SALT LAKE CITY — The effects of recent changes to federal immigration policy are starting to be felt in our local special education programs. A program within the Salt Lake City school District will now have its students carry around cards to let authorities know that a student is disabled.
As a parent of a student with Down syndrome, Polly Chapman has seen how difficult growing up with intellectual disabilities can be.
“As kids with special needs age out of the school system, it’s a challenge for parents to provide structured activities,” said Chapman, whose son Ryan is now 20 years old.
She found that outlet for her son within their own school district.
“He didn’t quite fit into going to college,” Chapman said. “So, the next thing for him was SCORE.”
She says the Salt Lake City Schools’ SCORE program is perfect for this nearly legal adult, offering 18- to 22-year-olds an opportunity for further learning that helps him transition from school to adult life.
Polly says the program is housed at the Horizonte Instruction and Training Center, where Ryan learns about a wide variety of important day-to-day skills.
“They have a self-contained classroom,” said Chapman. “They have their own kitchen, so they can cook. They can do laundry. They have a coffee cart that goes around selling coffee.”
She says it keeps Ryan in a safe, structured environment, while also allowing him to get out in the community for opportunities like job shadowing.
“He loves school,” Chapman said. “He loves going to see his buddies at SCORE.”
But a letter sent home to families Monday left her fearful for Ryan’s classmates.
“I read it through very carefully and then I started crying,” said Chapman.
It read that all students would be carrying a card that identified them as special needs.
“So that if they were stopped by immigration, the card would tell whoever stopped them to find an adult or guardian,” Chapman said.
While she’s grateful that the school district is trying to take steps to protect members of this program, Chapman remains appalled that students just like her own could find themselves in such a vulnerable position.
“I can’t imagine how people feel if they don’t think their child’s safe at school, that their child could be taken away or deported,” said Chapman. “They’ve got enough challenges, without being challenged by anyone from immigration enforcement.”
