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Some background info. My daughter is 6 years old and in Kindergarten. She has an autism spectrum disorder, but is high functioning. She struggles greatly with clear speech and fine motor control. She is well behaved in school and rarely a discipline problem. She has numerous sensory sensitivities as well which makes it stressful for her without support from Special Ed services. She has an IEP (individual ed plan) in place. I know this is not the typical spot to talk about this, but I want votes and this is a very active group. Thanks in advance! You can go to Sensory integration disorder page to see other posts about my daughter.
I'm faced with a horrible decision. From previous posts, you know that my daughter is not getting services that she needs in school. The services in the IEP are sometimes not followed because of staffing issues and other children's needs in the school (for example, IEP clearly states she will have a para sit WITH her in music 2 days a week and be pulled out 3 days a week; in the last two weeks it's been broken 3 times due to staffing issues or other children's bad behavior that the para sits with them and they don't even have IEPs). So here are my options. Please vote:
1. Leave her in the school she's in and continue to advocate for her. Knowing full well the school regularly violates the IEP. It is a weekly problem. Also, there is a severe lack of OT and the speech path is quitting at the end of the year. They have not found a replacement for her and it's unclear that they will be able to as she wasn't full time (just 4 days a week).
2. Put her in a private school that has great professional services (ot, speech path, among others), but is very limited on para help for things in the classroom. Also private school is beyond our financial means, so we would have to take out a loan (which we wouldn't have a problem getting, FICO Scores are over 700 for both hubby and me).
3. Lie to a bigger public school 30 minutes away about an in district address. I have applied for transfers to get my daughter there. They have been denied because of her needs costing the district to direct monies at her when she isn't in district. They have both the professional services and para staff. I have worked in this district in the past as a teacher. It would be where the most special ed monies are to get my daughter what she truly needs. From experience, they don't openly offer but if you ask you shall receive. Again, it's available.
Of course, we are trying to sell our home to get into the public school we need legitmately. We've tried to sell in the past. It's been off the market for about 9 months (it had been on the market for about 9 months and we needed to remove it so the school would even service her at all; said if we were trying to move she would get "Basic" services...which meant even less than what she is getting now). Btw, OT is 15 minute consult only once a month (he never has to even see my daughter and never comes to IEP meetings). OT is 90 minutes away and calls the sped teacher once a month to cover himself legally.
So, please vote. Thank you!
I'm faced with a horrible decision. From previous posts, you know that my daughter is not getting services that she needs in school. The services in the IEP are sometimes not followed because of staffing issues and other children's needs in the school (for example, IEP clearly states she will have a para sit WITH her in music 2 days a week and be pulled out 3 days a week; in the last two weeks it's been broken 3 times due to staffing issues or other children's bad behavior that the para sits with them and they don't even have IEPs). So here are my options. Please vote:
1. Leave her in the school she's in and continue to advocate for her. Knowing full well the school regularly violates the IEP. It is a weekly problem. Also, there is a severe lack of OT and the speech path is quitting at the end of the year. They have not found a replacement for her and it's unclear that they will be able to as she wasn't full time (just 4 days a week).
2. Put her in a private school that has great professional services (ot, speech path, among others), but is very limited on para help for things in the classroom. Also private school is beyond our financial means, so we would have to take out a loan (which we wouldn't have a problem getting, FICO Scores are over 700 for both hubby and me).
3. Lie to a bigger public school 30 minutes away about an in district address. I have applied for transfers to get my daughter there. They have been denied because of her needs costing the district to direct monies at her when she isn't in district. They have both the professional services and para staff. I have worked in this district in the past as a teacher. It would be where the most special ed monies are to get my daughter what she truly needs. From experience, they don't openly offer but if you ask you shall receive. Again, it's available.
Of course, we are trying to sell our home to get into the public school we need legitmately. We've tried to sell in the past. It's been off the market for about 9 months (it had been on the market for about 9 months and we needed to remove it so the school would even service her at all; said if we were trying to move she would get "Basic" services...which meant even less than what she is getting now). Btw, OT is 15 minute consult only once a month (he never has to even see my daughter and never comes to IEP meetings). OT is 90 minutes away and calls the sped teacher once a month to cover himself legally.
