Help! difficult child was suspended from school for 7 days

I have not posted in a long time, but I need advice now. My difficult child was just suspended from school for 7 days. He got angry in math class and when the teacher took a book away that he was reading difficult child told her that he would punch her in the face. Now difficult child can not go back to school until we have a meeting with the administrator and other people to discuss his behaviors. They are also saying that if difficult child can not control his emotions then he may not be allowed back in this school at all. difficult child is never violent at school, and he has never been suspended before today. He has skipped lots of classes before to stay in the cafeteria with his friends, but he is never violent or threatening. My son is several years behind other kids in maturity level, and he often says and does things without thinking of the consequences. He has very low grades, because he does not care about studying or getting good grades. So far both rewards or punishments have not worked to help difficult child to obey our house rules and the law. We are not letting difficult child drive because of his immaturity, but he has taken our car driving in the middle of the night several times. Now we have to lock all our keys away from him at night. Do you think that I should call a lawyer to come with me to this meeting at school? I also want the therapist who works with difficult child to come to the meeting. My husband can not go to the meeting, and I don't want to go to the meeting by myself. I don't think difficult child should be sent to the alternative public school, because that is where they send the violent kids who are in gang fights. Do you have any other advice on dealing with the school? Thanks,
 
Yes, I forgot to mention that he does have an IEP. He is in regular ed classes with a Special Education teacher in each class. difficult child does not have any organization skills, and he is in learning strategies class to work on basic study skills. difficult child is capable of getting good grades, but his grades for most classes are very bad. What will the school tell me in a BIP meeting?
 
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smallworld

Moderator
My understanding is that after 10 days of suspension the school holds a Manifestation Determination hearing to determine if the behavior is a manifestation of his disability. At that point the placement can change. But you say this is only 7 days of suspension. I think I would recommend that you consult an educational advocate or special education attorney to make certain your difficult child's rights are not being violated.
 

nvts

Active Member
Hi! Run a search for "free child advocates + southern chicago" or something along those lines.

In the meantime, I'd post on the Spec. Ed forum.

Have you had a full neuropsychologist done? There sounds like some diagnosable problems here that could help considerably.

A BIP meeting is to set up a Behavioral Intervention Plan which can't be done properly without a Functional Behavioral Analysis (FBA). This needs to be done at the parents request to the School Assessment Team. Even if the teacher requests it, the parents have to be aware that they're doing it. Without a proper social history + your input on how to work within his issues, the BIP would be worthless.

Don't let them make you nervous, don't let them intimidate you and above all DON'T SIGN ANYTHING, except the attendance sheet and if you want an FBA done, write the note by hand, right there in the meeting. If they tell you that you have to sign anything NOW, tell them that you will take it home, review it and will bring it back after you've had time to review it.

Good luck!

Beth
 
Beth: Thank you for the info. I am going to call several Special Education advocates tomorrow, to see if I can get someone to attend the BIP meeting with me. And I definitely will NOT sign anything at the meeting. Also, my difficult child was tested by a neuropsychologist 2 years ago, and the testing determined that difficult child had a learning disability in math. difficult child also had a brain scan done by another psychiatrist and they found silent seizures which is the reason for his immaturity and impulsivity. The school will not let difficult child return to the same math class after the suspension, and I am not sure if he will be able to get into another math class this semester. That's why I need an advocate to help me. Thanks again.
 

Shari

IsItFridayYet?
I was told over in SpEd 101, also, that you can request the manifestation anytime...but its mandatory after 10 days out.
 
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