Read the following Critical Incident. (This Critical Incident is derived from Gollnick and Chinn (1998).

Multicultural education in a pluralistic society (5th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.) Max Laird is a sixth-grade teacher in a middle-class suburban school. After school, Mr. Laird finds a note in his in-box, indicating that the principal and the special education resource room teacher want to meet with him the next day before students arrive. At the meeting the next day, his principal, Dr. Gattelaro, explains to him that a new student, Chris Erickson, will be placed in his class the following Monday morning. Mr. Laird is informed that Chris is slightly above average in academics and a personable young man. However, Dr. Gattelaro wants Mr. Laird to know that Chris has epilepsy and occasionally has grand mal seizures. Although the seizures are generally under control through medication, there is a good possibility that sometime during the school year Chris will have a seizure in the classroom. At this time, Ms. Chong, the resource room teacher, describes grand mal seizures. She explains that they are the most evident and serious type of epileptic seizure. They can be disturbing and frightening to anyone who has never seen one. Chris would have little or no warning that a seizure was about to occur. During a seizure, Chriss muscles will stiffen, and he will lose consciousness and fall to the floor. His whole body will shake violently as his muscles alternately contract and relax. Saliva may be forced from his mouth, his legs and arms may jerk, and his bladder and bowels may empty. After a few minutes, the contractions will diminish, and Chris will either go to sleep or regain consciousness in a confused and drowsy state (Heward, 1996). Stunned at this information, Mr. Laird sits in silence as Ms. Chong briefs him about the procedures to take if a seizure occurs in the classroom. She also explains to him that he should inform the other students that the seizure is painless to Chris and that it is not contagious. Max Laird is aware that he has no option whether Chris will be in his class. He is determined to do the right thing and to make Chriss transition into his class as smooth as possible. He is also determined that he will help his class adjust and prepare for the likely seizure. Mr. Laird begins to map out a plan of action. Please answer the following: a. What can Mr. Laird do with regard to his class? b. Should he talk to his class about Chris and epilepsy? How? What should he say? c. What should he say to Chris?

e. What other actions can he take? 1. Mr. Laird should begin to reestablish the organization of his classroom. Chris will need to be positioned in a portion of the at classroom that if he were to have a gran mal seizure that it would not hurt himself or others. Mr. Laird should move Chris to an area where there are no objects to the side or behind him. The next step is to make sure that Chris is still included in the regular class arrangement and should be placed with others in pods of four, but on the perimeter of the class. The class should be informed of the emergency procedures and where items are in the classroom that may help Chris if he should have a seizure in the classroom. A checklist should be mounted in the classroom to go over procedures for emergencies, but should not be specifically linked to Chris just to safety in general. By effectively arranging the classroom Mr. Laird can make sure that he and the class is prepared for any medical event including Chris's seizures. 2. All students require answers and information on things that are new and unfamiliar. Epilepsy is a serious health condition. It is important to know if Chris and his parents are okay with sharing it with the classroom. If they are okay with it then Mr. Laird should address his classroom about the issue because Chris will more than likely have a seizure over the school year than another disorder. He should provide many facts about epilepsy as well allowing students to ask Chris questions or Ms. Chong, the resource teacher. Additionally, the students should feel free to ask additional questions at any time and Mr. Laird needs to be able to keep the line of communication open. It would be important and helpful to use vocabulary and terminology that the students are familiar with instead of using medical terminology because it can cause confusion. Mr. Laird is ultimately responsible to be prepared for his students to have a diverse and varied reaction to the information and that his classroom environment is supportive and encouraging that each student feels safe and comfortable with any new student to the school. 3. Mr. Laird needs to communicate during the initial meeting between Chris, Chris's parents, school psychologists, principal, Ms. Chong, and the school nurse that he understands Chris's epilepsy. During the meeting, Mr. Laird will need to ask if it is okay if he explains to the class that Chris has epilepsy. During the meeting if the family is okay with discussing it with the class, Mr. Laird will ask if Chris would like to be apart of the initial introduction to the class, or he could opt to enter after the discussion has occurred. During the conversation with the family, Mr. Laird can begin to discover what Chris's strengths, weaknesses, and

interests are. By learning these Mr. Laird can pair Chris up with different students in the classroom to help Chris become a part of the class. 4. Mr. Laird should make the environment in his classroom is safe for Chris if he were to have a seizure. Mr. Laird would also need to see if Chris has a 504 plan in place or any accommodations to help him during the school year. Some of examples include extra time for tests or homework or activities that are limited due to increased probability of having a seizure occur. There are some videos and computer programs that caution people with epilepsy from viewing them due to an increase risk of seizure. If Mr. Laird has a lesson plan that includes those types of resources, he could choose additional materials for Chris to use instead. If Chris qualifies for the 504 plan, it would need to be developed to meet his needs. The plan would include information about routines and emergency administration of medicine, staff training, and a communication plan for the family and medical personnel. Mr. Laird also needs to have written instruction left for substitutes on seizure care and indicate which staff members are part of the risk team. Mr. Laird should have his plan posted, so if Chris does have a seizure; the plan can go into action immediately. The plan could involve either having a radio on hand or sending someone down to the school nurse to help with Chris during his seizure. Mr. Laird would also have a designated spot for the rest of the class to go, so the least amount of people are exposed to a traumatic event.