Semmes Middle School has made a choice to change over 50 students entire schedules giving them new teachers without notifying the parents before hand. All of the students either have learning disabilties or a mental/behavior in some way which causes a Iep to be established. Parents were called on 2-1-8 after they already made new schedules for all of the students. The students are going from about 15 students in a class to over 30 per class. Not only has the school violited the Federal Laws on a Iep but they also violited them on the No Child Left Behinde Law. THis school is breaking 2 FEDERAL LAWS and getting away with it. This decision was made over 3 weeks ago by the school board and parents werent told. The students that are affected are on the TIGER TEAM AT SEMMES MIDDLE SCHOOL.  I personally will be contacting an attorney and filing a lawsuit against the school and Mobile County School Board. If anyone wants to join me you can email me at

IF they are going from a class of 15 students to a class of over 30 I am going to ASSUME (and yes! I know what that word can make you look like) the reason they moved the children was to comply with the No Child Left Behind Law.  The No Child Left Behind Law has made it where children with mental/behavior problems have to be in inclusion with normal classes so that they are not left behind.  This is how Alabama is interpreting the law. Personally I think it sucks.  It not only hurts the kids with problems, but it also slows down the kids that do not have problems.  I have been fighting this since for several years now and I personally wish you luck.

I absolutely agree Sundew.  No child should be left behind, but does that not also include the rights of my gifted children? How can a teacher devote his/her time to a “regular” classroom, when so much time is being pulled to the child with problems. I think all children need to be individually evaluated, and decisions based on that. To pull a child out of a special education classroom may not be the best choice for that student, the students in the mainstream classroom or the teacher. I have no problem with “inclusion” as long as the rest of the students are not affected. We actually have friends with different abilities, that are more than capable of keeping up with the rest of the class. But I also know coming from a family of teachers(mainstream and special ed), what a problem this presents in the classroom-to everyone.I also think politics needs to be out of the classroom (that includes the all knowing school board) and let the teachers TEACH! Example-CRT’s-ugh!