So, please vote. Thank you!
If not 2, would be the next best, but a loan? Serious buisnes there. Choose three but look at the conciquences of being caught lieing to them.
If your school does not follow the IEP (which is illegal, BTW) then you need to document this and ask for another IEP. In that IEP ask that your daughter be sent to another school that is more appropriate for your daughter's needs. If they tell you that they will not send her to another program, go to fair hearing. It doesn't take as long as you would think and in the end the school district will have to pay for your attorney's fees. (You do need an attorney in this case to advise you.) You will probably get the school that you want for her. Most parents win in fair hearing.
Stay firm and push for fair hearing. In most states if there is another program nearby in a different district that is more suitable for your child your school district has to pay for transportation to get your child to and from that school.
Stay firm!
What am I supposed to do in the meantime when we go through due process? Where is my daughter to go to school? She can't get into the private school until next year and the other public school denies her transfer. ALL the other schools in the area are small and contract with this horrible special ed coop (which our current district does too). They hide behind the special ed coop and don't own up to what they legally have to do. Btw, I am very aware they are breaking the law, but know I am hurting my daughter by fighting them in court. Also, since you seem to know IDEA laws...her 3 year re-eval (had one in December 2008) still hasn't been done. Yeah, that's a huge violation. They are finally working on it (have been for about 2 weeks and we have an IEP scheduled for March 31st).
Also, there is another family that is in court with them right now. There child (who is in middle school) is being forced to be homeschooled because the sped coop takes care of every small school within a 2 hour distance except the one large town (and they refuse to take sped kids on transfers). I've watched the hell that child and the parents go through. It works in theory and in larger populations. It does NOT work in rural Kansas. Also, this other family has a lawyer from Kansas City helping them (Kansas City is 7 hours from us and they have to pay him to fly in) and they are paying for all expenses out of pocket until they win. Then they will SUPPOSEDLY get reimbursed. I can't afford a lawyer or his travel expenses from Kansas City.
Sorry this is so negative ThenAgain. I'm just really upset that I know the laws and what you are saying but they don't work in the rural community I live in. (I'm not originally from here, took a job here for 2 years and planned to move away but met my husband and stayed because he runs his parent's business).
The risk is the school finding out... Then, you play the game of "renting" a basement "apartment" from a different person.
Also, the school knows you are doing this. I had lots of students when I worked there do it to get in. The school is using CYA (cover your a$$) in case it ever comes up for any reason. It's just that lying really bothers me. We were faced with this decision last year as well. We chose to be honest. Yeah, that didn't do my daughter any good. The private school wasn't able to take her last year.
I would rent an "apartment" in district and lie. It doesn't sound like there is a great alternative.
Option 2 would be my second choice, but really it puts you in a position of having to take out a loan and spend to get your daughter what she should be getting for free.
I'm so sorry you are in this position. *hugs*
Yes, due process takes a few months. But really, is a few months of your daughter's life too much? She will have many years of schooling left. I think you can wait a few months for due process to run it's course--especially if it means that she will be better off in the years to come.
I thought if you were tested a certain ability, then the district had to provide you with services, regardless of whether you are renting, own a home, or selling a home. So if you are renting, do they only give you basic services too? Rental situation is even more temporary than putting your house up for sale. That seems like that would be discrimination.
So what would I do? I'd consider private school only as a last resort (as I've heard pretty mixed things when it comes to special needs kids). Same goes for homeschooling. But HS is not on your list of options.
Personally I would stick with the district you're currently in, and put your house up for sale again. In the longer run, try and find a house in the district you want to be in. If you can afford it, hire out those extra services (such as speech and OT), your insurance may partially cover it. My first two children, we hired a private speech therapist, that came into our home, and it was great. My youngest we went the public school route, as she needed multiple services.
Good luck!
1. I've checked for Financial aid from the private school. All the scholarships are taken already.
2. I am at the school EVERY day dropping her off and picking her up INSIDE the school at her classroom door. I talk to her teachers several times a week. We email daily. I am the model of the squeaky wheel. I am known in that school by every secretary, para, teacher, the principal, school psych, speech path, school nurse, and janitor by face and first & last name.
