Officials: Parental involvement key
to Individualized Education Program

April 10, 2005

By TASHA STEIMER
Index-Journal staff writer

It’s that time of year again. As parents of a child receiving special services, you’re invited in for an annual meeting. Along with a school representative, a general education teacher, special education teacher, a district administrator and any other people involved, you must decide what is the best option for the child regarding his or her education.
The result of this collaboration is an Individualized Education Program (IEP) – a written statement developed for every student who is eligible for special education services for such disabilities as mental or learning, autism, hearing, vision or speech impairments, emotional disabilities and traumatic brain injury.
Lou Ann Corley, interim director of special services for Greenwood School District 50, said the plans must be reviewed by educators and parents at least once a year.
“The IEP outlines the student’s educational program and services through the year,” she said. “Teachers usually come in with recommendations, and the parent may come in with their own ideas of what their child needs.”
The IEP states every aspect of the child’s special education including the current performance of the child in school, short- and long-term goals for the child’s education and methods that will be used to measure progress and obtain those goals.
“We can go with an inclusive-type program that provides support within the regular classroom,” she said, “or we could go to a more self-contained setting where a special education teacher would provide most of the education.”
Corley said the district tries not to remove a student from regular or “mainstream” classes unless it is in the best interest of that child.
“Our goal is to try not to remove them from a regular setting but do that as little as possible,” she said. “(The educators and parents) want the child to progress. Sometimes there will be some negotiations if they feel something is not right about the program. Parents can always ask for another meeting; it doesn’t have to wait another year.”
Belinda and Randy Shinn, of Greenwood, have been working with District 50 on a plan for their 3-year-old son Luke, who has Down Syndrome.
“When Luke was 2 years old, we started the paperwork and talked about the transition,” Belinda Shinn said. “By the time he was 2½, there was more discussion and on March first he turned 3. There was a pre-school program he could attend.”
Randy Shinn added about the IEP, “It’s just not the education. It’s everything to help that child succeed in school.”
Vicki Weed, who has an 11-year-old daughter, Kelli, in the Abbeville County School District, said the meeting can be intimidating because parents may be afraid to speak up.
“For parents, it’s difficult because the child is being seen by a group of specialists – physical therapist, occupational therapist, school psychologist, teachers, principal,” she said. “It’s supposed to be a team effort, but it doesn’t always work out that way. Everyone has input and that’s the way it should be, but there can be disagreements.”
Weed said students are also encouraged to be involved in their IEPs when they understand the procedure.
“We went over the previous plan and reviewed our goals to see if they had been met,” she said. “At the end, they make recommendations about what they want, and we tell them what we want to see happen. Once that is decided, we agree upon it. If parents disagree with the plan, they don’t have to sign it.”
Although initial IEPs are based on testing, Corley said parental involvement is one of the most important factors for success.
“We encourage parents to participate in the IEP meetings,” she said. “They play a very important role; they know their child the best and what works for them at home. We need everyone working together so every child can meet their potential.”
Ann Davis, director of special services and early childhood for the Abbeville County School District, said the process can be difficult if educators and parents are not on the same page.
“That’s what you hope for – and that’s what happens most of the time – but it’s not always the case,” she said. “It gets more difficult when the child gets older and the gap between age and skill becomes obvious. There is a transition parents have to go through, and we don’t do as good of a job sometimes of being aware and assisting parents with that transition.”
Davis said parents know what’s best for the child in a home setting, but students can react differently in a classroom setting with a group. She said parents can compare it to planning for a trip to France – learning all about the language and culture – and then ending up in Holland.
“To me, our job as educators is to help parents understand what ‘Holland’ is about,” she said. “That’s where parents get frustrated sometimes.”
Randy Shinn said it is difficult not to take the IEP personally when educators discuss what Luke can or cannot do in terms of how successful he will be at reaching his goals.
“You start looking at the things they want him to do, and think ‘It’s not a very challenging world.’ I can’t understand why the standards are different because he needs to learn to read and write too, and he should be focusing on that.”
Kirby King, whose 13-year-old son Brady was a student in District 50 last year, said it can be especially difficult when you disagree over the best course of action for that child.
“Sometimes you have to compromise to adjust,” she said. “They may tell you he needs to be in a self-contained class or all these other things your child cannot do. You as a parent have all these dreams for your child. You may want to mainstream him and put him in a regular classroom, and I had to fight to get him there, but it was actually the right choice because he succeeded.”
King said she and her husband made the decision to pull their son out of public school and into home-schooling this year, but they plan on returning him to class next year.
“You take on the responsibility for your child that they’ll fail,” she said, “but going against the system sometimes and putting up fight could be the best thing.”
Weed agreed, “It’s frustrating for parents because sometimes people are at a loss of what to do,” she said. “When Kelli went in, all I heard was ‘She can’t. She can’t.’ But I knew she could. I don’t look at her and go, ‘What can’t she do?’ I look at my child and ask, ‘What can she do?’ You forget sometimes that they’re not the enemy. It’s a better mindset to go in with because they know they’re being vented at, but there’s a right way to do it.”
King said she found that just keeping in touch with Brady’s teachers regularly went a long way. “You get more walking in the class every morning and picking them up from school every day,” she said. “If they see that you have the best interest of the child at heart and you’re not there to be difficult, they don’t mind.”
Davis said the best thing parents can do is stay involved and don’t hesitate to call a meeting.
“The worst thing is to let it fester. Keep asking questions and requesting information. But it is also important for parents to understand that our responsibility is not to them but to that child. Sometimes, we don’t necessarily do what the parents want or what the school wants. I think parents realize that we only want what’s best for their child just like they do,” she said.
“We’ve come a long way in special education. I think overall we’ve got a dedicated group of teachers, principals and staff who continue to make progress with our kids.”

