Another one for the home team...

[Shari]

Right, wrong, or indifferent, I am hanging on to my complaints....for now.

I met with the board president and the superintendent. Board pres couldn't give me much, but the super is the one who seems to 'get' what Wee needs more than some other people on his so-called "team". She wants compensory education for him, para support when in mainstream academics, and sped teacher education for reading, writing, and math. Now why can't the people who are SUPPOSED to be handling this GET that???

Anyway, met with super and she met with the principal and sped dir. I reported how sped dir has more than once come to a meeting telling me "this is what the district has to offer, take it or leave it", I reported how communication is non-existent, and how principal is working to pull back support before restoring full-day education. Super had apparently been lead to believe Wee is mentally impaired, and when she found out he has a high-average or higher iq, she was very displeased and asked me to withhold the complaints and she would handle it.

She did.

The next day, at our meeting, a plan was made to extend the day, NOT in mainstream, and WITH support, all talk of removing para support had ceased, and a plan for increased communication was put into place, and ESY is being discussed, with emphasis on truly building an educational/catch-up program for Wee.

I am still itching to file, but I have a year...if the need arises again. I got what we needed again, and I guess that's the point.

 

[InsaneCdn]

You're wise to hold your fire - tempting as it is.
Because... once you fire the first shot, you lose Super's support.
Right now... getting what you need? Go with it.
You said you have a year. If they go off the deep end again planning for or starting next fall... you still have live ammo.

 

[TeDo]

Good for you Shari. And yes, it is sooooooo tempting to file anyway but as Insane said, you got what you wanted including the full backing of the super. In the words of a song (have no clue which one)....take the money and run honey!!

 

[slsh]

LOL, Shari... I had to double check that this was *you*!!! All I can say is 'bout darn time.

This is fantastically wonderful news. You deserve so much credit because you've hung in there and dealt with- some really... questionable professionals. I couldn't have done it rationally for so long. I'm glad super stepped in, but most of all I'm simply delighted that Wee is going to get back on track.

Yeah, Shari and super!!!!

 

[Bunny]

Wow!! It's great for Wee that the Super finally got him what he needs in the classroom! I would hold on to your complaint for now. If you have a year to file it, I would wait to see if they pull his support again. Then I would go with it.

 

[buddy]

Just so amazing. How rare is it to have the top person in the district going to bat for you. Congrats on so many levels.


I am going to start a thread and ask a philosophical question, but it is not a comment on Wee, ok? Your story along with a friends and of course Q...just made me think......

Anyway, yippeeee for Wee. He gets a chance to reach his potential all because he did great with the tools given and his mom fought for him! You rock.

 

[KTMom91]

Glad Wee will be getting the supports he needs!

 

[Shari]

LOL Sue....ya, is me. Sad thing is, I have done this before. The super has stepped in before, too. Heck, their attorney has stepped in before when I've called him and told him something they were doing. The really sad part is, I fully expect this will still not fix the ultimate problem, and the ultimate problem is the admin at the building level that have way too much power and too little knowledge of Special Education.

There was a plan in place to get Wee on full days when the lawyer left a year ago and we were working it by adding time every successful 6 weeks. But the new admin at this building this year decided it needed to be changed and done her way.

He's been a student in the district for 4 years. We've seen a new principal come every year. And every year, the principal has all the answers and calls the shot and the special services folks just bow down to them. Maybe that's how it supposed to work, I don't know, but it sure is a very ineffective way to operate - to have the new guy come in with no knowledge or training and allow them to take over - espeically when what is in place has been working.

I suspect the sped director is supposed to be the one to step in and tell the principal "here's what we're doing" and have a little backbone in defending the special services people and the plans in place. But it is quite apparent that this one has no backbone and I frequently question how much she really knows about what she's doing, anyway. I don't trust any of them, and won't speak to them alone again, but the super has worked for us twice, now, so if that's the angle I have to go, so be it.

Tho this principal has really irritated me enough that I really do want to file those complaints...but I will wait.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Keep adding to your documentation on the principal... might need that later.

New principal every year? That is pretty destabilizing. And yes - the principal calls the shots. Nobody at the school level can override the principal. Super can (if they will - here, they just support the principal).

 

[slsh]

Interesting - not once in the gazillion IEP mtgs that I've had in a non-self-contained programs over the past 20+ years was a principal ever involved. That's in 3 different states, 5 different SDs. Sped directors, even had a superintendent once, various support staff, but never a principal - even when thank you was in mainstream. The principals I've dealt with- were not the gatekeepers of services and in fact had absolutely no say in what services were provided, the development/implementation of BIP, or anything else. It's a function of sped dept and ultimately the super, who is where the buck will stop if push comes to shove.

Quite frankly, just as teachers have to be certified (in IL anyway) to teach sped, I think any admin staff involved should have to be sped certified as well.

 

[Shari]

I suspect, Sue, that is the way it is "supposed" to work...that's part of what's been difficult for me - this is the only district I've dealt with, and I am slowly figuring out that they maybe don't do things as they were designed or maybe even should. The principals have ALWAYS called the shots here. They are first line defense if Wee has a meltdown, which has always just baffled me...why? What do they know about dealing with a sped kid? (the answer to THAT question has been obvious over the years - NOTHING! As evidenced by their actions in said situation! lol)

Just from what I've seen here that DOESN'T work with the parade of principals, I suspect the principals are over the gen ed personell in their building, and the all the sped people in the district are supposed to be overseen as a group by the sped dir, who is supposed to be familiar with the laws and practices they are using, which differ from the gen ed population. In the business world, the sped services would be like a little contracted company that provides a niche service in an otherwise independent company. That at least would make sense, from what I've seen. But it absolutely doesn't happen in this district.

I've had one IEP meeting that the principal wasn't involved in, and it wasn't considered and IEP meeting because she wasn't there. The super has been to one meeting, and of course, the district attorney came to several (we know how that ended up lol), but the principal is always there.

And I agree...if they are going to be involved, they should have at least some training.

 

[Shari]

Interesting - not once in the gazillion IEP mtgs that I've had in a non-self-contained programs over the past 20+ years was a principal ever involved. That's in 3 different states, 5 different SDs. Sped directors, even had a superintendent once, various support staff, but never a principal - even when thank you was in mainstream. The principals I've dealt with- were not the gatekeepers of services and in fact had absolutely no say in what services were provided, the development/implementation of BIP, or anything else. It's a function of sped dept and ultimately the super, who is where the buck will stop if push comes to shove.

Quite frankly, just as teachers have to be certified (in IL anyway) to teach sped, I think any admin staff involved should have to be sped certified as well.

It would be interesting to be able to sit in on various IEP meetings - in districts that work and districts that dont... This has me curious now what the "org chart" is supposed to look like...