Hi,
My brother had early onset bi-polar ( his HS experience was in the 80′s). So much has changed since then, but my mother felt bullied by the school system, ( and smoke and mirrors was often a tool as well).
I dedicated my life to Spec.Ed partially because of my mother’s experience. My brother is brilliant, and went through so much unneccessary mental anguish at the hands of the school system.I can tell you that I absolutely LOVE my job, and am surrounded by so many caring and effective teachers. The problem is this….. $. -They have it and don’t want to spend it if they don’t have to.They have a budget that must be approved, and they dont want to have to cut something else out.
Bottom line:
IF YOU FIGHT AND BE A SQUEAKY WHEEL, YOU WILL GET OIL. I have witnessed life changing decisions being made BASED on whether a parent will kick up dust or not.KICK UP DUST AND BE A HUGE PAIN IN THE ASS. Research the BEST school for your child and demand that he be placed there. Get an advocate. Memorize Parents Right’s in Special Ed….and USE it. Allude to (Don’t out and out threaten….but turn the smoke and mirrors back on them) to go due process,need be. They will want you to go away, so they will make you happy so you do. ( And your child will have a better experience because of it, and a better life.) Hope this helps. Thanks for being and AWESOME parent.

I know that when it seems like you against a huge system, there is little you can do. But quite to the contrary, having a child on an IEP entitles you to many rights and procedures.

If you have a concern that your child is not receiving and appropriate education, you should first call for a meeting of the IEP team. This is your legal right and they MUST initiate the meeting with the case manager, a regular education teacher and an administrator. This would be the venue to first announce concerns, document the meeting and any agreed on solutions–the district must also provide this at some point after the meeting. If a decision is made that you disagree with, it is your legal right to appeal this in multiple stages.

Also, keep in mind that if you believe there is a problem within the classroom, it is more than reasonable to request to spend a day in the classroom(s). This may help you understand the venue or help you document serious lapse in judgment or responsibilities.

If the problem still persists, you contact the district’s director of Special Education. Once again, bring your documentation and reintroduce the problem. If they are unwilling to act or make changes, you may contact your state’s Department of Education, they have formal procedures for evaluation of complaints as well as researching their merit.

Now here is where it can get mighty sticky for a district, the Department of Ed (usually) is a harsh entity, gun-ho on enforcement and protocol. Districts can be legally sanctioned for not following decrees of the Department of Ed, especially when it comes to Special Education. Multiple complaints can bring about a series of painful and continuous file reviews, procedure updates, and observations by the state (all of which are horribly inconvenient and time-consuming).

I know that this answer is quite involved but as a parent, you want to make sure that you have moved through all of the appropriate channels and make it appear as though the district has been given the reasonable chance to meet your child’s needs. Doing so will solidify your position, especially upon review of the higher beings.

Another option is to document all of your misgivings about the district’s actions. Research other schools or institutions that have good track records and word of mouth from parents of children with the same needs as yours. Then, request an IEP meeting and be an advocate for your student and yourself and suggest this school, highlighting the miscues of the current district and the track record of the other. If the IEP team agrees to the placement, they are responsible for the cost of the school AND the transportation. However, make sure that the team’s (of which you are a part) comes to this decision, because if they can say that it was only you wanting to pull your child to the new placement, then you are responsible for all costs.

And finally, if you are dissatisfied with your school district, take charge, run for a school board seat. There is nothing more proactive than a parent who has a hand in the system. Changes can be easier to initiate from the inside.

In closing, IEPs are something is there to assist your child. These plans are created to give your student the education they legally deserve regardless of any mitigating factors.

Good luck.

Wow, that’s sad. I’m in San Jose and have a good team of teachers, but I HAVE to fight CONSTANTLY for my daughter. If I just am working with my daughter at home, the teachers stop caring, so I have to make some phone calls, make sure everything is going well, and keep communication up. It’s like if they think I don’t care, then they don’t. So I have to continiously show them that I’m at home and I’m an active part of my daughter’s education.

Right now, the math is a major issue. They just have her in an algebra class without any help at all… it’s so close to the end of the school year, I’m just going to let this pass, but she has summer school and next year, I’ll be able to nip this problem in the bud (however the saying goes)…. so it’s not all perfect.

Does Parents Helping Parents go up to San Francisco? I believe they do. If you have a child, they should be able to help or maybe if you are an advocate, you can volunteer somewhere to help.
I’ve seen them have classes as far as Burlingame.

Best to you

The people you have to get to rally are the parents, I had to fight for my daughter, not all parents fight for their child. Even after getting the services you have to make sure that the services mandated are given. I still have contact with my daughter’s school and particularly her principal. I spent a half hour on the phone today setting up her schedule for next year, I had to make sure of what classes she was going to take and how her day would be structured. I had to remind them of the modifications for testing and gym. My daughter goes to a school for the learning disabled and is doing very well, but I still stay one top of things and if she needs my help insuring that she gets modifications in college I will. I hope that she’ll feel old enough to advocate for herself. But if she doesn’t either I or her older sister will be there for her,
Parents can’t just put their child in school what ever school and than think that their part is over until it’s time to go on to the next level. To many parents do that where in general education or special education.