Mary Burton Evans

MARIN COUNTY, Calif. — Mary Burton Evans, daughter of Josephine Oliver and Harlow Clarence Frink, was born in Santa Barbara, California on February 6, 1918. Mary, “MB,” was married for 47 years to the late Richard A. Evans, former vice-president of Marsh & McLennan Companies of New York. MB is survived by her sister, Ann Oliver Crowl, of Laguna Niguel, California; three daughters - Arden Wood of Nicasio, California, Gwynneth Dieter of Boulder, Colorado, and Kim Evans of Danville, California; five grandchildren - Megan Dieter, Nicholas Dieter, Alexis Dieter, Paolo Wood, and Sophia Wood; and one great grandson - Nicolo Dehlinger.
MB grew up in Santa Barbara and graduated from the Santa Barbara Girls’ School. In 1942 MB met Richard Evans when he was a young naval officer on his way to serving in the Pacific and they were married the same year. During WW II MB was a volunteer for the war effort at the Hoff General Hospital in Santa Barbara. After the war, MB and Dick moved to St. James, Long Island, New York where they raised their three daughters. Upon retirement in 1972, they restored an historic farm in Abbeville, South Carolina where they lived until 1985 when they moved to Rancho Mirage, California. In 1999, MB moved to Smith Ranch Homes in Marin County, California, where she resided until her death on March 29, 2005.
MB was actively involved in each of her communities, particularly in support of education. She was one of a small group of parents who founded Harbor Country Day School in St. James and was a benefactor of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in Palm Desert, California. She was a member of the Garden Club of America, the Junior League of New York, the Episcopal Church and the Living Desert. MB loved the beach and gardening and was an avid reader and letter writer. She enjoyed widespread friendships and was a wonderful hostess. She was devoted to every member of her family and her grandchildren were her pride and joy. MB was energetic, optimistic and determined. She was a generous, caring individual and a positive, inspiring life force to all who knew her. MB will be dearly missed.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church Memorial Fund, 47535 Highway 74, Palm Desert, CA 92260.
PAID OBITUARY

Mary Sue French

HODGES — Mary Sue Gambrell French, 81, of 208 Pine Drive, died Saturday, April 9, 2005 at Trinity Mission Health and Rehab in Edgefield.
Born in Rome, Ga., she was a daughter of the late James B. Sr. and Lila Mae Timmerman Gambrell. She was a graduate of Greenwood High School, attended Lander College and was a member of Mount Dearborn United Methodist Church in Great Falls. She was an Army veteran of WWII and was formerly employed by Great Falls Insurance Agency, Great Falls, S.C.
Survivors include three daughters, Patricia Hogan, with whom she made her home in Hodges, Genie Fach of Great Falls and Cyndy Nester of Greely, Colo.; a sister, Alice Hough of Gastonia, N.C.; a brother, James B. Gambrell Jr. of Columbia; five grandsons and 13 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at a date and time to be announced at Mount Dearborn United Methodist Church in Great Falls.
Blyth Funeral Home is in charge.

