help Tel Aviv University establish the country’s first academic program in disability studies. She was recently quoted as saying that what struck her most since arriving in Israel is how myths and misconceptions about people with disabilities transcend local cultural and religious boundaries, and how the fight for equal rights and social recognition for people with disabilities is a universal battle.

As the North American Jewish Day School Conference in LA came to a close, I found myself not only re-energized by the incredible sessions I attended, the people I met, and the sense of community that pervaded, but also reflective, thinking about the past year. It is hard to believe that just over a year ago, RAVSAK underwent a transition in governance and I assumed the board chair position with four other founding board members.

And Rav said to Rabbi Shmuel Bar Shilat (a well-known teacher of children during the Talmud period), “A student who knows how to read should read in class with his classmates, and those who do not know how to read should remain in the class in the company of their classmates.” (Talmud, Bava Batra 21a)

In 1989, I experienced a major shift in my thinking about educational practices for serving students with special educational needs. As the special education administrator in a Boston-area public school system, I thought existing practice, that included separate educational settings for some students, was “best practice.”

Is inclusion a legal “right” in Jewish day schools? According to IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), students with disabilities have a right to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Local public schools districts have an obligation to test students with special needs enrolled in a public school and develop an IEP (individual educational plan) to be implemented in the public school classroom. Parents who choose to leave the public school arena and enroll in a Jewish day school cannot expect the day school to follow through on the IEP. There is no legal basis for a day school to implement any recommendations written on an IEP. There might be, however, some exceptions. A student placed in a day school by the local school district can have an IEP implemented in that setting by the school district, or IEP services might be provided on the premises of the local public school with the parents usually responsible for bringing the child there at the time provided to access these services.

Funding for special needs programs in Jewish day schools is challenging on two fronts. It is difficult enough to provide quality education for a dual curriculum at an affordable price, but, it is that much more expensive and difficult to educate children with special needs with appropriate resources. It is also our duty and obligation to do so; as Gandhi stated, “Society is judged by the way it takes care of its most vulnerable members.” If we are to infuse Jewish values throughout our schools and extended community, we need our schools to be accessible in every way: open and affordable, to all types of learners.

Fourteen years ago, while working at an overnight Jewish summer camp, I (Dori) met a boy named Josh. Josh was 8 years old and struggled with learning disabilities and attention issues that impacted his interactions with other people. Although he loved camp and tried hard to fit in, Josh was asked to leave eight days after he arrived. Months later, I called a friend of mine who was a teacher at the Jewish day school Josh attended. When I asked my friend how Josh was doing, he responded that he didn’t know: Josh had been asked to leave the school. Where would Josh’s committed Jewish family turn next? Would they even remain a committed Jewish family?

Eleven years ago, the challenges faced by special needs students in Jewish day schools were nothing short of daunting. It was an era when many children with special needs either struggled to say afloat, were accepted only to be “counseled out” later, or were considered “simply not day school material.” Parents who insisted on day school for their children soon discovered that the schools often did not have the special education resources required to meet the needs of students struggling to learn basic skills and also support their teachers to facilitate classroom learning for a variety of learners. In addition, services they could access at their local public school were disconnected from the classroom experience. Frustrations abounded for the teachers, the parents and most of all the children themselves.

It is estimated that between 14% and 18% of school-age children in the United States today have some form of learning disability, the majority mild to moderate. Getting the most appropriate and supportive education for the special needs child is a top priority for their families.

Jewish camp works as an educational experience. What can schools learn from camps? This mantra echoes across many conversations, from kiddush after shul to board of education meetings to thoughtful conversation among educators looking for fresh ideas and models of educational success to refresh and renew areas of practice.

Many families confide in me, as a rabbi, about their issues and challenges. One of the greatest problems families have shared with me in recent years has been that of special needs children and Jewish day schools. Families have told me about being turned away from Jewish day schools, being “counseled out” of Jewish day schools, being welcomed into Jewish day schools with inadequate special education programs and living in communities where they simply could not find a Jewish day school that had any kind of special education program.

The “Mrs. Christensen” calls usually started like this: “Mrs. Christensen, this is Jacob’s religious school teacher and I wanted to talk to you about his behavior…lack of attention…homework situation.”

“Every Jewish child deserves a Jewish education.” “No child will be turned away for financial reasons.” “Of course, the Jewish community believes in Jewish education.”

