Editor’s note: “Study Hall” from School News Network is a podcast highlighting the students, teachers and others making education magic happen every day in classrooms across Kent County and beyond.
All districts — This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a federal law requiring children with disabilities be educated to the “maximum extent possible” with non-disabled students — that is, in the “least restrictive environment.”
At Meadow Ridge Elementary School in Rockford, a team of educators is doing just that for Ellie Gard, a student with Down syndrome, who learns in a general-ed classroom alongside her second-grade peers. We talk with two of her teachers and her mother about how they make this work — and the potential harms of federal cuts to special education.
You can download this episode of “Study Hall” by clicking on the embed above, or listen to it right here on School News Network. If you would rather read our conversation, click on the Transcript tab here. You can also subscribe to the podcast through the RSS feed here, find it on many of your favorite streaming platforms, or listen to more episodes in the player below. A shorter version of this podcast can be heard on WGVU Public Media, 88.5 FM.
If you have ideas for future programs, feel free to send them to us at SNN@kentisd.org. Thanks for listening, and happy studying!
