By Christina Smith
Dr. Umar Abdullah- Johnson, author and certified school psychologist, made his first visit to San Diego at the World Beat Cultural Center on Saturday to educate parents and other attendees and about the flaws in the special education system in American schools, the disproportionate rate that Black children are classified as special needs students, and what parents can do to take charge of their children’s education.
According to Johnson’s website, “Umar is considered a national expert on learning disabilities and their affect on Black children, as well as an expert on helping schools and parents modify challenging behaviors that can ultimately lead to disruptive behavior disorder diagnoses in Black boys (www.drumarjohnson.com ).”
Independent producer Shymala Shango Alexander and Sacred Science Studios, a group dedicated to celebrating the African origins of science, philosophy and spirituality (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sacred-Science-Studios/344518925653364), are responsible for bringing Johnson to San Diego. Alexander said the beginning of a new school year is an excellent time for parents to learn about special education laws and other rights they have concerning their children’s education.
“Every year, we have parents who end up having concerns about their children maybe being moved, mishandled, teachers saying they are difficult to deal with, and so many times parents are not informed about the law and what their options are and they tend to yield to whatever the school is saying,” Alexander said.
According to the California Department of Education website, parents have the right to refuse consent for special education assessments, to insist their child receive independent educational assessments, and have access educational records (http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/qa/pssummary.asp).
Jahsun Kine attended the lecture because he studied psychology at San Diego State University and was interested to hear what Dr. Johnson had to say about the field of psychology with regards to African-Americans.
“I think that he has a very relentless understanding and presentation on the attack of African young males, and him exposing all the contradictions in the education system, in psychology, in media, you know he’s basically bringing it full scale on how important it is for African people in this country and all over this world to realize that a war has been waged on us since we were enslaved,” Kine said.
Statistics included in the Schott Foundation’s second edition of Public Education and Black Male Students show 16 percent of Black students in Los Angeles Public Schools were classified with Total Mental Retardation, compared to eight percent of White students (http://www.schottfoundation.org/publications/State%20Report%20Card%202nd%20editi.pdf).
Dr. Johnson has dedicated his career to fighting this war on the side of Black boys in the American education system. He will re-evaluate children as young as three and as old as 21 to determine if they really have special needs and work to fix behavior problems so children do not become dependent on behavior- modifying medication.
“Our kids do not need pills to pay to pay attention. That is the biggest hoax that has been put on y’all. And a lot of y’all are failing to realize that these kids you are drugging up are going to be dealing with a lot of side effects by the time they’re my age,” Johnson said.
A medication guide from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the drug Adderall, which can be prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (A.D.H.D.), indicates that serious side effects include slowing of growth in children, eyesight changes or blurred vision, and seizures (http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm085819.pdf).
“They’re giving them drugs as the new form of handcuffs. And the sad thing about the special ed[ucation] war, the sad thing about the A.D.H.D. war, is none of our kids have to be victims, unless we give our permission,” Johnson said.
For more information about Dr. Umar Johnson and his work, visit www.drumarjohnson.com.
