Teachers Unions vs. Children With Autism

Ann Wiesners daughter struggled in school until she was admitted to Lionsgate Academy, a Minnetonka, Minn.-based charter school that specializes in serving children on the autism spectrum in grades 7 through 12. Now, the girl thinks about the future, her mother says. She talks about getting a job and living on her own. If regulators in Washington have their way, other children will be denied that opportunity.

At her 900-student elementary school, even with a paraprofessional by her side, she got into conflicts in the hallway, shoving matches with other kids who were sitting in what she thought was her seat, says Ms. Wiesner, who for privacy reasons asked me not to use the girls name. Lionsgate has smaller classes, a calmer environment and a staff that understands autistic kids. Though they are paid less on average than teachers at area public schools, the Lionsgate teachers arent burdened with piles of paperwork and can devote their time to teaching.