Help quick, please!

[hersheyb79]

I just got a voicemail from the principal of my DS's school. Friday he was bad, he spat at a teacher and he kicked someone. DH had to go pick him up from school. Apparently the principal wasn't there...she was calling to inform us not to bring him to school on Monday because he is AGAIN suspended from school for 3 days. 3rd time this year.

I'm so aggravated. What should I do? I thought being on an IEP was supposed to protect him from being suspended so much, but she keeps saying that they have to follow the conduct code regardless of the IEP...

[StepTo2]

What kind of IEP is it?

Onyxx has a BIP - Behavioral Intervention Plan - and even so, there are some lines she crossed that they would not tolerate.

I think suspension is a vacation for being bad, personally...

I say - call the principal in the AM, and ask for ISS... And...

[hersheyb79]

We just signed his IEP for SIED. He also has a BIP. I'm so frustrated...in the middle of all of this someone just came to my door and served me with a summons for a stupid $700 bill from eons ago that I couldn't pay then or now, so they are suing me. Wow, what a magical Christmas this is going to be...

[TeDo]

Are you up to 10 days yet? THAT is when things might change but definitely call for ISS. Does he have a Behavior Plan in his IEP as Step asked? If not, request an IEP meeting to put one together. THEY need to figure out how to deal with this but probably won't if it's not in the IEP.

I thought the same thing but our principal was a real piece of work and just wanted gfg1 out of the school so he did the suspension thing for EVERYTHING regardless of the IEP and BIP. I can completely empathize with you. Has the IEP been signed and returned to them? that is the other question that comes to mind. If not, they aren't obligated yet.

{{{{(((HUGS)))}}}} and GET AN ADVOCATE! Sounds like you just might need one.

[TeDo]

We were posting at the same time. My first question to them is "Did you follow the Behavior Plan?" If they did, apparently it isn't working and the team needs to meet asap to revise it. If they didn't, remind them he has one and that they need to follow it.

Sorry about the summons. I am expecting some soon since I've been unemployed since June and Unemployment has run out.

[hersheyb79]

What is ISS?

The hard part about the BIP is that he flies off the handle so fast that before they can blink, he's kicking or hitting. They don't follow the BIP anyway, but the times that he's being aggressive it doesn't really matter because he's hit before the can intervene anyway. I guess (according to DH, he's the one who picked him up from school) that DS got upset when they told him to clean up and he spat at the teacher, so when they tried to remove him from the room he kicked the counselor.

Basically, we're getting no real help from the BIP because he is so volatile.

They say that the are required to follow the conduct code, and according to the conduct code: "Assault upon a teacher or school employee. A minimum of three days suspension is mandatory."

ETA: This will make 9 days. So he's not at 10 yet.

[buddy]

Ok since so many of us are going through this, let me first say....AAARRRGGGGGGGG!

First, get an advocate if you can.
Second, write a formal letter once again requesting a functional behavior analysis. If it is the same dummies that did it last time, sigh... then make sure you ask for the district to have specialists in your child's area do it from outside of your school. If they wrote pbis without doing this then they need to do the right thing this time. Research shows when a plan is made without the actual data, the guesses that teachers/staff make about why a behavior is being done are typically wrong. And the "go to" explanation is usually that the child wants attention or that they are trying to get out of work. Even if these things are true, it means that the child needs to learn to get attention in positive ways and the work needs to be adjusted and skills taught to be able to do the work.
--an fba needs to define specific behaviors, then collect data about where it happens, what happens before the behavior, how it is dealt with and what the effects are. They can examine this plus his assessment to see if he has the skills to deal with things better, to see if he is escaping something, to see if they are triggering it or if anything in the environment is triggering it etc.

--an fba leads to the positive behavior plan. This plan is not to eliminate behavior only, it is to teach skills so the child does not have to use the negative behaviors.

---how many days total are you up to after this. The district has 10 days to suspend if he is on an IEP for a pattern of behaviors...and then they must do a manifestation determiation. This will say if the behaviors are related to his disability. (usually obviously yes) and then they need to say, well then, the IEP and BIP is not good enough, his needs are not being met if this stuff is continuing. They must look at how to change it, accomodations, interventions, reinforcements, etc.

----they may say they can not meet his needs in that setting. Make sure you have an advocate. This can get sticky and you dont want him shoved somewhere just for their convenience. IF there really is a better setting that is one thing. If they just put all the kids wth behaviors in one place, that is quite another.

If they are stupid enough to use up the 10 days then it is their dumb decision. The principal is wrong to say he has to be held to the school conduct code, you can amend his IEP to even reinforce this. I have in my sons IEP that due to Q's autism and acquired brain injury, he is unable to follow school and district conduct code as written. All discipline decisions will include the special educaiton team.


I have to say, spitting is my red hot button, where I can really lose my temper with my son. But the fact is it is not serious bodily harm. a 3 day supension is going to do what exactly? He probably likes the days off, it punishes you, increases stress and anxiety in the home, and if he does hate it, it will make him more nervous about getting in trouble--then making it harder to behave. Any administrator that thinks this makes a difference does not read the research. IEP's are supposed to use evidence based methods, and suspension is evidence based to NOT work. They do it to make the appearance of doing something and being in charge. IN fact it makes nothing change. IF it would work, I am guessing he would have been "fixed" long ago right??? Maybe the first 2 or 3 times he was suspended. DUH. It makes me absolutely insane.

[TeDo]

Hershey, are you sure your son isn't on the autism spectrum? The way he explodes when one activity ends and then being aggressive when touched to remove his are red flags to me. They need to work on an "activity transition" plan and other ways to get him out of the room. With gfg1, a count-down helps. Like "okay, 10 more minutes and then we have to clean up" and then 5 minutes later "okay, 5 more minutes and then we have to clean up"... get the idea? Gfg1 had REAL problems with abrupt endings to activities and being touched.....NOT ON YOUR LIFE.

If the behavior plan isn't working, then the TEAM needs to come up with something better. If they aren't following the plan and these things are happening, the are violating the law. Like I said before, I have soooo BTDT.

By the way, ISS is In School Suspension. That way he is being "punished" but not vacationing at home for 3 days.

More {{{{(((HUGS)))}}} going out to you.

[TeDo]

Hershey, are you sure your son isn't on the autism spectrum? The way he explodes when one activity ends and then being aggressive when touched to remove his are red flags to me. They need to work on an "activity transition" plan and other ways to get him out of the room. With gfg1, a count-down helps. Like "okay, 10 more minutes and then we have to clean up" and then 5 minutes later "okay, 5 more minutes and then we have to clean up"... get the idea? Gfg1 had REAL problems with abrupt endings to activities and being touched.....NOT ON YOUR LIFE.

If the behavior plan isn't working, then the TEAM needs to come up with something better. If they aren't following the plan and these things are happening, they are violating the law. Like I said before, I have soooo BTDT.

By the way, ISS is In School Suspension. That way he is being "punished" but not vacationing at home for 3 days.

More {{{{(((HUGS)))}}} going out to you.

[TeDo]

Not sure what happened there. My computer froze up and then it double posted. WEIRD!!