Capitol Hill Times has a thoughtful piece documenting the impact on special needs students who will be scattered across the district when their centralized program at Meany is cut as part of Seattle's planned school overhaul.
[Meany teacher Devin] Gruver said he understands the district's economic realities that led the closing several schools. But he's concerned the move will have a negative and disruptive impact on his students. He said he and his colleagues are worried that much of what has made the Meany special-ed program unique won't translate well to the new locations. Meany is small - one of the reasons the district is discontinuing the program - but the relatively smaller size compared to Hamilton or Washington works to the special-needs students' benefit. Gruver said there is a great deal of concern that the special-ed kids will be somewhat lost in the crowd.
Meanwhile, this second peek inside the school comes from quite a different source -- Seattle PI's 911 Blog reports on the investigation of possibly gang related graffiti at the school. Here, the portrait is of a city school with more problems than average:
Meany, at 301 21st Ave, E., has about 420 students in grades 6 through 8. All grades had fewer students meeting state academic standards than the statewide average during the last school year, according to Meany's 2008 annual report. The school also had 109 suspensions – 24.2 percent of the student body. The district average is 7 percent.
If the recommended cuts go through, Meany's junior high programs will be dispersed across the rest of the city, replaced by the NOVA alternative High School and a bilingual education program.
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