How do i go about calling out the school district!

[SunShineSally]

Now some history on my school district it. About 16 years ago my mother called them out about their special ed or the lack there of. We live in WNY (I will not say the city as my X stalks) The district told teachers not to encourge evaluations on children with needs and my mother faught this 16 years ago. She did win Well as they say history repeats it self and here it comes. My Ds has add with out a dought. I know a lot about it as my mother made sure I went to my CSE meetings my IEP evaluations and so on and so on. I was never on the outside of my needs I was the kid in class telling the teacher to look at my IEP I am allowed to go to my resourse room for a test. Well Ds is 4 I talked to his teacher about how I want him evaluated because of of this and NOW all of a sudden she says that she just doesn't see it that he has any issues: Just 3 weeks ago she kept saying he can not concentrate he needs a lot of redirection and so on... Now since I want him evaluated he is magiclly fine! Now this happend to my sister and she got shafted and it didn't top me as the fight was already being fought when I came along. There is a new special ed director she is awful (to the point where my mother is getting calls to advocate for their children and to come back on the school board) She is telling point blank to now send children for evaluations!!! I know the politics for the district are awful now we have a horrid superintendent now the man that was there when I was younger if it was I would just call him and also he would have never allowed this lady to continue to tell teachers that they can not send children for HELP!

I asked my mother how I can fight this and follow in her steps I am so passionate on special education and education itself. she just told me not to worry about it her and her friend will take care of it. Her friend is and has been my advocate and is not Ds's. But I personally want to do something I know it will be hard I just do not know where to start. Who to call or how to start. My mother says I should take care of Ds first (I plan to) but she will not tell me how to fight this. she did all this work and buit up our special ed program just for this women to tear it down we had the best SE program in the area now it is almost all gone

Any direction you could point me in would be wonderful. thanks for reading this far I know it was all over the place as I am VERY upset right now

[KatWrangler]

First I would suggest you make a post over in Special Needs Parenting. I post over there because I have a child with Special Needs but we are brand new to the IEP and schoool district stuff. My daughter just turned 3 last month.

Teacher, do you mean pre-k teacher? I honestly don't think she has much a say in this. Or is she a Special Education Teacher?

That being said, do you have an official diagnosis from a developmental Pediatrician? I would think you want to arm yourself with this before you go before the District. Rather than waiting on the District to do the evaluation.

[bjbunny]

I work in this field

School districts can not avoid not evaluating a child - if there are substancial concerns. If you child is not kindergarten age - the evaluation should go through an early childhood screening first.

Since the laws have changed - the school/district have to show that they have gone through an intervention process - meaning that additional intervention have to be tried first and shown that the child's academic progress has not improved any even with interventions.

Also - ADD is a medical diagnosis. Only a doctor can actual diagnos a child with ADD or ADHD. Now any evaluation completed by the school can show if your child has characteristic of ADHD - and that information can be shared with your doctor.

I hope this information helps. Godd luck

[SunShineSally]

I know the law and how they can't but in reality they are that is my point. they have before and they are again. My sister works in the one elementary school and there are children who do have LD's are they are unable to get hem evaluated! It is happening it also happened to my friends son it took her about a year to get her son the help he needed by fighting and screaming parents should not have to go to such extreams.

Ds is in Pre-K we want the district to do the eval first. Now if they find Ds doesn't have Add (witch they will because any child in the past 2 years since the new SE directer came on no child has been classified by the district they (the district) have to pay for another eval at the districts expence (my insurance will not pay for one) Now they do not tell parents that they can get another evaluation. You see in the past 2 years our once beautiful district went into the toilet. they are doing so many illegal things here it is disgusting! they are sending children to school in weather that legally they should not be seeing as there are over 80% walkers here and so many other things that if it wasn't almost 11:30pm I would go on for ever. Like I said before I want to fight this I know personally what it is like to have LD's and ADD and go to school but I was labled (I knwo many people do not agree with lables but they are good when in school so teachers know what to do and how to help these children) I had the help I can not imagine what some children are feeling and going through in school. Like my mother I want to fight this and make a change the change that she made many years ago I also do not want her hard work to be compleatly lost! I know no matter what Ds will get help if he needs it I am not worried about that my advocate (his also) is going to take care of that. I am more worried about all the other children because they all do not have the people I know. BUT these are the people who will not tell me who to contact and so on... They tell me do not worry we will help you.... What about the children whose parents are lost and do not know the laws?? what about the ones who are to afraid to stand up and say. Hey look it something is wrong? they jsut say okay the teacher said so so it is fine. But do not know all the poitics in the Ad building? sadly but luckily I do and I can but I want to help those who can't and I have these wonderful advocates and they will not tell me where to start!!!:

again sorry for this being all

[Danelle78]

Since your Mom and her friend are working on it, they could probably be more positioned to give you direction as I'm sure they have a plan.

But off the top, writing congressmen (State and National), newspapers (Editorials) or if you can get a reporter to look into it, that's be great too, etc.

I would definitely start with writing elected officials though.

[SunShineSally]

Originally Posted by Danelle78

Since your Mom and her friend are working on it, they could probably be more positioned to give you direction as I'm sure they have a plan.

But off the top, writing congressmen (State and National), newspapers (Editorials) or if you can get a reporter to look into it, that's be great too, etc.

I would definitely start with writing elected officials though.

Thank you! I have been trying to get them to point me in the right direction, buuut they just keep telling me they will take care of it.

[MoonWillow]

Would you mind terribly PMing me and telling me what district you live in? I live in WNY myself and I am just starting to think that I need to obtain an evaluation for my preschool aged ds. I'd like to know if I am going to encounter obstacles.
I really appreciate it.

[catemom]

Sunshinesally I'm not sure about the laws with the testing, but I know that public schools who do not provide services to those identified as Spec. Ed. students are at risk of losing their federal funding. I have seen lots of kids who are tested over and over again without qualifying for services that they really DO need, but since you suspect that your DS has inherited your LD, then I think you should keep pushing to get him tested. Would it be possible/affordable for you to get him tested outside of the school system? Would the school system acknowledge these tests if you did? Anyway, I wish you and your child the best of luck in getting this resolved.