Moral, Legal, and Functional Dimensions of Inclusive Service Delivery in Catholic Schools

Abstract

Catholic school educators are morally compelled by Catholic social teaching to foster inclusive service delivery for students who have traditionally been marginalized in schools, including students in poverty, students of color, English language learners, and students with special needs. This article applies this moral context to analyze the legal obligations of Catholic schools under Section 504 to serve students with special needs. It argues that as Catholic schools follow Catholic social teaching by developing inclusive service delivery to meet students' special needs, their legal obligations grow. The article concludes by describing the learning consultant model, a system of service delivery that balances these moral and legal duties. F ostering effective and inclusive service delivery systems to meet students' special needs is a fundamental obligation of Catholic elementary and secondary schools. This article examines the moral and legal foundations that oblige this, and argues that a systematic approach to integrated service delivery allows Catholic schools to meet these moral and legal duties. Morally, Catholic social teaching compels Catholic schools to act in manners that affi rm human dignity, serve the common good, and demonstrate a preferential option for the marginalized. Legally, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 directs Catholic school communities to provide equitable educational opportunities for students with special needs. Functionally, a systematic approach, such as the learning consultant model, empowers schools to cultivate service delivery on strong moral and legal grounds. These three dimensions-the moral, legal, and functional-create three legs of a stool upon which inclusive service delivery in Catholic schools can stand. Inclusive service delivery systems can address the multiple dimensions of diversity that students bring to our increasingly pluralistic school communities. While separate approaches to address these dimensions can lead schools to develop a plethora of distinct and disjointed programs (e.g.,

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