Grand Forks district seeks separate dedicated facility for high-needs students; advocacy organization opposed

GRAND FORKS — As the Grand Forks School District explores options for a dedicated facility to support high needs special education students, a statewide advocacy organization says it would do more harm than good. According to The Arc of North Dakota, separating the students from their peers at neighborhood schools would set a negative precedent. Basically, you're taking kiddos who have significantly higher behavior needs and placing them in a separate system without integration with their peers, Kirsten Dvorak, The Arc s executive director, told the Grand Forks Herald. If we send our resources to the level D (high needs) school, children that may not have qualified for level D a year ago all of a sudden qualify because there s no support at their neighborhood school. The idea of a dedicated level D facility was first discussed publicly by Grand Forks Superintendent Terry Brenner at a school board meeting last month. Several special education teachers and parents spok