The school is not accomodating my son’s IEP. I have called a meeting for his IEP. Even though one page of his IEP says pull out resources, another page says full inclusion with an aid. He has really struggled in class, receiving an aid who works with both Spec Ed and non Spec Ed kids in the class. He is embarassed getting help in the classroom. K-4 he had pull out services and they worked for him. They also helped when being in a noisy, overwhelming classroom became too much. He has LD, central auditory processing disorder and mild hearing loss. He has had communication disorders but they dont want to service that anymore (he can articulate single words but has difficulty with expressive/receptive language). He really needs social skills work and I have requested that for over two years. He would get some of this briefly, but never consistently.
Last time I even had an advocate come with me and they verbally agreed to make accomodations and some were made. He also has dysgraphia, but he types pretty well. Last year, he had a desktop keyboard along with 10 minutes typing skills a day. This year they told me that since he was in the classroom, he could use the computers anytime he wants. He is not going to advocate this on his own! He is required to handwrite all of his assignments and to answer all his questions in full sentences. They have totally ignored the dysgraphia piece (their ignorance not malace). He has been marked wrong on all assignments that he may have the right answer, but they want him to handwrite full sentences. Dont they get it!!!!! I think that is just cruel.
I have repeatedly advocated for my son, and have even supplied articles from LDonline in hopes to an understanding, but to no avail. Any experience?????
Re: School not honoring IEP! How do I get them to accomodat
Also check out
http://www.mothersfromhell2.org/
Georgia
Re: School not honoring IEP! How do I get them to accomodat
Thanks for all of the replies. I did take him out of school and have started to homeschool him. His self esteem has really been hurt. Not only has his accomodations not been met, he has been bullied for a few years now.
In alot of ways, I think my real focus right now needs to be on building up his self esteem. Finding ways for him to feel successful, usefull and social situations that are positive are my priority in his lesson planning.
We are going on week two of being out of the school situation and I am already seeing a few slight changes. His panicky feelings have subsided and without having to resort to medication for anxiety. Amazing when our kids feel safe, how different they act.
Thanks. I may still take some action in regards to his school. They had done an inschool suspension (only time he has ever gotten into trouble) and had him sit in a first grade class all day (hes in 5th) and they forgot to feed him lunch!!! The principal later apologized to me. I realized, no one ever apologized to my son for forgetting to give him lunch or any breaks from the first grade class. My son is so quiet that he just sat there until 3:00.
I know I need to take some kind of action in regards to that!
Re: School not honoring IEP! How do I get them to accomodat
I think you should.
The school needs to apologize to your son
and maybe you should contact the head of
special services about the action the school
took.
Glad to hear he is doing better outside of
school.
Anne
Re: School not honoring IEP! How do I get them to accomodat
The saga goes on. I went to pick up my sons belongings at school and they were all stuffed in his locker. There was an envelope labeled, “Some kind words” and they were letters from about half of his classmates and teacher.
I can not tell you how awful these letters are (wanting to believe whoever facilitated this had good intentions). They were letter after letter stating how they were sorry that no one liked him in the class but his two friends and how they had been mean to him. A couple apologized for being mean to him. Most just said things like “focus on the good and forget the bad times” or “hope you meet new friends at your new school” and “too bad for all the conflict”. These are not 5th grade words and they all had them in each of these letters. They were definitely coached!!! They must have had a big discussion of my son and whatever stand the school decided to present to the classmates, which really upsets me!!!!
Who gave them the right to discuss why I pulled my son out of their school and even one of the letters said it was great that my son admitted that he was a bully. That was the worst since my son never admitted he was a bully, my goodness! I took him out because he has been bullied for three years!
Is there anyone out there who has gone up against a school district? You can respond to me directly if needed. I cannot imagine what my son would feel like if he saw these letters that confirmed that these kids felt this way. Needless to say, I sat and cried …. then resolved to do something about this incredibly insensitive behavior!!!
Re: School not honoring IEP! How do I get them to accomodat
Keep all of your son’s records and those letters locked away somewhere safe. Buy all the education and therapy you can afford for your son and sue the school for reimbursement. Call yor nearest advocacy group and ask them how to go about it.
WOW!
WOW!! I thought my family had it bad with our school district but yours sounds down right heinous!! Writing letters like that, what purpose did the teacher really think they would serve, other than knocking your son for a loop??
PLEASE FIND A LAWYER AND SUE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR ALL ITS WORHT. Remember if they have done these kinds of things to your son they are doing it to someone else’s son or daughter.
