by Thomas J. Murphy

About the author: An attorney from Marlton, New Jersey, Thomas J. Murphy represented the school board in the case of Oberti v. Clementon Board of Education, in which full inclusion was upheld.

Rachel, a mentally retarded, speech-impaired 9-year-old with an IQ of 44 and a mental age of 4, sits in a California classroom, obliviously staring at a textbook that is upside-down in front of her. Across the country in New Jersey, Rafael, a mentally retarded 5-year-old with an IQ of 59 and a mental age of 2 who cannot speak intelligibly and who must be taken to the bathroom every 15 minutes, creates havoc with frequent outbursts, tantrums, and assaults on teachers, aides, and other students.

The “Full Inclusion” Movement

These scenes are the result of a movement called “full inclusion,” whose supporters declare that putting...