DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Decatur parents are making one final plea to the Macon-Piatt Special Education District to reevaluate its plans to end its Social Emotional Development program, also known as SED.
Parents are worried their students will be moving backwards by closing the SED program and instead absorbing students into the SEAP program.
"It's a behavioral program and it's more like a prison to the kids. It's not fair to our kids who have strived and succeeded so hard to get to where they are today," SED parent Lloyd Davis told WAND News.
Davis is one of the many parents whose student will be integrated next fall into the special education's Social-Emotional Alternative Program, known as SEAP.
"It's heart wrenching, it really touches all of us, because we do understand the needs of our parents and we're working diligently to address those needs. The problem is we just don't have the teaching staff," Decatur Superintendent Dr. Rochelle Clark told WAND News.
Dr. Clark said the Macon-Piatt Special Education District made the tough decision because there simply aren't enough teachers to keep the SED program running.
"We are really working hard to get more staff. Once we're able to obtain that staff, we can look at putting that program back together," Dr. Clark explained.
The Special Education District director said this plan will offer the smoothest transition for students until they are able to hire more staff.
"The SEAP program is very similiar to the SED program. The SEAP program has changed a lot over the past two years," Director Kathy Horath told WAND News.
But some parents feel the programs are vastly different - so much so that at least one has filed a request for a due process hearing before the Illinois State Board of Education.
"Forcing kids into a program which is a violation of their IEPs and a violation of due process regarding their IEPs," Davis explained.
SED teachers said they agree with these parents' concerns.
"I don't feel they can offer the same needs that we are providing for them and the same support. All the love and everything we have for them is just going to be gone," SED Teacher Megan Fonner said.
SED teachers were offered positions with the SEAP Program or were asked to resign as the program will be dissolved at the end of school next week. Their positions are still listed as open on the district's website.
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