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PSS students with disabilities in decline
The number of students with disabilities is about 9 percent of the current public school student population as of June 30, 2017, according to Public School System Special Education coordinator Suzzane Lizama.
The figure is 1 percent lower compared to last year when the number of special needs children was about 10 percent of the total public school population.
Lizama discussed her finding on the current state of the islands’ special education system during yesterday’s Rotary Club of Saipan meeting at the Hyatt Regency Saipan.
According to Lizama, since she started in special education, the system has since evolved. Today, students with special needs are given the chance to pursue higher education opposed to the time she had just started, when it was considered lucky for special needs children to even graduate high school.
This year there are currently 927 special needs children enrolled in the Public School System’s special education program from ages 3 to 21. The number of expected special needs high school graduates this school year is over 80.
Last school year, 10 percent of the 993 students were considered special needs and over 20 percent of those special needs high school graduates were able to pursue higher education.
Although special needs programs are continuously expanding and resources are made available, a new challenge has arisen for not just special needs children, but for both special needs students and regular students alike.
According to Lizama, the challenge faced now is how to keep students from dropping out.
Lizama said during her presentation that the number of high school dropouts in both regular students and special needs students are continuously growing; and although they are working hard to uncover the reason behind these students dropping out, a long-term solution has yet to be set.