Chris ‘Burger’ Gaines

WARE SHOALS — Christopher Ray “Burger” Gaines, 32, of 4 West Jackson St., died Friday, April 8, 2005. He was born in Greenwood County, a son of Patricia Madden Gaines and the late Vernon Gaines. He was self-employed.
Surviving besides his mother of Ware Shoals and step-father, Curtis Traynham are his wife, Wendy Weathers of the home; two sons, Vernon Andrew Gaines and Michael Anthony Gaines of the home; a daughter, Shelly Ann Gaines of the home; one sister, Misty Gaines, Greenwood; one step-brother, Todd Traynham, Ware Shoals; and a special Aunt and Uncle, Earl and Brenda Madden, Ware Shoals. He was pre-deceased by his maternal grandparents, James Everette and Mary Anderson Madden.
Funeral Services will be conducted 3 p.m. Monday at Parker-White Funeral Home with the Rev. Fred Treaster and the Rev. Gail Summey officiating. Burial will follow in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Active pallbearers will be Jimmy Norris, Mickey Boland, Lester Poole, Billy Jo Varnum, Don Traynham and Jimmy Hughes.
The family will be at the Madden residence, 622 Free Bridge Road, and will receive friends 7-9 p.m today at Parker-White Funeral Home.

James Ernest Harris

James Ernest Harris, 83, formerly of 238 Coleman Terrace, Apt. A, widower of Elizabeth Jemison Harris, died Saturday, April 9, 2005 at Anne Maria Nursing Home in North Augusta.
Born in Greenwood County, he was a son of the late Christopher Harris. He was a truck driver and a member of the Little Zion A.M.E. Church. He was an usher, active in the choir, and a member of Men On The Move For Christ.
Survivors include two sisters, Mary Pearl Dean of Augusta, Ga. and Lillie Spearman of Greenwood; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Services are 3 p.m. Tuesday at Little Zion A.M.E. Church, conducted by Bishop Emanuel Spearman. The body will be placed in the church at 2. Burial is in the Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers are nephews.
Flower bearers are nieces.
Visitation is 6-7 Monday at Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc.
The family is at the home of Jonathon and Mildred Robinson, 592 Old Greenwood (Abbeville) Highway.
Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc. is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@emeraldis.com

Scurry Harrison

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scurry Harrison, 75, of 1200 Talsiman Drive, formerly of 452 Vaughn St., widower of Annie Jean Harrison, died Friday, April 8, 2005 at University Hospital in Augusta, Ga.
Born in Greenwood County, he was a son of the late Claude Harrison and Thomasena Harrison. He was a self employed brick mason and of the Methodist faith.
Survivors include two sons, Claude Harrison and William Scurry Harrison of Greenwood; a daughter, Tammy Cain of Greenwood; 12 grandchildren including two reared in the home, Emily White and Vincent White; two nieces reared in the home, Tonya Backus and Claudia Louden; and a nephew reared in the home, John Louden Jr. of Greenwood.
Services are 11 a.m. Monday at The Evening Star Cemetery.
The family is at the home of a daughter, 235 Florida Ave., Apt. 57, Greenwood.
Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home, Greenwood, is in charge.

Annie Lee Martin

WASHINGTON — Annie Lee Martin, 80, widow of Otis Martin, died Thursday, April 7, 2005 at Greater Southeast Community Hospital in Washington.
She was a daughter of the late James and Juanita Gilchrist. She was a member of Saint Goodwill Baptist Church, Troy, S.C., a homemaker and the last survivor of her immediate family.
Survivors include two sons, Terry Martin of Bowie, Md. and Thomas Martin of Washington; a daughter, Mariam Martin of Washington; two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Services will be announced by Brown and Walker Funeral Home, Abbeville.

