Shari
IsItFridayYet?
Ok, just got back.
One of my requests was to have the incident reports and behavior sheets given to me monthly at a minimum. I asked for them for the month of sept on 9/30. The SpEd teacher was out that day, and the principal did try to get as many as she could (she did not have access to them with SpEd out). I told her I knew sped was out with a sick baby, I would wait til she got back. (I am still attempting to be reasonable.)
Of course, I didn't get them. So yesterday afternoon, I emailed sped teacher and asked for them. She had them ready for me to pick up by 10am. Obviously, I didn't go get them, right then.
SO then the incident happens at school. That's the other post. Wont retype it here. As I leave with Wee, I pick up the envelope of incident reports and come home.
HE HAS HAD THREE INCIDENTS OF THROWING ROCKS AT STUDENTS ON THE PLAYGROUND AND ONE OF KNOCKING OTHER KIDS DOWN!!!! WHY WAS I NOT AWARE!??! ANd supposedly, principal sent another report to JO for this.
And the report from today is not in there. So...we're playing by the rules this year, right? I marched my happy butt back to the school and asked for the incident repoort (as I dropped off a box of food for the sped teacher to give to a family that is hurting right now...I offered to help her). The secretary played CYA and in a round-about sort of way told me it wouldn't be done today. Um...no...I need that report by the end of the day...THAT was the agreement. It was clear I wouldn't be geting it.
So I hopped in my happy car and drove to admin office. SpEd director is gone, but superintendent was there. I walked in and asked to see her. She took me in her office and I said I need the incident report from today, before the end of the day. She said it just couldn't happen, the teachers were busy, they had to sit down and write it, blah blah blah. I said yeah, we agreed, the incident report the day of the incident. None of this 5 days later, if ever koi. She asked why i needed it so badly, and I whippe out the incident report that I didn't even know about and said THAT"S WHY. She said I need to trust them that they'll do it and I said I trusted you last year, and look where it landed us. I'm not putting up with that again this year. That report needs to be in my hands by 4pm. THAT was what the district agreed to.
And she yelled at me. She said "dammit Shari, we're trying. We've just hired a personal assistnt for him. What more do you want????"
Yup, you read that correctly.
I thanked her and said "THAT'S what I want....someone who can handle my child."
Apparently, the experiment with Mr Para/Teacher was a trial to see if that would really make a difference. In the meantime, they were interviewing people. THey interviewed a man, first, but he refused their offer...not enough money. But this woman is looking to move to this area and seems to be qualified - a psychiatric degree, I think a teacher, experience in de-escalation and play therapy. Super told the board they had to do this...or they wouldn't be providing FAPE.
I thanked her and said finally. And then said "A little communication would have gone a long ways."
There was some further discussion. She was the source of the county committee thing. I asked her, again, what she hoped to get from it. She said they hoped to get help for the district in streamlining and ways to handle him. I said "so say that"...what I got said it was for Wee and his family.
We got back into principal's need to blame...and how she says I always walk in pointing fingers. I said, ok...here's the deal. You have a child at the elementary that has thrown rocks at students on THREE different occassions, knocked students to the ground once, and no one has bothered to tell me. Principal tells me that is because she didn't know, and that is because SpEd Teacher didn't know, and here we are, back at a problem with a para....what the hell else am I supposed to do - walk in and say life is grand you're doing a great job? There's a problem there. A HUGE problem. AND I CAN'T FIX IT!!!! I can ignore it...but will that help???
And super agreed she can see the frustration on both sides. I told her I do not like to be like this. I am not, by nature, an in your face person, but I can NOT sit by and let last year repeat itself, and until this very moment, being unaware of what you guys are doing behind the scenes, all I am seeing are repeat incidents...
She assured me the 1:1 will start in 2 weeks. It is on the agenda for Monday's board meeting. They aren't even discussing it...it is on the agenda for consent. In the meantime, the super has authorized $ for a sub for the SpEd teacher for the next 2 weeks. The SpEd Teacher will be 1:1 with Wee until this new person gets here. If SpEd is out, Mr Para Teacher will be calle back in.
Now, people...if you'd told me this 3 weeks ago...it would have saved a lot of hassle...
And I told her in light of the new info, I am ok with not getting the report by 4pm today. I also told her if they can't communicate with me any better than that, what really can they expect to gain from 14 heads around a table??? I mean, really. She didn't have an answer.
I told her lets get the FBA report. Lets get a BIP written. Lets get this new 1:1 in, and see what we've got. Then we'll talk about a committee.
Finally. Finally I feel like there might be something good going on. Finally, I feel like they are paying attention, they realize they can't just shove Wee into the back closet and pretend he doesn't exist....FINALLY they have heard that I am done screwing around. And maybe they are doing something about it.
