Brad: Confidentiality at the Expense of Connection?



Recently, I had an opportunity to share some of my school’s inclusive practices with a special educator from another district. I told him about using general education peer-tutors, inviting general education classes into self-contained classrooms for shared lessons, and helping typical and non-typical students change the school climate with respect to students with disabilities.

While my colleague was personally connected to the mission of inclusion, he was unsure that some of these practices could actually occur at his school, due to parental and administrative concerns over confidentiality. He cited a few incidences of parents who were quite protective of their child’s right to privacy within an education setting. I couldn’t help but wonder why I had never encountered this “right to privacy” issue at the school where I teach.

To be sure, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act includes a number of definitions and legal requirements, especially with respect to evaluations, personally identifiable information, and access to records. But I’ve never interpreted these rights as contrary to the mission of inclusive practices within schools.

Earlier this year, a fellow teacher asked whether I’d welcome some 25 students into our self-contained classroom so both classes could cook a healthy meal together and enjoy some home-made smoothies. The students in my classroom love to cook, so I jump at any opportunity that lets them do so. Was I a bit nervous about having 25 students in the classroom interacting and cooking with our students? Sure. But I also felt that part of my role is to model a sense of adventure and acceptance for the students in my program. If we could learn, cook, and eat together, chances were high that good things (read: peer interaction and social development) would follow.

On the day of the cooking lessons, I saw so many of the students from the general education classroom reach out to our students. I saw our teacher assistants joking around and introducing themselves. And for the most part, I didn’t see students with disabilities being helped and aided by typical students. What I really saw was a large group of students just cooking, socializing, and learning together. I saw a greater opportunity for our students to be recognized and acknowledged in the hallways – and I saw an opportunity for myself and my students to acknowledge new friends as well. Opportunities like these, despite concerns over confidentiality or protocol, improve the school climate for students with disabilities.

As I pondered my conversation about privacy with the teacher from the other school district, I couldn’t help but swing back to the idea that students with disabilities should be due an equal amount of privacy as are typical students – but that privacy shouldn’t come at the cost of separating those students from their peers or denying opportunities for social connection and enrichment.

I’d like to thank those veteran educators who have helped pushed the boundaries of inclusion for students with disabilities. I don’t think I’ve thought often enough or hard enough about the students and advocates in special education whose commitment to inclusion shaped the way in which I’m able to educate students today. By no means are we at the end of our journey, but it’s amazing to think how far some programs have come as a result of such commitment.

 

Comments

[Yolanda]

I am thrilled to hear such a dynamic success story! Coming into this field, I have often wondered why schools are operating under such a poor model of diversity, when it comes to special education. Sure we teach our students to respect others differences, but as adults we are not modeling that ourselves. We continue to not allow our special education curriculum to progress nor expand in helping our students to become the best at what they can be. This day in time social relationships are an important part of educating our students across the board. I think that this was a great example that you and you staff pulled off. I only hope that my next assignment would be more willing to do so as well.

[Patricia Wenglein]

Hi Brad,
I just want to say, congratulations for creating a stimulating and cooperative environment for your students and the general education students. I as many others agree that there is no breach of privacy of your students. Legally, we have to provide our students with the Least Restrictive Environment, and when the general education environment is not the most appropriate place for our students the least we can do is to bring the typical students into the special education classroom. What could be better than a cooking than activity? The way I see it is somewhat of a reverse inclusion. Over the years, administrators were bringing troubled students into my classroom, and my students and I practiced our best host behavior with these students. Many times our attitude toward those students resulted in a positive relationship. Then I thought, why can’t we have “good students” visiting our classroom? Then I had a serious conversation with the counselors regarding this issue, they suggested some good students that could be a good match for my students. Since, we have a group of eight students that come to our classroom for a period everyday. We play social and instructional games; this has been an incredible positive change for my students. Now, I see my students being greeted and greeting general education students by first name. The parents of my students are well aware of the activities taking place in the classroom, and I have not had any concerns rewarding the privacy of any of the students. Once again, congratulations and keep it up!