Jack Pitts

LAURENS — Elwyn Eugene “Jack” Pitts, 82, of 303 Owings St., husband of Martha Shirley Pitts, died Friday, April 8, 2005 at Laurens County Hospital.
Born in Laurens County, he was a son of the late James Franklin and Bernice Coats Pitts. He was a Navy veteran of WWII, President Emeritus of Pitts Steel, Inc. and a member of Laurens First Presbyterian Church. He was a Mason, Shriner and a member of Palmetto Lodge No. 19 and the Hejaz Temple.
Survivors include his wife; three daughters, Mrs. Jim (Julia) Smith of Greenwood, Mrs. Sonnie (Abbie) Holliday of Laurens and Mrs. Tim (Shawnee) Boyle of Greenville; 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Services are 3 p.m. today at Friendship Presbyterian Church Cemetery, conducted by the Rev. Marc Coker with Masonic Rites.
Visitation is at the cemetery following services.
The family is at the home.
Memorials may be made to Shriner’s Hospital, 950 W. Faris Road, Greenville, S.C. 29605.
Kennedy Mortuary is in charge.

Michelle Robbins

WATERLOO — Tina Michelle Robbins, 20, of 513 Bobwhite Drive, died Friday, April 8, 2005 from injuries received in a car accident.
Born in Greenwood, she was a daughter of Elba Nobles Foley. She was a graduate of Ninety Six High School, employed by Emerald Trading Company and was a member of Temple Baptist Church. Survivors include her mother of the home; a stepfather, Rick Foley of the home; maternal grandparents, Tina and Bill Payton of Ninety Six; paternal grandmothers, Patricia Sue Foley of Hodges, Myra Hibbard of Waterloo, Wilma Batson of Greenwood; and a sister, Patricia Jean Foley of Waterloo.
Services are 3 p.m. Monday at the Temple Baptist Church, conducted by the Revs. Joe Turner and Bobby Davis. The body will be placed in the church at 2. Burial is in Elmwood Cemetery.
Pallbearers are James “Catfish” Culbreath, Jim Pollard, Johnny Davis, Jerry Adams, Reggie Frazier and Richard Bragg.
Visitation is 6-8 today at Harley Funeral Home.
The family is at the home of Tina and Bill Payton, 222 Park St., Ninety Six.
Harley Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com

