For those who are interested, here is a link that serves as a resource for the Americans With Disabilities act, including its inclusion in the Civil Rights Division in the US Department of Justice: http://www.ada.gov/. This reference should provide some context for the valid claim that education for persons with disabilities is a civil rights issue, and does not discriminate based on disability type. 

This thread of comment reinforces the point of the article: without access to information, we invite perception and belief to go unchecked, and fill in the gaps with any information, regardless of its validity.  If TAG and IB programs are on the 4J website, so should programs that serve students with mental disabilities, as both are specialized and meet a student need.

And finally, as the author, I was referring to all students who receive services through ESS. The claim that I was referring to "alternative ed" (a term that is not defined on an IEP) is a misattribution.