Special needs class more focused on teacher than students

Our elementary schools seem to be lacking common sense at an alarming rate. My child was out of school for a week due to an upper respiratory infection.

We strictly enforce spitting up any mucus that comes up when she coughs. She was still slightly congested when she returned to school. When she coughs in class and needs to spit, she raises her hand to go to the restroom and the teacher tells her to swallow it back down and wait until the lesson is finished being taught. Three weeks later and my daughter is still coughing and sounds like a seal.

The IEP class is being taught by a blind woman. She requires special lighting in the classroom to prevent hurting her eyes. Could this cause adverse affects on children's vision?

Each child must supply three reams of paper in pastel colors that cost $30-plus each because white paper hurts her eyes. If a parent writes their child's name on homework, she punishes them by taking away recess for two days because she says the parents obviously did homework for the child.

She called a child a liar when an item was stolen. The child saw their property in another child's backpack. When the parent brought up the incident, the teacher refused to investigate and said she would have seen what happened.

The class has multiple grade levels K-5. It seems nearly impossible for the children of this class to overcome the learning disabilities they have when the only issues really being addressed are the special needs of the teacher.

Is this because the only way to receive additional funding from government for education is by keeping students in special needs classes?

Daniel Geary

Bradenton

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Special needs class more focused on teacher than students ."