Research shows that inclusion continues to be best practice in the field of special education. In the words of disability researcher Zana Marie Lutfiyya: “If people with cognitive impairments are to form friendships and be a part of society as adults, these relationships must develop during childhood. Classmates and neighbors will grow into adult coworkers and friends later in life. Integrated classrooms and recreational activities are important, but are only successful when facilitated. In these settings children with and without disabilities get to meet each other and form relationships.”

The picture of special education in Jewish day schools is far brighter today than it was even ten years ago, but for many parents it’s still not adequate. Students with special needs continue to be excluded from day school, and parents can’t understand why their children with special needs are not allowed to participate in the education offered in a day school environment. In research Annette Koren and I performed of parent experiences related to their child with special needs and day schools (“Inclusion of Children with Special Needs in Day Schools: Parent Experiences,” in the 2003 Jewish Education News), parents felt that day schools need to decide whether they are interested in being “prep schools or Jewish schools.” They spoke of the decision to have their child leave the school as though the decision had just been made, although in reality it had been years. They described the pain of having their child—and themselves—excluded from the day school community. A recently published Forward article by Tom Fields-Mayer, “Toward Day Schools for All Children,” opens with the question posed by the author’s son who has high functioning autism: “Why can’t I go to the same schools as my brothers?”

Learning support teams, the collaboration of teachers and specialists to provide for special learners, are of critical importance in the successful implementation of special education. The responsibilities of team members are extensive, including leadership roles in providing ongoing support to students, parents, teachers and school administrators. Team members need to be involved in the school admission process, early identification of student needs, goal setting, case management, defining accommodations and modifications, remediation, strategy instruction, study skills, differentiated instruction, curriculum mapping, assessment and setting standards for classes as well as school grading policies. Additionally, learning support teams often play an important role in guiding parents through the process of understanding their child’s strengths and challenges and helping students through the demystification process and towards self advocacy.

Children with autism are so varied that an ordinary person meeting two or more of them might be puzzled that their conditions fall under the same name. This is why child mental health professionals have settled on the term “autism spectrum disorders,” or “ASDs,” to describe this heterogeneous group.

Every teacher has heard about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, even if he or she isn’t sure of the exact diagnostic criteria. Kids throw around the term “ADHD” in the same way they casually diagnose others with obsessive-compulsive disorder or schizophrenia. A well-organized child is “so OCD,” a child whose ideas seem a little unusual is a “schizo,” a child with lots of energy is “ADHD.” These schoolyard diagnoses have little in common with the real thing.

One of the basic concepts of Jewish thought is the idea that everyone is created betzelem Elokim, in the image of G-d. This idea frames the way individuals should view others. Students need to recognize that each human being is unique, important and of equal value.

This column features books, articles and websites, recommended by our authors and people from the RAVSAK network, pertaining to the theme of the current issue of HaYidion for readers who want to investigate the topic in greater depth.

The PALS philosophy is predicated upon the belief that it is the methodology not the curriculum that drives the program. As professionals, we fully understand that without an investment on the part of the student, our efforts are for naught. Unless the child has a stake in the learning process, the quality of performance and the availability for instruction is severely compromised. In order to claim ownership, to master any given skill, the proper scaffolding must be custom designed.

Ein Gedi, the lush oasis that springs up in the desert near the Dead Sea, brings one a sense of peace, calm and wonder at G-d’s miraculous ability to bring goodness in the face of difficulty. The Ein Gedi classroom at the Charlotte Jewish Day School mirrors this oasis in Israel. It is a classroom for students who face challenges in this hurried, overwhelming and sometimes insensitive world. When children with various emotional, behavioral or social challenges try to make their way through a class of twenty children and find it to be too much, they know that the safe haven of Ein Gedi awaits them.

Shorashim, a special needs program for formally identified students who have difficulty processing Hebrew in dual-language classes, is being piloted this year at Vancouver Talmud Torah. Nine students currently participate in a Grade 4/5 split class. Sessions of eighty minutes are held daily, empowering learners to develop Judaic knowledge and skills suitable to individual needs, abilities and interests.

How does a small Jewish day school with limited staff and a fairly open admissions policy provide for student support services? How can the increased need of special students be met when financial resources are thin? What follows are a few suggestions based on our experience at the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School, a school with under 100 students.