Hi all,
I am sitting here this a.m. feeling angry, frustrated and for the first time that I can remember, resigned. For those that don’t know I am a parent that has fought for Special Ed services for my children for 14 years. I am currently seeking Speech services for my 5 year old son who was taken out of Special Ed last month under much less than legal avenues by the district. I am currently working on a State Complaint and requested an IEE be performed. I got a letter yesterday that says they have turned that down and are taking me to a due process hearing. There is a part of me that knows that I need to hold them accountable, not just for mine but for all that go after, but I also know that I am not financially or emotionally ready to take on a school district again. I am sure they know this too. The fear that my youngest son will not get all that he needs and that I will have to watch as he get’s further and further behind (private speech therapy and/or tutoring is financially impossible) scares the hell out of me. But what scares me even more is the stress that our family would go through as we live through yet another Due Process hearing. I can’t help but feel that all of us will fare better and gain more, my directing energy in other places and in different ways. So the plan (after I get through the guilt (o: ) ……Well, I will quietly work on and submit the State Complaint that I have started for one. Our insurance covers enough on Speech and Language to almost get an evaluation done so we at least have an idea what road to travel. And over the years I have had to be a teacher and a lawyer, why not a speech pathologist. And I will work my little buns off to be able to pull him from the district in the next two years and homeschool him as I refuse to turn this bright, inquisitive and loving boy over to the monsters who will make him feel stupid and less than….
Re: Fight vs Flight.......
Tink,
I don’t know where you live but I have in the past been able to get some good tutoring for my son from college students for very cheap. I haven’t done it but have heard some senior centers have help programs for kids.
I just recently had a free reading evaluation done because a sped reading teacher I know needed to do one for her masters degree course.
I just started Reading Reflex myself with my son because even though he gets sped his reading is 3 yrs behind. I too am fighting the sped he gets isn’t getting it.
Good luck I know how frustrating it is watching the kid you love so much try so hard and struggle.
Re: Fight vs Flight.......
Tink,
I fully understand the fatigue feeling you are experiencing, and I empathize 100%. However, before you toss in the towel, do a little research on the topic of the district taking you to hearing. It is my understanding, from past years of research, that if the district takes a parent, and they are using an attorney, the district must then fund for the parent to have equal representation for the child. This does not hold true if the parent is taking the district… just the other way around.
I suggest you make contact with Brad Dacus of the Pacific Justice Institute. His office is in Sacramento, Ca, but he has a network of attorneys across the nation (I think), or at least he is building it towards that end goal. You should research his web site at: http://www.pacificjustice.org/ and see what happens.
Brad used to be one of the big shots at the Rutherford Inst., and has since branched out on his own. Much of what they do involves protection for religious freedoms, but they also handle civil rights issues.
Good luck, and don’t make rash decisions when you are feeling overwhelmed.
Andy
Re: Fight vs Flight.......
Just a thought, my younger son(at age 3 to 4)had speech therapy done at the military hospital but the therapists were college interns being supervised by the slp dept. head.He had a new teacher every semester but it seemed to work, each student was fresh and energetic. Maybe the university nearest you could help out in a similar manner. Best of luck to you in your fight, I wish I could do more.
Re: Fight vs Flight.......
Hi Tink,
You may not be able to get everything you want for your son, but that doesn’t mean you are not doing a wonderful job as a parent and advocate. Give yourself a little credit, for pete’s sake!(G)
Why not attend the hearing, and bring along a trusted friend who is not emotionally involved? You can gather more information about how the district interprets its responsibilities, and you’ll have it all in writing. If the district is being unreasonable you need to have as much documentation as you can get, and this is an OPPORTUNITY to get it. You know, sometimes you don’t “win” an argument right away. Persuading the district to see things your way may be a process rather than an event. If that’s the way it is in your district, you’ll have to accept that. But that’s not the same as giving up, or failing. Hang in there!
Best wishes….JJ
Oh yes, I forgot to mention that there is more then one way to skin the ole tomcat…. I can’t help myself, I will quietly mail a letter I have been working on to every newspaper in the area. And I WILL organize the parents of the Special Needs kids in my area. Might as well make the districts ears ring on my way out.