My ODS shared a class with a special ed child last year and my YDS is doing so this year. In fact, we just went to her birthday party last weekend and fun was had by all!
I think it greatly benefits my children to see such diversity in the classroom, as long as their own education remains rigorous. I think that separating Special Ed kids (and Gifted too) in their own classrooms creates unfamiliarity and discomfort with difference. And these are some of the conditions that lead to bullying and exclusion. By the time my son hits the older grades and that stuff starts kicking in, I am hoping that Cheyenne will just be Cheyenne that I've known since kinder and not "the Special Ed kid"!