Lander’s struggles continue in sweep

April 10, 2005

By BRIAN HOWARD
Assistant sports editor

Lack of timely hitting and inconsistent pitching continue to plague the Lander University baseball team.
The Bearcats left 16 on base during the opening game of a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader with USC Upstate Saturday at Legion Field and fell to the Spartans, 10-6. Upstate won the nightcap, 6-1, for the sweep.
Lander, which has lost 15 of its last 20 games, has lost seven straight PBC games and lost its third consecutive PBC series.
“We left a lot of guys on all day,” Bearcats coach Mike McGuire said. “Right now we are just not playing well in any phase. David Wilson didn’t pitched well. I don’t know what to say. We’ve got to play better baseball.
“There is nobody in our conference that is not a bad team. We’re at the point where we need to turn it around.”
For the second time in as many PBC outings, Lander pitcher David Wilson was rocked for 10 runs. Ross Vigder’s bases loaded triple in the second inning gave the Spartans a 3-2 lead, which they never relinquished. Vigder added an RBI single in the fourth inning, giving USC Upstate a 4-2 advantage.
Matt Goyea also had a big game for the Spartans, as he went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a pair of RBIs.
Leading 4-3 after the bottom of the fourth inning, USC Upstate (29-16 overall, 12-11 PBC) turned a close game into a rout by scoring six times in the fifth inning.
Kyle Bowley hit a one-out single to left, followed by a double by Eric Davis. Goyea singled to right scoring Bowley and Davis, and advanced to second on the throw home. Jim Kais followed with a double to right, scoring Goyea for the third run of the inning.
With two down in the inning, Vigder was hit by a pitch. Leadoff batter Brad Wingo doubled to left, scoring Kais from second. John Caddell followed with a single to left-center, plating Vigder and Wingo for the final runs of the inning.
Meanwhile, Lander for the second weekend in an opener in a PBC series, failed to get that timely hit. The Bearcats left 16 on base and hit into two double plays.
David Walton led the Bearcats at the plate by going 5-for-6 with a run scored and driving in a pair. Radley Raven was 3-for-5, with a run scored and an RBI.
Wilson (6-4) took the loss, giving up 10 runs on 13 hits, walking two and striking out two.
Former Greenwood High School William Dudley worked the final four innings, giving up just one hit and striking out five.
Brandon Williams (4-2) took the win for the Spartans, working five innings, giving up four runs on eight hits, walking six and striking out three. Garrett Holmes finished the final four innings, giving up two runs on four hits, walking three and four strikeouts.
In the second game, Lander took a 1-0 lead in the second on a solo home run by Ryan Brisby, but the lead lasted just a half of an inning, as the Spartans tied the game in the third and took the lead in the fourth.
After hitting into an inning-ending double play in the bottom of the third, Lander gave up a leadoff hit Bret Hansen, who moved to second on a hit and run attempt and took third on a passed ball. Hansen scored on a double by Eric Davis.
In the fifth inning, Kais led off the inning with a bloop single to center and took second after Brian Discordia walked. Vigder bunted the ball back to Lander starting pitcher Chris Marks, but his throw to first was hit and wide of Brisby , allowing Kais into score.
Hansen’s two-out single to left, scored Discordia for the second run of the inning and a 3-1 advantage.
The Spartans put the game away in the top of the sixth. Davis led off the inning with a double to right, followed by a Goyea RBI double to center. One batter later, Discordia scored Goyea on a double to left center, giving USC Upstate a 6-1 lead going into the bottom of the sixth.
Lander (22-19, 8-11) loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, but couldn’t push across a run.
Marks (3-3) worked all seven innings in taking the loss, giving up six runs on 10 hits, walking one and striking one.
Scott Eckard (7-2) pitched a complete game, giving up one run on seven hits, walking two and striking out a pair to get the win.
The Bearcats, who were ranked No. 7 in Division II three weeks ago, continue to slide, hitting into three double plays in the second game.
“Every game for us is a must-win for us,” McGuire said. “We have to look at it without a doubt. We’re not playing good baseball.”
After the series conclusion today with the Spartans, Lander will play a home-and-home series with Southern Wesleyan starting Tuesday away, then Wednesday at Legion Field.

Profanity awareness can make positive difference

April 10, 2005

Social engineering. The negative kind. That term is not unfamiliar to a lot of people in South Carolina. For a half century or more, it has been an integral part of our public schools.
It’s about all the responsibilities that have been piled on educators who have been expected to be everything from surrogate parents to babysitters.
Through it all, though, most teachers and school officials have persevered and generally produced better schools than they sometimes get credit for. A few, of course, have not lived up to expectations, and too many times the good educators have had to coexist with those of poor caliber.

YOU CAN ALWAYS SPOT the good ones, though. They are caring and innovative, and it shows. They don’t let manufactured hurdles prevent them from making their students the best they can be.
Once in a while, though, something is introduced that may not be part of a school’s regular curriculum, but makes a lot of common sense. Consider a recent exercise in the Greenville County Schools ….. Profanity Awareness Week.
Why in schools? It’s a sad commentary on our times, but the halls, campuses, school buses – even classrooms – of all schools are often filled with gutter language. What better place to emphasize profanity awareness.

“WE UNDERSTAND THAT it’s not probable that we’re going to get everybody to be profanity-free,” said Southside High School student council president Salim Nehdi, “But we could raise awareness without it seeming like another rule that everybody has to follow, sort of in a student-friendly manner.
“We’re trying to help prepare students behaviorally for life. It’s good for them to be aware that profanity is impolite, it presents a negative image of a person and it’s not something that is positive in adults’ live.”
This is a good example of “social engineering” with a positive slant. Other schools should take notice.

Profanity awareness can make positive difference

April 10, 2005