There are many excellent spec. ed teachers out there who need your help as a parent. The more involved you become with your child’s education the more you will see what is being done. Aside from the fact that most teachers are overworked and underpaid, there are many out there who are doing a great job. You need to find them. YOu may be in a poor district that does not see special ed. as a priority. As for the music and art – demand that your child have the same art and music teachers as the rest of the school population.
With the help of other parents and getting more involved you could make a big difference. The IEP that you speak of is only a guide that tells any teacher what they must do to teach your child. Make sure your child’s teacher knows that IEP – yes, you have to be THERE all the time in one way or another.

I am a special education teacher and I also have a son labeled as EBD emotional/behavior disorder who has been diagnosed w/asperges syndrome (form of autism). I agree that the children need exposure to music and arts and field trips. I am 100% for inclusion which means that these children attend regular public schools and may have to be in a separate classroom at times. In KY the law says that the children must have available every opportunity that a child w/out a disability should have. Contact the local children’s law center in your area. they are free and only advocate for children in an educational setting. Good luck and please keep me posted. signed a sp. ed teacher who is out to change the world

The IEP process and other rules in the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and local laws and guidelines were intended to address your concerns. I’m sorry you are not seeing success in your case – but don’t give up!

Since the law is on your side, your can fight, but you need a support network including friends family and professionals. Identify and use resources:
Special needs parents with more experience can have vital info;

Your school staff and school board may be responsive if you pursue them and clearly demonstrate that you are responsible and motivated;

County level department or office of education may have additional resources available to your child or can help you demand that the local school responds to needs – in my state the public school may be required to pay for a state approved private school if unable to meet needs;

Your local politicians may be able to put pressure on schools to comply, If you ask for help, and even get a group of parents together, officials will have to respond – consider talking to local newspapers too.

You may need to look into moving into a district
which is more responsive to special needs — this may seem drastic, but if you don’t have the energy and time to do battle with your current school district, it may be best,

Seek out professional advice from doctors, counselors, pastors, social workers etc. who have supported directed other parents in your situation — you are not alone!
God bless you!

Yep, the corruption of special ed in public schools is rampant all across the country. And the reason is, there is no enforcement to make the schools follow the special ed laws and do right.
And in my state GA, even the state dept of education ALLOWS and APPROVES this blatant federal law violation. I have seen it first hand.
There are many websites out there that talk about all this corruption and exactly how bad schools are.
I was in it for 8 yrs. I tried to get help for my 2 children and one grandchild in special ed. The schools were horrible even hostile toward me.
In 8 years, in 3 different districts, in 6 different schools, there were about 40 people who were all in it together, they all had their ‘rehearsed’ lines of corruption and violating laws.

I have seen firsthand on websites that there is a book (can’t remember name) out there for schools to learn how to lie and violate laws, how to be blatantly hostile toward parents when it comes to special ed.
I wish I could remember the name of the book but it was being sold on Amazon.com
And there are workshops and meetings that are being held for school personel for this very reason.

When my youngest child was in school and I tried to get help thru special ed, they fought me like crazy. I finally got tired of it and started homeschool (thank god) and when I told teacher this she said ‘I’m so sorry the administrators just wouldn’t let me help your child’.

Recently there was a special ed teacher in Texas who was fired because she was informing parents of their rights and laws and how to help their children.

Some parents take schools all the way to the supreme court and the judges are STILL for the school, even in the face of blatantly violating federal laws in special ed.

Here are some websites that talk about all this corruption of special ed in public schools-
(their parent message board)

It is sickening and an outrage! MANY parents have tried to bring this to light. Calling Oprah and Montel shows, putting letters in newspapers, going to TV news, writing to state leaders, and on and on.

And not ONE of them got any attention or any concern. NOT ONE.

I agree with some of these answers. I am a special education teacher. I see first hand all of the busy work that we must do instead of teaching. Yes, Individualized Education Plans are an important tool, but there is too much paperwork to deal with instead of actual instruction. I would say that about 50% of my time is direct instruction. This is a sad statistic, but it is the best that I have been able to achieve when required to upkeep the paperwork.

I also agree that it’s EVERYONE’S responsibility to educate the kids. Most parents believe that kids learn in school. Yes, that is true; but they also learn at HOME! With all of the new fangled programs out there that we are forced to do (anti-bullying, anti-drug, anti-smoking, etc.), we are losing instructional time. These issues should be dealt with by the parents–these are VALUES! Our society is on the decline because we have no values anymore! What little values the kids do have, they get from school. That’s just not right!

I think that schools are overfunded. Yes, we don’t have enough books or materials. The money is spent on top-heavy administration salaries. I mean, seriously, why do schools need an assistant to the assistant of technology?!?!

If you feel the IEP is being violated, you need to get your Procedural Safeguards packet out (you can request one from the school, but you should’ve gotten one at the IEP meeting) and contact a parents’ rights advocate for advice and assistance.

I understand exactly what you mean. I was a special educator, but it seemed like I was the only one fighting for my ‘kids’ at times. The key seems to be finding the teacher and school that truly cares for your child. They are out there and I have been fortunate enough to be a part of it. There is a process in which a person from the state department can come in and look at you child’s education and hear your concerns (In my state it is called due process). There are also parent advocates in my state. The state department of ed. for you state should have a special education link on its website. Read everything you can and fight for your child. I will tell you that the school may only be able to offer your child a free appropriate public education – you will hear this I am sure!