[Lauren]

Hi Brad,
Kudos for creating meaningful interactions for your students in a supportive and stimulating learning environment. It baffles me that this was considered to be jeopardizing student rights. What surprises me even more is that fact that your students are so segregated from their peers that other teachers are concerned with the students interacting. As I read this, I'm wondering if I am misunderstanding the extent to which your students interact. Do they join their peers for lunch and other non-instructional times? Again, I applaud you for a job well done, and I'm interested to hear how students are integrated at your school.

[Angela Thomas]

Hi Brad,

I totally agree with you about that. Come on....I doubt it very seriously if you would reveal any confidential documents or specifics about IEP plans with your peer tutors.

We have used peer tutors in our school for a few years now and the benefits are phenomenal. Our peer tutors assist in our life-skills and multi-impaired classes. They read stories, play games, show flash cards, talk to and accompany the students to the playground for some social interaction and fun. Our students light up when their 'student buddy' comes to visit. I have already picked out the students who will make great special education teachers and instructional leaders of tomorrow. They have already demonstrated advocating for our students, by assuring their fellow students that it is a good thing to help others.

Kudos to you...keep trying to push for it!

Angela

[Sabrina]

Brad,

I just want to say Kudos for allowing the general ed kids and the kids with special needs to interact with this cooking project. As many others have mentioned, I also do not see how this could be a breech in confidentiality. As long as no one is discussing students' IEPs and disabilities with other students, it it perfectly fine for them to intermingle. This allowed the students with special needs to feel included with the rest of the kids. It is also a good experience for the general ed kids to interact with your students to help negate any negative feelings that may exist about SPED kids. Great social, interactive activity!

[Nancy Barsky]

Brad,
I don't see how letting students socialize together could be breaching privacy. Does the general education teacher speak to her students about any of the special education students disabilities?
I teach high school ceramics. My advanced class meets at the same time as my special education section. This is done so that I can split my time more effectively and we can do some collaborative projects too. The special education teacher comes into my room at the beginning of the year and talks to my students about some of the special needs issues that might arise. The cool thing this year is that our special ed. students are out in the school so much now that several of my students already knew the kids and assured the special education teacher that they would "watch out" for them.
As for helping out, one of my special needs students I have had for several years helped out my first year student, she knew more than they did.
I think your idea to invite the general education students into the resource room is great. It takes away the mystery and fear that can go with the unknown.
GREAT JOB!!!!

[Katie Harris]

I find this idea to be extremely intriguing. I wish that there were more instances of inclusion in my classroom. I do not feel that mixing the general education students with the special education students is a breach of confidentiality in any way. It is not as though we are making students state their disability or accommodations for others. You protected the rights of both the general education students and the regular education students.
The biggest problem in my school is lack of knowledge about special education by both the older generation of teachers and the students. Students often don't understand the reasoning for special education nor do they understand their peers who receive services.
Parents, teachers, and students alike should be open to the idea of joining both special education and general education students together. Isn't our ultimate goal to make them all productive members of society? The only way to promote understanding and tolerance is to teach them together and create an equal and accepting environment for them all during their schooling so that real life is no different for them.
I love your ideas and hope to take some of them back to my own school!

[Jess Ward]

Hey Brad, I love your idea of including general education students in your classroom. If the self-contained classroom receives the negative stereotype that only disabled children are allowed in there- doesn't that negate the inclusive atmosphere we are trying to create with LRE, IDEA, FAPE, collaboration, etc? Now, confidentiality is a big deal and it is important to keep personal details about our kids safe; however, when asking teachers to collaborate and join classrooms we are not copying and passing out the student's IEPs as they come into the "self-contained" room. I love what a previous poster said when he/she compared your cooking environment to the cafeteria. Both places house all students, so what is the difference?
I began a "Book Buddies" program this year where regular education students come into my classroom once a week to read with my students in a self-contained room. We have veered off from the original concept and don’t art and craft and cooking activities. It is a great way to teach kids to be comfortable around others, even if they are different :) thanks for the post.

