Page 78 - Winter2017

“If all of these phrases found in these stories. Sadly, all of these for Attacking Teachers.”

stories we’re sick and disabled children are changing what Many articles talk about in-school brutal-
we’ve always thought of as public education, and ity on teachers as well. According to one story:
talking about it’s not only a disaster for students and teachers, Sept. 25. 2017, Brampton Guardian titled: “Vio-
aren’t the it’s breaking the budget. Schools everywhere lent Attacks on Teachers: ‘I’m Afraid to Go into
result of our are in crisis, scrambling to find money to pay the Classroom,’” there were seven thousand
for infrastructure and services, as evidenced student attacks on teachers in the Regional Mu-
out-of-control in articles in Great Britain and Scotland. Jan. nicipality of Peel, Canada, last year. The article
vaccinate- 23, 2017, BBC News: “School Budgets Near states, “teachers are wearing protective gear”
every-child- Breaking Point, say Head Teachers.” Aug. 18, and “elementary school attacks include teachers
2017, (U.K.) Scottish Sun: “Over 650 Families being bitten, kicked, scratched, punched and
over-and- in Limbo After Virtual Autism Support Service threatened.”

over vaccine in Perth Forced to Close Immediately.” In Britain and Ireland, there have been huge
schedule, “What’s happening in our schools—the ex- increases in the number of students permanently
plosion in special needs students, out-of-district excluded from school. Oct. 18, 2017, UK Daily
please tell placements, more and more one-on-one-aides, Mail: “Unofficial Exclusions Used too Readily
me what is.” newly added in-school clinics and mental health to Deal with Special Needs Pupils.” Report-

Anne Dachel services—all of this is changing the face of edly, an estimated twenty-six thousand children
education in America and the cost is enormous,” and young people with autism in the UK were
says Dachel. unlawfully excluded last year and as a result
Today, the U.S. national average of special denied a basic right to education.
education students (SPED) is 13 percent and yet
there are plenty of cities reporting much higher THE BIG LIE
numbers. For example, in Woodland Hills, Years ago, when I first started sharing
PA, 25 percent of children are SPED; in Staten information with Dachel, I remember her re-
Island, NY, 24 percent; in Fitchburg, MA, 23.5 peatedly saying the really Big Lie we are being
percent; and in Waterville, ME, 23 percent. And spoon-fed is the one about autism—which she
when we look at other developed countries, we has written a book about called The Big Autism
learn that they, too, have exceptionally high Cover-Up: How and Why the Media Is Lying
numbers. In Ireland, 25 percent have a learning to the American Public. Those in power began
disability, and in the U.K. and the Netherlands this lie by saying that autism was “genetic,” but
that number is an alarming 26 percent. A school as the number of children with autism skyrock-
district where 13-26 percent of the students have eted from one in ten thousand in the 1970s to
special education needs in the developed world one in forty-five in 2015, that lie morphed into
is no longer a rare phenomenon. an even bigger one of “better diagnosis.” Then
we had the neurodiversity movement, which
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE CHILDREN? worked furiously to convince the public that
So what happens to these children in brain inflammation and immune dysfunction
school? Many of them are being medicated: May are normal and acceptable parts of childhood
3, 2016, The Washington Post: “CDC Warns that that should be embraced and celebrated.
Americans may be Overmedicating Youngest Now Dachel is screaming from the rooftop
Children with ADHD,” about the latest really Big Lie regarding the mas-
Some are being locked in closets: Sept. 5, sive physical and mental health deterioration of
2017: Huffington Post: “Schools, Please Stop our children. No longer able to deny the fact that
Locking Kids in Closets.” our schools have become war zones, the media
And some are being sent home—when are once again in cahoots with its pharmaceuti-
teachers are not able to deal with serious be- cal advertisers, pushing endless stories blaming
havioral problems including attacks on other the poor behavior, health and learning of our
students: July 31, 2017, Calla.co: “Surge in children on “trauma” in the home. Newsweek
Number of Primary School Children Expelled recently criticized parents for “Adverse Child-

78 Wise Traditions WINTER 2017