This plays off of the "Taking the school battle too hard " thread... but I didn't think this question belonged on that thread.
What do you do in the reverse situation?
Where the SD would absolutely love it if you would just take this kid out of their hair and do it all yourself? To the point that you don't get any cooperation... accommodations are listed but not followed (the law has no teeth here on this one), or are disputed or misinterpretted... Where in spite of an IEP, the kid keeps getting extreme consequences for behavior - when the behavior is caused by the school not accommodating.
Their take is that they are responsible to provide "reasonable and practical" accommodations, and what he needs are neither? (like... for example... a "safe home base"... they say, "even the Aspie kids don't need that in high school")
We could probably have homeschooled for most of elementary... but in HS, the problem isn't getting the basics (english, math, science, etc.)... the problem is that this kid needs the "extras" that are only found in a comprehensive HS... commercial cooking, photography, wood-working, band, etc. Due to his disability, evening activities are absolutely not an option - life shuts down at 6 pm.
How on earth do you get around this one?
We're trying - but I'm totally "discounted" by the system, for various reasons (including my inability to make my child mindlessly fit in to the "common culture" and "normal expectations"... because he really doesn't have any problems except a bad attitude).
There are absolutely NO advocates available here, in any way shape or form - not available, and not allowed. School is a "closed system". There is no ombudsman, and what little appeals mechanism exists, is simply more teachers wearing different hats and supporting the "system". There is no legal support for accommodations, no mechanism to challenge rulings by the school. But home-schooling would be even worse... because I'd have a kid at home all day, with literally nothing to do. I can't teach woodworking and mechanics and photography - and even if I had the knowledge and the skills, we don't have the finances to buy all the equipment.
Any really creative ideas out there? Just wondering.
If not - just treat this like a vent. Because its not likely that anything is going to change in time to make a difference for THIS kid. But I'm still fighting, because otherwise we'll be in the same position 20 or 30 years from now... with the grandkids. And I really don't intend to fight the same battle for another generation.
Thanks!
What do you do in the reverse situation?
Where the SD would absolutely love it if you would just take this kid out of their hair and do it all yourself? To the point that you don't get any cooperation... accommodations are listed but not followed (the law has no teeth here on this one), or are disputed or misinterpretted... Where in spite of an IEP, the kid keeps getting extreme consequences for behavior - when the behavior is caused by the school not accommodating.
Their take is that they are responsible to provide "reasonable and practical" accommodations, and what he needs are neither? (like... for example... a "safe home base"... they say, "even the Aspie kids don't need that in high school")
We could probably have homeschooled for most of elementary... but in HS, the problem isn't getting the basics (english, math, science, etc.)... the problem is that this kid needs the "extras" that are only found in a comprehensive HS... commercial cooking, photography, wood-working, band, etc. Due to his disability, evening activities are absolutely not an option - life shuts down at 6 pm.
How on earth do you get around this one?
We're trying - but I'm totally "discounted" by the system, for various reasons (including my inability to make my child mindlessly fit in to the "common culture" and "normal expectations"... because he really doesn't have any problems except a bad attitude).
There are absolutely NO advocates available here, in any way shape or form - not available, and not allowed. School is a "closed system". There is no ombudsman, and what little appeals mechanism exists, is simply more teachers wearing different hats and supporting the "system". There is no legal support for accommodations, no mechanism to challenge rulings by the school. But home-schooling would be even worse... because I'd have a kid at home all day, with literally nothing to do. I can't teach woodworking and mechanics and photography - and even if I had the knowledge and the skills, we don't have the finances to buy all the equipment.
Any really creative ideas out there? Just wondering.
If not - just treat this like a vent. Because its not likely that anything is going to change in time to make a difference for THIS kid. But I'm still fighting, because otherwise we'll be in the same position 20 or 30 years from now... with the grandkids. And I really don't intend to fight the same battle for another generation.
Thanks!