[Renee]

Kelly,

I am not familiar with a mandate which states that a special education teacher cannot help out a general education student. Not being able to help out general education students would make a co-taught room pointless. Yes, you are in the general education classroom for most of the time. However, there have been a couple of times when we have brought the students into my room to use my SmartBoard. There has also been times where general education students came into my classroom during lunch to make a writing quiz. If a student has a quesion about something related to our writing class, I would want them to also feel comfortable enough to come to me. I would think we would want general education students comfortable around special education teachers, maybe this would help with the negative connotation which is sometimes associated with special education. As for the confidentiality issue when special education students are in the general education classroom, I do not go around talking about who has what disability nor do I discuss any part of the IEP with other students. By doing this, I would be breaching that students confidentiality. But, just having students associated with the general education classroom is not breaching any confidentiality of the student. If we keep students segregated when they really should not be, we are not meeting that students LRE.

[Henry]

Brad,

I find it interesting that some professionals are of the opinion that the students should be segregated at school when many of them socialize after school. It seems to me that it is the adults who are creating the barrier between students.

[Kate]

Hi Kelly,
I faced the same problem at my school last year. A general education teacher asked if I could assist a student in math that was identified special education due to an Autism disability but was 100% mainstreamed. Later that day the resource teacher mentioned I had to be careful because he was in a self-contained classroom receiving help and this was not the LRE. I do not know if there is a special mandate for this protocol but I am going to look into it. I do know that my department highly suggests reverse inclusion so self-contained classrooms do not feel segregated and have chances to interact with typically developing peers.

[Stephanie Lee]

Brad,
I find it interesting that the instructor you mentioned from another school district questioned your inclusion practices citing right to privacy. Part of IDEA and FAPE for our students with disabilities is that they receive interaction with typical peers in their educational setting; the fact that these students may interact in an educational environment, introduce themselves, or participate in learning activities together does not constitute a breech of confidentiality, it is inclusive learning and completely within the law. However, to disallow access to typical learning environments for our students with disabilities is against IDEA, and leans toward segregation.

[Heather Lewis]

I teach in a self contained special education classroom for students for severe profound disabilities. Therefore, it is really no mystery that my students have a disability.I do walk a fine line with confidentiality though. I do not give away information about my students or their particular disabilities but, sometimes I just don't know how to answer questions that students and teachers in my school have about my students. Many general education students and teachers will ask me what does little Billy have or why is he so different. Sometimes it becomes hard to only give out the minimalist of information for example, "Billy just learns different then you." Sometimes I just don't know how to answer questions to pondering minds in my school. It is great that students and teachers are showing interest in my kids and wanting to learn more about them, but at the same time it is hard to explain certain aspects about my students without giving away confidential information.

[Kindra]

Kelley, I had a situation similar to this. We had a teacher who all too willingly gave up her students to come to the resource room. So we made the argument that you have heard. I think this is one of those fine lines. What you did is great. I think having the students work on that concept together is a good idea...as long as it doesn't get abused by the regular education teacher(s). As a parent, I would be okay for this help and at this location if it was a one or few time occurrence. However, if it became a daily activity, I may have some concerns.

[Kelley]

This question has actually come up at my school recently but for different reasons. Does anyone know if there is a specific mandate that says a special educator cannot help a general ed. student in the "sped room" as it is called in my building? A few months ago I had a couple of my students and a general education student come to my room for some extra practice on a math concept they were all struggling with. It was very productive, but a colleague warned me about having a general education student come to my room for help. "After all," she said, "how would you feel if you found out your child had gone to the sped room for help?" I thought about this and decided I would be grateful by child was being helped, but how would other parents feel? Has anyone ever encountered this situation before?

