Ok I really need to vent...
Last year my son was in 5th grade. We had to place him in a day treatment facility for 6 months. So I told his school I wanted him to take 5th grade over. (he couldn't even write a full paragraph). I ended up emailing the local news station about our situation because I was told "we don't retain a child that old". I got enormous help from the local news. The TV anchor emailed me back and gave me his wives email address. I contacted her and we had coffee and talked. She made a few phone calls and gave me a direction. She gave me names and numbers of people to call. She told me what exactly to say to plead my case and gave me step by step instruction on everything.
I followed her advice and after putting my foot down and calling everyone including the state Special Education Director. I got my son retained and in a new school. This school is a brand new school with new staff and a very friendly and helpful Principal. I met with her and gave her information on my son. I asked her to place him with a kind and patient teacher. Someone that is loving and caring and willing to work with me.
The next time we met she told me she had the perfect teacher for my son and not to worry.
Okay. So, we are two days into the school year and I found out that my son's kind and patient homeroom teacher only has him for about an hour. They are doing a rotation. A different teacher for each subject! It just so happens that the subject his teacher teaches is the subject he goes to the Special Education class for. He had the rotation a couple of years ago at his other school and it was a nightmare. Trying to get 4 teachers on the same page, and to get them to actually read the IEP let alone follow it! We ended up placing him in Special Education for all subjects.
Its day two and I got my 2nd email from his Special Education teacher and tonight I got a call from his math teacher. Get this... she didn't even know he had an IEP, let alone that math is a subject that he is suppose to go to Special Education for. My son told me they told him that he has to go to mainstream then if he is having problems he can leave the class and go to Special Education. (okay, lets give a child with conduct problems the choice of when he leaves class). He let me know that today after he was given his math assignment he let his teacher know he was to go to Special Education for help. She allowed him to go. When he got to the Special Education class no one was there. It was the teachers lunch break and the class was empty. No TA or anything. So he went back to mainstream and did the best he could.
I have to keep reminding myself...it is only day two, they haven't got their ducks in a row. It will take time.
I just wish that when I was working so hard to get him into another school with the "perfect" teacher for him, someone would have told me that he would have 4 different teachers. This is elementary school. Part of the reason I wanted him held back was because he is not ready for the whole changing classes every hour thing.
I'm just ticked. I hope the teachers read and follow the IEP. We got burned before I won't let it happen again. I know his IEP front to back, heck I helped his teacher write it last year.
Last year my son was in 5th grade. We had to place him in a day treatment facility for 6 months. So I told his school I wanted him to take 5th grade over. (he couldn't even write a full paragraph). I ended up emailing the local news station about our situation because I was told "we don't retain a child that old". I got enormous help from the local news. The TV anchor emailed me back and gave me his wives email address. I contacted her and we had coffee and talked. She made a few phone calls and gave me a direction. She gave me names and numbers of people to call. She told me what exactly to say to plead my case and gave me step by step instruction on everything.
I followed her advice and after putting my foot down and calling everyone including the state Special Education Director. I got my son retained and in a new school. This school is a brand new school with new staff and a very friendly and helpful Principal. I met with her and gave her information on my son. I asked her to place him with a kind and patient teacher. Someone that is loving and caring and willing to work with me.
The next time we met she told me she had the perfect teacher for my son and not to worry.
Okay. So, we are two days into the school year and I found out that my son's kind and patient homeroom teacher only has him for about an hour. They are doing a rotation. A different teacher for each subject! It just so happens that the subject his teacher teaches is the subject he goes to the Special Education class for. He had the rotation a couple of years ago at his other school and it was a nightmare. Trying to get 4 teachers on the same page, and to get them to actually read the IEP let alone follow it! We ended up placing him in Special Education for all subjects.
Its day two and I got my 2nd email from his Special Education teacher and tonight I got a call from his math teacher. Get this... she didn't even know he had an IEP, let alone that math is a subject that he is suppose to go to Special Education for. My son told me they told him that he has to go to mainstream then if he is having problems he can leave the class and go to Special Education. (okay, lets give a child with conduct problems the choice of when he leaves class). He let me know that today after he was given his math assignment he let his teacher know he was to go to Special Education for help. She allowed him to go. When he got to the Special Education class no one was there. It was the teachers lunch break and the class was empty. No TA or anything. So he went back to mainstream and did the best he could.
I have to keep reminding myself...it is only day two, they haven't got their ducks in a row. It will take time.
I just wish that when I was working so hard to get him into another school with the "perfect" teacher for him, someone would have told me that he would have 4 different teachers. This is elementary school. Part of the reason I wanted him held back was because he is not ready for the whole changing classes every hour thing.
I'm just ticked. I hope the teachers read and follow the IEP. We got burned before I won't let it happen again. I know his IEP front to back, heck I helped his teacher write it last year.