Special ed kids used as janitors

I was a SpEd teacher and in our school some of the students in the non-academic life skills track also did janitorial stuff with out janitors. I don't see anything wrond with it. Actually, they seemed quite proud of doing real work. I know their parents knew what they were doing.

Some kids are below the IQ level that is necessary for academic success. They do life skills, math, reading, etc. in a special program. They conducted bake sales, learn cooking/kitchen skills, got experience doing things like making change, etc.

It only helps a child who does not have the skills to excel academically to excel at something else. When some of these kids came into my classroom etc., they weren't ashamed at all. They talked to their friends waved at people they knew, etc.

I think it's easy to make assumptions about how they would feel without actually knowing the group of kids doing the work. I thelpd them to get oriented to the kinds of routines and rules that will be expected of them in the workforce.

Before I did this work I would have been aghast too, but coming from a different perspective, I now know why it works.

Not telling the parents is absolutely wrong.

I am a high school life skills teacher and my students are involved in a porter/maintenace program and they get evaluated on their work skills and work ethics. They clean tables at the cafeteria and they bus tables, the vacuum and clean the tables in the conference room after a conference. They go into the principals office and clean her room and organize her desk. We are in charge of the whole school recycling program. They wash the windows in the hallways.
They go into the art room and pt room and clean it upon request. They feel that they are doing something.Most of the staff are very grateful for their contributions. They don't get money for this but neither do others when they go to nursing school or teacher's college nor do we get money when we are getting trained in any job skills.
The kids always beg to go out and do the work program and the parents are on top of everything. I have only heard compliments about my programs and every CSE the parents of the students keep asking that their child remain in my program.