'I'm horrified': Advocate opposes Rutherford schools' plan for autism spectrum students
Rutherford County Schools Director James "Jimmy" Sullivan proposes to move autism spectrum disorder classrooms from four middle schools to a La Vergne campus to address issues in behavior.
The district estimates fewer than 20 autistic students out of over 500 would attend the proposed campus that's a short drive from Rutherford's boundary with Davidson County. District officials expect to open the campus by the August start of the school year at a building that's currently the Roy Waldron Elementary School Annex for prekindergarten through first-grade students.
The proposed relocated autism spectrum disorder classrooms would serve grades 1-8 at a repurposed campus that also would provide behavior intervention classrooms for grades 1-5 relocating from three schools: Cedar Grove Elementary in west Smyrna, Plainview Elementary on the far southeast side of Rutherford and Walter Hill Elementary on the northside.
“It is too much of a burden on an administrator that is not necessarily trained [to deal with the disorder]," Sullivan recently told members of the Rutherford County Commission Budget, Finance and Investment Committee.
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The proposal to move autism spectrum disorder classrooms from other parts of the county concerns special education advocate Nicki Vander Meulen. The classrooms would relocate from Whitworth-Buchanan Middle in southeast Murfreesboro, Oakland Middle in northeast Murfreesboro, Smyrna Middle in the central part of the town and Rocky Fork Middle in west Smyrna.
"I'm horrified," said Vander Meulen, an autistic adult and juvenile attorney who serves on the Board of Education for the Madison (Wisconsin) Metropolitan School District.
"The goal of special education is to identify children with disabilities and provide them an education in the least restrictive environment with their peers. This goes against federal law, and this, in my opinion, goes against human decency."
Vander Meulen suggested that Sullivan and other Rutherford County school officials reconsider the proposal.
"It doesn’t matter if it’s a burden to an administrator," said Vander Meulen, adding that burden is not a legally recognized defense in case law before the U.S. Supreme Court for a policy in violation of federal law. "You are not entitled to a Cadillac education, but you are entitled to a free and appropriate education."
Vander Meulen also said she's glad to learn that the proposal would impact fewer than 20 children.
"That being said, it doesn't matter how many children are affected," Vander Meulen said, adding that what matters is that the IEP (Individualized Education Program) process is followed for each child.
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The proposed school will focus on improving behavior
The proposal from Sullivan includes a nearly $2.4 million renovation of the current Roy Waldron Elementary School Annex, which used to be known as La Vergne Primary School.
The district is yet to announce the new name for the proposed school. Sullivan told county commissioners at the budget committee that the campus will be the "first alternative school for grades (1-5) in the county."
The county has two current alternative schools for grades 6-12 that temporarily serve students expelled from other schools for violations, such as hitting a teacher or illegally possession drugs. The Rutherford district also plans to add a third alternative school for grades 6-12 by converting a building the Board of Education purchased at 814 S. Church St. near downtown Murfreesboro.
The fewer than 20 children assigned to the autism spectrum disorder classrooms also have behavior issues, Rutherford County Schools spokesman James Evans said.
"We are not moving all students with autism to one school," Evans said. "We have more than 500 students with autism being served in the school district."
The goal for all the children at the proposed alternative school would be to serve them with trained specialists to help get the students back to a traditional classroom, Evans said.
"The parents are very supportive of that," Evans said.
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Rutherford County Board of Education Vice Chairwoman Claire Maxwell said she needs to study the proposal to relocate autism spectrum disorder classrooms before taking a position. She had worked as a special education educational assistant at Riverdale High for four years prior to winning her board seat in 2020.
Maxwell does back the proposed alternative school for children with behavior issues in elementary grades, "so we don’t have a bigger problem on our hands when they get to middle schools and high schools."
Fellow Rutherford County Board of Education member Tammy Sharp also supports the proposal for the alternative school for elementary grades.
"We're just trying to get everybody in one building at Roy Waldron Elementary, and we needed an alternative school for elementary for some time now," Sharp said.
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Proposed school replaces Roy Waldron Elementary Annex
The district will have room at the Roy Waldron Elementary Annex next school year because the existing campus with pre-kindergarten through first-grade classrooms will be relocating children in the current zone by August to one of three schools that serve students through fifth grade, including two campuses with classroom space available to add students:
the main nearby Roy Waldron Elementary building that's a short walk from the proposed school;
La Vergne Lake Elementary, which is a short drive from the Roy Waldron campus;
and John Colemon Elementary in north Smyrna.
The Pre-K through first-grade classrooms are moving from the Roy Waldron Elementary Annex following the board's rezoning decision in November to relieve overcrowding in the fast-growing district.
The current Roy Waldron Annex houses about 360 students, but the proposed school will serve a much smaller count next year, Schools Director Sullivan told county commissioners.
“We would not want that building to be over 100 with the high needs that it has," Sullivan said.
The proposed school will have a principal and assistant principal, and the staffing level will depend on the number of students and their specific needs, said Evans, the district's spokesman.
"The number of students served will be phased in as the renovations are completed," Evans said. "Renovations on the school to repurpose it will begin over the summer, and the school is planned to open in August, with any remaining renovations being completed over breaks during the year."
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Housing a group of special education children at one campus would violate federal law, Vander Meulen said.
School districts "are trying to get away with this because it’s cheaper to just warehouse," Vander Meulen said.
Vander Meulen was unsuccessful in opposing a similar approach for autistic children in her district in Madison. She wrote a column about the issue December 2019 with the headline, "Why is Madison planning to warehouse disabled kids," for Wisconsin Examiner.
The Madison district, however, does require that an IEP recommend each child for the school rather than relocating entire autism spectrum disorder classrooms, Vander Meulen said. Parents are part of the IEP team that crafts and agrees with the education plan for each child.
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Proposed alternative school plans
What kind of school: alternative school for behavior intervention classrooms in grades 1-5 and autism spectrum disorder classrooms in grades 1-8
Where would proposed school be: Roy Waldron Elementary Annex, formerly known as La Vergne Primary, to serve as repurposed school
What grades does current Roy Waldron Elementary Annex serve: prekindergarten through first grade
Current number of students at Waldron Waldron Elementary Annex: about 360
How much in renovation costs to repurpose school: nearly $2.4 million
Expected total number of students for proposed alternative school: 100 at the most
Where would autism classrooms move from to repurposed La Vergne school: Oakland Middle, Whitworth-Buchanan Middle, Smyrna Middle and Rocky Fork Middle
Where would behavior intervention classrooms relocate from to repurposed La Vergne school: Plainview Elementary, Walter Hill Elementary and Cedar Grove Elementary
How many children in the autism spectrum disorder classrooms would relocate: Fewer than 20
How many children with autism does the district serve: over 500
Sources: Rutherford County Schools Director James "Jimmy" Sullivan and district spokesman James Evans
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Rutherford County Schools weigh plan to move autism spectrum classes
