Excessive Suspensions

4timmy

New Member
Does anyone know how many suspensions from school are too many????

Suspensions do NOT help my son learn nor does it punish my son.

My difficult child has been suspended 4 times now this year and it's not working. Do schools understand that children with Asbergers/ADHD/ODD do not really respond to this type of punishment??
 

SkunkMomma

New Member
I'm thinking it is 10 days in a year if he has an IEP or 504 plan. I teach and I know in our state we have to really watch and keep documented each time they are out of our class for punishment. Hope you get them to understand that this does not work for our difficult child's.
 

Sheila

Moderator
Does your child have an IEP?

Do schools understand that children with Asbergers/ADHD/ODD do not really respond to this type of punishment??

No. Typically it's school "policy."

There actually are very few educators trained in these type disorders.
 

4timmy

New Member
Yes, we have an IEP. Also, we have a meeting to go over that IEP next week. I have 2 folks going with me to help me navigate.

He's been suspended 4 times now (6 days total).

Is this something that should be stated in his IEP? The school has pretty much taken over the IEP. I signed off on it initially, but they've been updating it periodically without my signature........They send the updates home with his report card.
 

Superpsy

New Member
Although 10 days is the official "rule" there should still be a manifestation determination if there is a pattern of behavior. Sounds like with difficult child a pattern of behavior exists.

As the parent you are a member of the IEP team. Nothing should be changed without you being invited. Maybe what they are sending is his quarterly progress reports? IEPs should be updated at least once a year.
 
I feel your pain. My difficult child has been suspended 3 times this year. And all with-i a span of a few months. I told the principal that this does nothing but punish us as the parents. We have to miss work or try to find somewhere to send him while he's suspended. difficult child could care less that he's missing school!! It's so very frustrating to be in this position. I told the principal that difficult child's therapist agreed that out of school suspension does no good. He suggested in school suspension and giving difficult child a report to do and then have to give it orally to the class. difficult child has been behaving better the last month and hasn't had any office referrals. But, I'm sure before the end of school it will happen.

Good luck.
 

Sheila

Moderator
I signed off on it initially, but they've been updating it periodically without my signature..

Highly illegal. If I were you, I notify them in writing that you are to be invited to all IEP meetings.

Unless the IEP says otherwise, your child may be suspended for up to 10 school days.

There is information on FBAs in the archives (Functional Behavioral Analysis). In writing and via certified mail, I'd ask for one to be performed. Or you can take it with you to the meeting and have someone sign your copy of the letter as "Received By" together with "Date" and "Time."

Manifestation was mentioned by Superpsy . There's info in the forum and in the archives about manifestation hearings.
 

Sheila

Moderator
by the way, there is a caveat to this. Minor modifications to the IEP can be made without an IEP meeting as long as parent agrees. They still have to get your signature.

When the IEP changes, it is considered a "change in placement."

This confuses us sometimes. "Change in placement" is not the location where student receives services; it is the services received according to the IEP.
 

Ropefree

Banned
Have you talked to anyone who is offering educational therapies? I went to meet with one the other day and as i was waiting I looked throught the books and workbooks.
I say one that was specific to aspergers.

First I would challenge the revevance of the schools pollicy with the adminstrator as the iep needs to manage the appropriate education of this child and diagnosis kids with all sorts of learning issues need the interaction of education and are not served by the shunning to learn approach. If for some reason the exclusion from the classroom or school is the policy then i am thinking that as the obligation to teach trumpts a policy where a iep with-behavior is essentially being removed from the education loop.
I hope that you are able to work a solution that doesn't work you to hard.
 
Connecticut has passed a zero suspension policy except for severe danger to self or others. I work in a ED program and we went from 27 suspensions first half of last year to 1 for the first half of this year (a severe bite to staff). We just discussed this at team meeting. The behaviors didn't change whether we suspended or not. We were getting to the point last year where we were sometimes using suspensions to get a break from our most challanging students. This obviously was not an acceptable reason, although they did break the code of conduct. This year we are doing a one-on one "in-school suspension". Although this rewards the behavior with a huge amount of attention, the kids are in school and learning.
 

4timmy

New Member
Connecticut has passed a zero suspension policy except for severe danger to self or others. I work in a ED program and we went from 27 suspensions first half of last year to 1 for the first half of this year (a severe bite to staff). We just discussed this at team meeting. The behaviors didn't change whether we suspended or not. We were getting to the point last year where we were sometimes using suspensions to get a break from our most challanging students. This obviously was not an acceptable reason, although they did break the code of conduct. This year we are doing a one-on one "in-school suspension". Although this rewards the behavior with a huge amount of attention, the kids are in school and learning.

I understand, as a parent, that teachers spend a lot of their time in the classroom dealing with my difficult child's disruptions and I understand the need for a break (LOL - I need one too!). In our case, this school does not have an ED program (only Inclusion and Intervention), and my difficult child would have to go to another school (not close by). If this program will help him, that's great, but I don't like it that he's been in this school for almost the entire year and then they want to move him to a different environment mid-year. My difficult child bangs his head and has stabbed himself with a pencil, and this is the main reason that the school thinks he needs to go. He just started doing this mid-year. I'm in a job where right now, layoffs are a HUGE possibility and missing a lot of work is NOT an option for me.

An FBA has been done apparently and that is what we are meeting about this Weds. Our counselor thinks they should try a one-on-one aide first, but I know the school is going to frown on that. Oh, and the IEP updates are just progress notes on things that are already in the IEP.

We just took difficult child off of Zyprexa and put him on Abilify. We also lowered his Vyvanse dose from 70mg twice a day to 30mg twice a day. He is still very hyper and sometimes downright obnoxious, but hasn't seemed as agitated and moody.
 
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