I am sorry that your son had to endure such treatment and I am glad to hear that he is doing better being home. I can’t thing of one reason why a teacher or teachers can be so cruel to a child. Unless they were bullies as children, I can’t think of any other reason.
Good Luck to you and your son.
K.
Or Not.
It’s your choice — but sometimes you have to decide who to fight for/with. Where is your energy best spent — battling the schools or helping your child recover from the damage? They have done awful things, but suing them won’t undo those.
If everybody else had said that, I”d be saying “Go get ‘em!” — it’s important to think on both sides. There is something to be said for “shaking the dust off your sandals” and being FREE from their toxic poisons.
OTOH… if you’ve got good documentation *and* your system is’t too corrupt, you may be able to get them to pay for the private placement in a school that *would* meet his needs.
Re: Or Not.
I agree that helping your child is your first priority. However, if everyone says it isn’t my place to fight for other children than who will do it? When I sit in meeting and listen to how the teachers try and blame the student and the parents I understand that I am not the first person they have done this to but I will work my hardest to be the last.
School is difficult enough for children. Having to deal with the pressures of school life should never have to include a disrespectfult, spitefull, and condesending teacher(s).
I am sorry I have seen what that can do to a child’s self esteem and I refuse to give the school that power. I am not sue happy but sometimes you have to be the one who is willing to sacrifice for the children!
K.
Re: Or Not.
Dear DM- I am suprised it all came to this end. My oldest son is dyslexic and ADD. We had to fight to get him tested. We took him for outside testing to the tune of $3000 way back in 1991 - out of pocket before the school would agree to test him. They said their findings were different than ours (of course they gave him the same tests), and he wouldn’t get services. I first called my superintendent’s office then the regional county superintendent. Explaining what my needs were for my child. I then proceeded immediately to call my state office of education and said that I wanted a mediator. ( the school must pay for this person’s time). After contacting the state I got a call from our school that “OH gee, maybe they were wrong. Do you think? I got what I wanted. I stayed on top of all aspects of my son’s IEP, every week I went into school and made sure things were happening for him. I made the teachers my friends, approaching them with “How can you help me, how can we help my son” And I got it. The principal used to almost run everytime he saw me come into school because I know he feared I was after something else and usually I was. You are your child’s only true advocate in this and I personally think that pulling him out of school is not the way to go. Self-esteem is all important I agree, because constant failure affects these kids so thoroughly. My son at 17 still suffers esteem issues, but we found out he was gifted in art - so we started adding that to his outside activities. Then he won a PTA art contest five years in a row at the state level. You must make these teachers your friends, you must be sure he gets the socialization he needs, and that is school. LD kids just do not have the same social skills - they don’t observe and take in the rules of socialization, they must be taught them, painstakingly taught them. This is just my opinion, and at one time we were going to pull him out too, but instead I stayed and went through all the damn state steps to get them to listen to me and help my child and eventually I got what I wanted. Good luck - Melanie
Re: Or Not.
Dear DM.
I am a senior majoring in learning disabilities at a small university in Georgia. I will be graduating soon, therfore I have learned a lot about IEP’s and the laws that they entail.
I believe that you have been more than patient with the school. The school is not carrying out theguidelines stated in the IEP, which is a federal law violation. You need to call a due process hearing to discuss your concerns with the school and explain to them that they are not meeting the needs of your child according to his IEP. I would have council present in order to make the school nervous if nothing else. They are failing your child, and I know as well as you do he deserves better. They are humilitating him and themselves by marking all of his assignments wrong, when it is in the IEP that he has dysgraphia. That is obsurd. School is a place for children to learn, not be humilited and taught nothing.
Signed:
College Student
Re: Or Not.
Dear DM.
I am a senior majoring in learning disabilities at a small university in Georgia. I will be graduating soon, therefore I have learned a lot about IEP’s and the laws that they entail.
I believe that you have been more than patient with the school. The school is not carrying out the guidelines stated in the IEP, which is a federal law violation. You need to call a due process hearing to discuss your concerns with the school and explain to them that they are not meeting the needs of your child according to his IEP. I would have council present in order to make the school nervous if nothing else. They are failing your child, and I know as well as you do he deserves better. They are humilitating him and themselves by marking all of his assignments wrong, when it is in the IEP that he has dysgraphia. That is obsurd. School is a place for children to learn, not be humilited and taught nothing.
Signed:
College Student
Might be time to ask for mediation through the state sp ed and/or a due process hearing. Sounds like you’ve done everything you could and to no avail.
You should have received a copy of Parent’s Rights…. it should outline the proceedure you need.
Georgia