[Savvie Hopkinson]

Good Post Brad,
The inclusive practice used to engage students was practical, enriching and useful. The teachers have exercised their role of actively engaging students in their learning to achieve maximum results. It is a positive technique of bringing students together to enhance the climate of the school. The privacy and confidential rights are very important and teachers should uphold them and be considerate and respectful of observing those laws. However, special education is no longer taught in isolation, therefore students must develop functional skills that will enable them to socialize and participate in meaningful situations daily.
The development of social skills is best acquired through students being with their peers. Teachers and parents cannot provide those experiences in the same measure. Engaging with their peers helps special education students to develop confidence and to establish social connections while general education students learn acceptance and tolerance. Interactive experiences prepare all students for real life experiences as well as future connections. Without these experiences the purpose of schooling will be defeated.

[Kathryn Champagne]

Hi, Brad,
Your cooking lesson provided students with and without disabilities an opportunity to participate in an enjoyable activity (cooking and eating), where they could socialize within a diverse context and learn from each other valuable life skills that are difficult to teach in a regular classroom setting. So often we hear of special needs students being included in the general ed setting; but seldom do we hear the reverse model of general ed. students being included in the special ed. setting. I am so inspired by what you have done, I am going to ask one of my general ed. colleagues if he might be interested in co-teaching a similar lesson with my special needs class of nine cognitively disabled students. My students and I love to cook and I think most other students would love to have a cooking lesson too!
As for the "privacy" and "confidentiality" concerns your colleague expressed, I can only wonder how his student's parents feel when their child(ren) eat lunch together in the cafeteria and share the same playground and gym together during recess and physical education class. I do not see where privacy in these venues is relevant. I presume you teach in a public school which, by definition, is not a "private" setting. I am surprised that any parent would be so determined to "isolate" their child from real-world situations such as attending classes and sharing other activities and experiences with non-disabled peers. That seems so contrary to the efforts we make, as special educators, to teach our students functional life skills that enable them to learn how to do what other kids do. Participating along side of age-level peers is good modeling, I believe, and what inclusion models are all about. Your lesson provides students a wonderful way to develop acceptance and tolerance skills as well. Keep doing what you are doing, Brad, because it is benefiting students today who will need these type of skills later when they enter the workforce!

[Amy Skala]

I agree with the ideal that by segregating special education students, we are doing them a disservice. Confidentiality is very important, but it is almost impossible to maintain in a public school setting. Why students are in special education and what needs or modifications they need, is another story. That is something that we can work to keep confidential. In today's schools there are almost more students receiving some kind of "added" instruction than there are students that only receive general education. With "tiered learning" (RTI) many students that are not in special education are attending or receiving some "extra scoop" of learning in a day. I agree with you that an opportunity to have a social/learning time with 25 other students was too good to pass up. That kind of opportunity isn't something that comes out of a book or lesson plan.

[Cassie Murphy]

Hi Brad,
I have been researching and thinking about this topic myself. I question myself whether I am doing right by my students by including them in the classroom. I have seen some tremendous gains this year by them working with their peers and have those high expectations set by the regular education teacher. We have had some issues this year with students taking advantage of the resource room. My special education co-workers and I do not want our students to "look different" from the other students so we have set up guidelines for meeting their accommodations. We meet their needs during homeroom and try not to pull them out during regular class time. Inclusion is such a hard concept to agree with or disagree with because there are both positive and negative aspects to inclusion and pull out. However, by law we are required to meet the students need in the least restrictive environment so I believe confidentiality will be breeched because students know more than we realize.

[Brad]

Thanks for sharing all the great comments about inclusive practices in your schools. I really appreciate that so many educators have emphasized the amazing socialization and peer-modeling experiences that materialize when a diverse group of students learn and participate together. I agree that there's definitely a fine line to walk but it sounds like a lot of teachers have found a way to balance privacy concerns with the benefits of inclusive practices. Inspiring!

