Ella B Bell

Photo courtesy of Alabama State Department of Education

Alabama State Board of Education (SBOE) member Ella Bell wants to know why we can't force special needs children into an institution in an effort to help improve test scores in Alabama's public schools.

That might be a reasonable question...from someone who hasn't served on the SBOE for more than a decade and a half.

Under federal law, students with disabilities should have the opportunity to be educated in the same environment as their peers to the greatest extent appropriate. It's a practice commonly referred to as "least restrictive environment" (LRE).

"Is it against the law for us to establish perhaps an academy on special education or something on that order," asked Bell, "so that our scores that already are not that good would not be further cut down by special-ed's test scores involved?"

When Bell's colleagues mentioned LRE, she didn't seem to understand. "It doesn't matter about that. You can make it the least restrictive environment," she said, "I'm trying to see if you can move them out."

When a SBOE member doesn't seem to have a real grasp for such an important aspect of public education, we have a problem. I looked up the Alabama State Department of Education's comprehensive FAQ on the issue in about two seconds.

If Bell had bothered to be even a little bit curious, she would have discovered the answers including how individualized education plans (IEP) for students approach assessments. She clearly didn't bother to look for answers before attending the meeting.

State Superintendent Michael Sentance noted that even students with challenges similar to theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking would be considered "special needs." Bell responded, "I'm just saying those who have special needs are truly not folks like [Hawking]."

She even said, "It's almost not fair for LAMP (Loveless Academic Magnet Program in Montgomery) and them not to have special-ed folk to bring them down."

Bell doesn't seem to have a clue about Alabama's public education system for special needs students, but she is pretty concerned that those students "bring down" the rest.

Alabama has a process for building out IEPs consistent with LRE requirements. The underlying idea is that our students are better off in the classroom together. The idea that a SBOE member would even seriously ask the question about returning to a practice of institutionalization demonstrates a tragic lack of knowledge and thoughtfulness.

The way we balance the needs of students isn't easy, but it's a testament about the kind of state we want to be. We've decided to include people who face challenges that many of us might not. That's the right answer. We have a tragic history of exclusion in Alabama that we can't allow to make a comeback.

Either we don't have enough information about our SBOE members to hold them accountable, or we simply don't care about the people shaping our state's education environment. Bell's jarring perspectives are right in front of us on video. We just need to decide whether Alabama's future matters enough for us to do anything about it.

Cameron Smith is a regular columnist for AL.com and vice president for the R Street Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C.

Ella Bell's contact information may be found on the SBOE website.