When SpEd teacher is gone...

[TeDo]

difficult child's SpEd teacher was gone on Friday and will be gone again on Monday. Got a notice from the Principal in the mail that difficult child was"charged with a truancy (his first one ever). Apparently difficult child didn't have a pencil with him in reading class (he has severe organizational issues). The teacher gave him a hard time about it so difficult child asked if he could go get a drink, my guess is to calm down. Instead of getting a pencil while he was out there, he started wandering the halls. A teacher saw him and hauled him to the office. Usually they will have the SpEd teacher talk to difficult child. With that teacher gone, the principal decided not to have the sub talk to him but to give him a truancy instead. The notice I received today says that when difficult child gets 7 of them, a referral is made to the county attorney for truancy charges. This is the same principal who gave difficult child an in-school suspension for not wanting to meet with SpEd teacher and science teacher in a room where the science teacher told him not to come to if he wasn't going to work. When principal called me to inform me of the suspension, I asked why they couldn't just meet in another room given the circumstances. His response was that difficult child "needs to learn that when we tell him to meet in a certain spot, that is where he needs to go". The principal didn't even call me about this truancy. When I asked difficult child why he didn't just get a pencil and go back to class, the logical solution, he said "I didn't think of that." When will this principal realize that his way isn't working? I am getting the feeling that he just wants difficult child out of that school if he's not going to tow the line. It's really beginning to irritate me.

 

[HaoZi]

*hugs* Hopefully SpEd teacher can help straighten things out upon return.

 

[Shari]

My Wee doesn't go to school if sped teacher isn't there. He's mainstreamed a lot less that your son, but its been a disaster when we've tried.

 

[susiestar]

It may be that your son needs someone with him all day when the sp ed teacher isn't there. I have no idea why so many people in the school systems seem unable to grasp that children with disabilities need to be taought and managed in different ways than easy child children. It is sad because every child would benefit from this approach.

Giving your child a truancy seems petty and ridiculous. Hopefully the Sp Ed teacher can straighten it out. The notice about the county attorney being told if difficult child gets 7 truancies is most likely automatically sent to every parent who's child has a truancy. Heck, here if your child has 10 EXCUSED absences the school must notify the district attorney and you have to go to court to prove to a judge that the absences were necessary. The exceptions are if the absences are written into a 504 or IEP.

IS it time to convene the IEP team to work out how to handle difficult child on days the Sp Ed teacher is not there? You can call a meeting any time you think it is needed, just as any other member can. This truancy seems to be a direct result of his disability so it may be needed to put something in the IEP to cover this.

I am sorry for the added drama and stress this causes.
(((((hugs)))))

 

[Marguerite]

Ask the principal if your son can cite the SpEd for truancy... it was SpEd's absence and the school's inability to ensure an appropriate substitute that has directly led to this truancy note. I'd be insisting on it being negated, on the grounds that the child's SpEd needs were clearly not being met.

Marg

 

[TeDo]

I would try that except this principal did this purely out of spite. I disagreed with an in-school suspension he gave earlier in the week and I was backed up by the SpEd teacher. That teacher wasn't there this time to defend my difficult child. I spoke to my advocate and we will be calling an IEP meeting to add "discipline procedures" to his IEP. If the principal causes a problem there, I will be asking for mediation. This principal is all about control. I have applied for a job that has been advertised for quite some time and I can pretty much guarantee that the reason it is still open and I'm not being considered is because he has final say. I am also on their sub-teacher list but have never been called and I know that is also because it is up to him. He would rather my difficult child, and me for being such a pain in the *** when it comes to advocating for him, were gone. I have spoken to other parents with SpEd kids there that have had similar problems with him. It doesn't help that the Superintendent backs up his principals no matter what. Mediation may be the only way to keep difficult child out of his reach when it comes to discipline.