I’m new to this board but hoping for oppions on my daughter,s and my sistuation. I moved to a small school district this summer placing my daughter in school with a yearly enrollment of under 400 children for kidergarten through 12 th grade. She is 7 years old and currently in the secound grade. We come form an area where the children in general were at a higher level of learning than at the new school. My daughter was listed as learning disabled at both schools. However at the old school I saw steady improvement in her both acdemically and socially. She has been at the new school for her full 2nd grade year, and all improvement I had seen has disappeared, when i approached the scool about this their response was to raise her rating to mildly retarded and put her in special education for all subjects except for p.e., arts, and music. She goes to her homeroom class only to hang up her bookbag and pick it up. They are now repeating work she did in preschool and kindergarden, adding nothing new. Today the school held parent/teacher conferences. No one informed me of this I found out when my brother asked me to go with him to his daughters. When I asked her homeroom teacher about this she stated she felt there was no reason for us to meet as my daughter was never in her room. The s. ed. teacher stated she meant to send a letter but forgot. She made the time to talk to me but was reluctanlt to answer my questions and refered me to the head of s. ed. who after trying to get out of talking to me finnally relented to tell me to make an appointment. I feel the school has placed my daughter more to say see we are helping her than to actualy help her. At home she can do simple math problems, spelling, basic reading. At school they have her practing repeating her numbers and abc, and picture association reading. Am I wrong to feel something is wrong here?
Re: Frustrated Mom wants oppions
You should not only start asking more questions, you should look for some help… an advocate. I do not know what state you are in nor do I assume to know how special ed works in your state, (it is obvious from the BB we are a sampling of every state). Please post your state, I am sure that we can all then lead you to the right supports. Until then, I would suggest that you begin to document EVERYTHING!! Prepare a list of your concerns and request a meeting with the Child Study Team… Or whatever they call it where you are. If you get a meeting, bring someone with you and question questio question. If you have the means, I would also consider having an independent evaluation done. Check with your pediatrician… And please keep posting, there are many of us who would really like to help you and your daughter.
Re: Frustrated Mom wants oppions
socks is correct. There is no allowance for a district to simply change a child’s IEP or level of function without there having been an appropriate evaluation, results, discussion of results (involving the parents) and then determination of placement.
Seems to me that there has been both a change of identification and placement without your being included in the matter. This is something to be addressed, as you will find this is directly in violation of the laws. Don’t lose your focus and get hopping mad, do the research and become more knowledgable about the laws and procedures. This will give you confidence and a firm base to stand on. It will be tough to not get prickly and defensive about this, but you will probably get further and better help for your child if you can play this carefully and proceed with tact and firmness.
Check out sites like sock’s for info, also www.wrightslaw and others so you can become more knowledgable about the procedures and how to approach your district.
Suggest you get all your ducks in a row and make your request for explanation in writing. Do not get defensive or aggressive, just stay assertive and request explanations etc… Keep everything documented and ask that they respond to you in writing so you can maintain your records etc…
Most importantly, follow your instincts… odds are you are on target, and you will need to stay calm to be “in tune”.
Good luck.
Andy
Re: Frustrated Mom wants oppions
It doesn’t sound as if her school day is the one you want for her. The best way to get some of the things you want from a school district - or any of the things you want - is to figure out as best you can what exactly it is you want them to do. Would you like her in a regular second grade classroom instead of the spec. ed. classroom they have her in? Or perhaps a regular 1st grade classroom to give her an edge in terms of being slightly older than the other children?
When you have an idea of what you’d like them to do differently, approach them with the idea and keep up the pressure until you get it or something near to it.
Good luck.
Re: Frustrated Mom wants oppions
I am located in Missouri. I have copies of the two IEP’s done on her and all paper work from both school’s. The old school was in Calorado. As for the response asking what I want for her, I’m really not sure how to answer. I do know she does need some s. ed. but feel that what this distric is offering is not at all challenging her or teacher. As she can do the things I listed and many others. And she did them at her old school. I want not to push her beyond what is possible for her to do aat this point, yet help her to reach her full potiential. I would love to work with the school on this but their solution is to either put her in “more” s. ed. as they have in the past or as I have tried to talk to them again now they want to pull her back out of s. ed. for social studies/science. This is with no further test or explanation except that I asked them to show me where she was learning or being taught something that she
didn’t already know. I’m trying to learn what I can about the laws. I had a family advacate in Co. but get told to go to a different office ever were I go here. The fact that I found this was an aciendent. I typed in learning disabilties intending to read up on them and this site came up. Usually I don’t do reasearch on the net. But for now I’m ready to try anything.
Re: Frustrated Mom wants oppions
Research on the net was my ,(or my kids) saving grace. Good for you!
Check out my page http://expage.com/socksandfriends
it basicly has links to most any site or article regarding what your child rights are. It might help,it helped me,that is why I put them all togther on one page.
Now back to your girl. The federal laws state that she must be educated along side her nondisabled peers,in the least restrictive enviroment possible,AND be provide equal access to progress through the general ed curriculum. It is very clearly stated. You might try getting a copy of the core curriculum standards for her particular grade. Then once you have these start requesting that they instruct her towards these standards. Start talking about how your ultimate goal is for her to obtain a regular ed. diploma.
You do need to find someone to help you,check the “finding help” section of this site and click on your state.
When was her last educational evaluation?
Re: Frustrated Mom wants oppions
My son did very poorly in sped and their response was to further dumb down the program. He hated sped and I think developed some low self esteem issues there that impeded his progress.
I took him out of sped, remediated his deficits (despite what many think it can be done if you address each specific deficit one at a time) and he is doing well in a full day regular ed class with his only difficulties in written expression.
You have to demand the least restrictive environment for your daughter and get her help on the outside as much as possible.
Your daughter has the right to be educated in the least restrictive enviroment.Where did they get the mildly retarded diagnosis? Is there an evaluation stating this? If not,I would ask them why? I would write a letter detailing what you just said,and ask what other placement options are there for your daughter. If she is capable of doing more wrk,then copy some samples and place it along with your letter.Show them in writing your position,and make them do the same. If she is mildly retarded,where is the eval? Even if she is,why is she not being challenged?
Start asking questions.