[Andrea]

Hi Brad! This is actually something I have given some thought to. I am in my third year of teaching resource room for grades 5-8. At the age I work with, most nondisabled students know what the resource room is. They know it's the "special ed" room. So yes, I could be a stickler for privacy and confidentiality laws. But that wouldn't be doing anyone any favors, and would only work against the stigma we are trying to tear down. So it is a fine line. I just don't share any information about specific disabilities, etc., with anyone who doesn't need to know. I have gone into classroom and invited nondisabled students into my room as well. I think it has really helped. Usually because it is centered around a fun activity, and I have a "fun" room with ball chairs, games, etc., lots of general education students actually want to come down and visit. I don't share any private information about students, but I've made my room open to all students who need a little extra help-- for example, if one of my students is working in a group for a project, inviting the whole group down to work. I think this really helps tear down stigmas. So it is important for us to know where the line is and be sure not to cross it.

[Shameeka]

Hi Brad,

It is always important to be cautious of the perimeters of the school culture in which we educate students and to uphold the code of ethics and laws regulating the guidelines of how we educate students. I am a strong advocate for the inclusion approach and have observed inclusive activities such as the cooking lesson amongst the two different classes at your school. I love the idea of providing all students with academic and social interaction the way you did with your class. It prepares all students for the realities of the real world. I also understand why your colleague was unsure about some of the inclusion activities occurring within his school. Confidentiality is a huge privacy issue we as special educators have to always be attentive to uphold on a child-centered case by case basis. Thank you Brad!

[Lisa]

I too think that moments such as these are win win situations for all involved. Not only does it help the students in both classrooms connect, but it also helps to build positive interactions, confidence, and self esteem of all involved. I feel as though it is a sad situation for parents to think about the issue of privacy during such humbling experiences as these. All students deserve these opportunites to help everyone in seeing that we all need to work together in such a diverse and ever-changing society. I work with an integrated preschool program and I feel that all preschools should be integrated because this is the age where students are learning all about learning, and this is the perfect age for modeling to assist the students who are still developing academically and socially. These peer models truly assist and work with the students who are still developing in many ways, but they too feel proud and secure of themselves when they are complimented on the ways that they are reaching out to assist thier peers. I understand when children get into the higher grade levels that it may be more of a situation based scenerio, but I feel that opportunites such as these cooking experiences are perfect ways to promote inclusion in some way. Sometimes we teachers may have to get creative in order for inclusion to occur, but that is what we are here for, right?! Keep doing what you are doing! Our students deserve opportunities such as these =)

[Garrett Herthum]

Hi Brad,

I love how you put your students first. I would have also jumped on the opportunity to allow 25 new students into my classroom to cook with my students. This gives them a great opportunity to work with different students. I also like how both groups of students equally participated in the cooking and eating. So far in my teaching experiences I have not had to deal with parents who were quite protective of their child’s right to privacy within an education setting. I feel that every opportunity that my students get to interact with other students will only benefit them in the long run. All students whether it be in the special education setting or general education setting need to learn how to communicate and function socially. A lot of students today can’t carry on a conversation because they are not use to it. Students with disabilities and students without disabilities can sometimes learn better from their own peers and giving them this unique opportunity to work together can only benefit from this.

[Karen Hall]

Hi Brad,

I had that argument with someone on over valuating segregation risks the very discrimination we made laws to eliminate. Though your issue was on privacy and mine was on isolation the rationale behind both decisions are uncannily similar. My colleague felt that all disability should have separate learning facilities and while I could justify partial isolation for targeted learning I absolutely disagree with it as a way of life among children with various disabilities.
I, too object to segregation in any form. As a child I was in a instruction with children with all types of disabilities. The knowledge and understanding I gained there has helped me to be a better professional. No school could have given me that "inside" knowledge on my peers’ disability needs that has serves me well today as I plan programs in special education.