3. The lawyer for Kansas Dept of Ed told me NOT to file due process unless I want a long, drawn out fight that will get nasty. He is aware of the 3 year re-eval issue and the not following of IEP.
4. I have tried the kill them with kindness theory. I volunteer for many things, we donate water (we run a bottled water company) with a special label for the school for any event they ask for, and I deliver cookies to ALL the staff in the building at least 2-3 times per semester.
5. You bet it's illegal to not give same services whether selling house or not. They will NOT put this threat in writing but tell me verbally. They do the evals and can make them as subjective as teacher observation. So the teacher or school psych "observes" how she no longer qualifies for speech or OT. Then, I get to do an outside eval at school expense...but it has to be based off the same type of eval as the school did. So, it has to be observation. The observation can be done only when the school says. so they only let it happen during lets say circle time or gym time where my daughter doesn't have as much trouble. Get the picture?
5. Doing private services is no longer an option. Our health insurance company is now refusing to cover services because they say it is an educational issue not a medical issue. At $160 an hour for OT, my husband and I can't afford to do it out of pocket anymore. We re-financed our home and took the equity to get her some intense OT last summer.
In short, the teachers are great; I have gotten alot more for my daughter than most parents in the district because of how active and willing I am to help out. However, there is no monies for special ed in the district and the coop they contract with is a horrible organization. I have two choices...take them to court or leave. Please understand that it is not going to work in my situation to go to court. You think that after I go to court my daughter could EVER go back to that school district or any other district the coop services? Not a chance. She'd be singled out for sure. Then, I'd be right where I am now only I would have alienated all of the people at the school on top of it.
"Hello maebeth, If you'll allow me to, I'd like to "Write-In" an option for you. Try taking offers for your home from a "home broker", or a national realty company. You probably won't get YOUR price, but, if you've got several competitive bids, you'll get a reasonable offer. This can be done privately, without drawing any public notice. This would free you up residentially and financially to move to a better school district."
Anyone know anything about this? We owe just under $125,000. The county appraisal is just over $135,000, but county appraisals in our area are usually $10,000-$20,000 lower than a private appraisal. Obviously, I don't care about getting what the house is worth; just can't afford to sell it for less than the mortgage balance either.
Perhaps keep her at the school she's at and fill in the educational gaps through home schooling. At least until the home is sold for a profit, and you've successfully moved into a different location. I know this has got to be hard for you. Take good care.
However I am still scratching my head on the private school thing. Are you thinking this would be something longer term? I guess part of the reason I ask, if you were planning on enrolling her in private school for only a couple years, how hard would it be to get her back into public school system and have her qualify for the services again? Especially if you were considering getting her back into the school district you want her in? Does that make sense? I guess I am wondering, would she fall off their radar, if you enroll her back into the public school district after she was in the private school setting. I suspect it is easier to transfer from one public school to another, versus the private back to public. But honestly I have no idea. Or maybe they'd just look at her most recent records, see what type of services she was receiving in the past (before she switched to private school setting), as well the private school setting, and then do their evaluation with that in mind. I guess I'd want to understand that part better.
Also, after I wrote my post, it occurred to me, my bias on the keeping your daughter in the public school system, is that in the state I live in, the schools are excellent (some of the most highly ranked in the US). Have a better reputation than the private ones (private schools look nice on paper, but from a practical and long term perspective, don't have a good reputation). My older kids (who do not have an IEP), have been very fortunate (especially my son, who is challenging), that their teachers are very experienced in dealing with blended classrooms, some of the kids with pretty severe disabilities. And I love it. I know that is not the case everywhere else. Nor does it sound like the case for you.
As for the health insurance, yeah that really does stink. I know getting OT paid for is very difficult, and a neighbor of mine had the same issue. Her son hasADHD (he is in second grade) with sensory issues. My daughter, she had a delay in gross motor skills, which somewhat goes hand in hand with her fine motor delays. Thankfully, she is doing much better today, and her main issues today, are with speech,
I guess, my recommendation, is to understand how the transfer from a private, to a public school setting would work. If it's not that hard, then maybe I'd recommend that as a temporary fix. I definitely would not go the legal route. Word gets around, and it's totally not fair. I think you've been doing everything you can possibly do. And again I am sorry.