One of my requests was to have the incident reports and behavior sheets given to me monthly at a minimum. I asked for them for the month of sept on 9/30. The SpEd teacher was out that day, and the principal did try to get as many as she could (she did not have access to them with SpEd out). I told her I knew sped was out with a sick baby, I would wait til she got back. (I am still attempting to be reasonable.)
Of course, I didn't get them. So yesterday afternoon, I emailed sped teacher and asked for them. She had them ready for me to pick up by 10am. Obviously, I didn't go get them, right then.
SO then the incident happens at school. That's the other post. Wont retype it here. As I leave with Wee, I pick up the envelope of incident reports and come home.
HE HAS HAD THREE INCIDENTS OF THROWING ROCKS AT STUDENTS ON THE PLAYGROUND AND ONE OF KNOCKING OTHER KIDS DOWN!!!! WHY WAS I NOT AWARE!??! ANd supposedly, principal sent another report to JO for this.
And the report from today is not in there. So...we're playing by the rules this year, right? I marched my happy butt back to the school and asked for the incident repoort (as I dropped off a box of food for the sped teacher to give to a family that is hurting right now...I offered to help her). The secretary played CYA and in a round-about sort of way told me it wouldn't be done today. Um...no...I need that report by the end of the day...THAT was the agreement. It was clear I wouldn't be geting it.
So I hopped in my happy car and drove to admin office. SpEd director is gone, but superintendent was there. I walked in and asked to see her. She took me in her office and I said I need the incident report from today, before the end of the day. She said it just couldn't happen, the teachers were busy, they had to sit down and write it, blah blah blah. I said yeah, we agreed, the incident report the day of the incident. None of this 5 days later, if ever koi. She asked why i needed it so badly, and I whippe out the incident report that I didn't even know about and said THAT"S WHY. She said I need to trust them that they'll do it and I said I trusted you last year, and look where it landed us. I'm not putting up with that again this year. That report needs to be in my hands by 4pm. THAT was what the district agreed to.
And she yelled at me. She said "dammit Shari, we're trying. We've just hired a personal assistnt for him. What more do you want????"
Yup, you read that correctly.
I thanked her and said "THAT'S what I want....someone who can handle my child."
Apparently, the experiment with Mr Para/Teacher was a trial to see if that would really make a difference. In the meantime, they were interviewing people. THey interviewed a man, first, but he refused their offer...not enough money. But this woman is looking to move to this area and seems to be qualified - a psychiatric degree, I think a teacher, experience in de-escalation and play therapy. Super told the board they had to do this...or they wouldn't be providing FAPE.
I thanked her and said finally. And then said "A little communication would have gone a long ways."
There was some further discussion. She was the source of the county committee thing. I asked her, again, what she hoped to get from it. She said they hoped to get help for the district in streamlining and ways to handle him. I said "so say that"...what I got said it was for Wee and his family.
We got back into principal's need to blame...and how she says I always walk in pointing fingers. I said, ok...here's the deal. You have a child at the elementary that has thrown rocks at students on THREE different occassions, knocked students to the ground once, and no one has bothered to tell me. Principal tells me that is because she didn't know, and that is because SpEd Teacher didn't know, and here we are, back at a problem with a para....what the hell else am I supposed to do - walk in and say life is grand you're doing a great job? There's a problem there. A HUGE problem. AND I CAN'T FIX IT!!!! I can ignore it...but will that help???
And super agreed she can see the frustration on both sides. I told her I do not like to be like this. I am not, by nature, an in your face person, but I can NOT sit by and let last year repeat itself, and until this very moment, being unaware of what you guys are doing behind the scenes, all I am seeing are repeat incidents...
She assured me the 1:1 will start in 2 weeks. It is on the agenda for Monday's board meeting. They aren't even discussing it...it is on the agenda for consent. In the meantime, the super has authorized $ for a sub for the SpEd teacher for the next 2 weeks. The SpEd Teacher will be 1:1 with Wee until this new person gets here. If SpEd is out, Mr Para Teacher will be calle back in.
Now, people...if you'd told me this 3 weeks ago...it would have saved a lot of hassle...
And I told her in light of the new info, I am ok with not getting the report by 4pm today. I also told her if they can't communicate with me any better than that, what really can they expect to gain from 14 heads around a table??? I mean, really. She didn't have an answer.
I told her lets get the FBA report. Lets get a BIP written. Lets get this new 1:1 in, and see what we've got. Then we'll talk about a committee.
Finally. Finally I feel like there might be something good going on. Finally, I feel like they are paying attention, they realize they can't just shove Wee into the back closet and pretend he doesn't exist....FINALLY they have heard that I am done screwing around. And maybe they are doing something about it.
