The following blog was written by Mrs. Allyson Hunter, a Biology Teacher at JCHS.
When my son Patrick began school at Carson three years ago, I was filled with trepidation, just as any parent of a new high school student. I not only wanted Patrick to succeed and do the very best that he could, but I also wanted to make sure that he was accepted by the faculty and the students at the school. By this time, I had already been a teacher Carson for six years and I knew our staff and student body was very accepting of students with special needs, alternative lifestyles, races, and cultures. Even knowing all this, as a mother of a son with autism who quite often has very peculiar mannerisms, I still had gnawing questions come to my mind. What if a student made fun of my son in front of me? What if they called him a derogatory name? How would I react? What would the proper response be? Should my son go to school with me, or should he go to another school?
I know that every semester I review my class rules and expectations and I always include the rule that no student will use the “r” word in my class. I explain to the students why this is important to me and many times at the end of the class students will come and ask questions about autism, or share that they too have a loved one who is mentally handicapped. I have to believe because of the acceptance at Carson, I am by far not the only faculty member who stresses to our students the importance of accepting everyone for who they are. I truly believe that this is not the case at a lot of other schools.
After three years at Carson, my son Pat, loves coming to school. He has friends in his special needs class, but also in the general student population. Students are always giving him high fives, saying hello, and most know him by name. This is so wonderful. I cannot imagine having sent Patrick to another school. From the moment we are greeted in the morning by Mrs. Walters at the front door and Mrs. Barnhardt in the office, to the greetings by Mr. Hord, the everyday “Hey Patrick,” by Steven Hannan and so many others to name everyday at school makes Patrick feel included and a part of the Carson family. The special needs students at this school are included in so many wonderful ways to make them feel a part of the “normal” student body. These children experience the prom, pep rallies, and sports games just as everyone else. We should feel very proud as a staff that we have worked to make Carson such a wonderful place for everyone to feel accepted and safe. Students are free to be who they are no matter of their differences. This is why I can truly say that Carson is a special place, with special people, for special people.
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