When is the help going to kick in? I can't stand this. The waiting is so torturous. He was supposed to go to his dentist appt. this morning and then he disappeared. Took off to get high. Talked to Kev (the juvenile detective) ---yes.....we are on a first name basis, and he said it looks like there is a 99% chance my son will be going to drug court. The is excellent news. The problem lies whether my son will be compliant at court. If he is not......he will get kicked out of it. Crazy. These kids have way too much power. How can this be? The pendulum has swung way too far the other way when it comes to protecting the children's' rights. This is insane! I am just shocked that this has not been an issue with parents. Where is the outcry? All I know is the system, unfortunately, is overwhelmed and can't keep up with this issue. How sad.....
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I taught in a disadvantaged school and this was a big problem. Sometimes it seemed like a child had to be past the point of no return before anything was attempted.. :o( I\'m sorry to say that. You are your child\'s own best advocate! All I can do is wish you continued strength and wisdom. He is fortunate to have you for a parent!
...because so many people do not want to admit there is a problem! And parents who have a child in crisis do not have any extra time to deal with these issues (their child(ren) take at least 110% of their time)!! Further, other parents assume that we adequately fund and staff the public/community resources that are supposed to serve as a safety net for kids and families in crisis.
It makes me so MAD...I was at a business lunch today -- the head of the school district was there to talk about all the positives about our school system (i.e. achievement, ranking, tax breaks). However, he failed to discuss that our district has the highest teen suicide rate, that we have a FT school district police department, drug sniffing dogs, etc. Of course, in our affluent area these are things we don\'t talk about....or this happens in the rural areas of the district or in the other big systems....all to the detriment of the students. So, yes, we cut taxes but we aren\'t developing the other services our kids need....parent literacy, library expansion, special education (we are sued all of the time because the feeling is all kids are above average and any issues the parents will deal with on their own), technical training for kids who don\'t want to go to college, tutors for kids who don\'t have, etc. etc.! Finally, I am not sure that it is children\'s rights that people are so concerned with, rather it is being sued by parents ....OK, as the spouse of a teacher with a Master\'s degree, I am getting off my soapbox. Thanks for the opportunity to vent....I hope that when all of this passes you find a constructive outlet for these issues that is meaningful to YOU. Take Care!
Tell me about it! My second son had depression his junior year (must be the yr. the problems surface) and I couldn\'t believe the lack of education with the staff regarding how to handle a student with depression. I have been trying to get mental health education into the school for the last few years. I am actually working with a school board member (who is also a family physician and parent -who had a daughter w/depression) to get some teacher in-service for depression. I was very naive thinking once I shared with the teachers and administration that my son was fighting depression and was in the hospital for it, that they would be compassionate and somewhat knowledgeable about it. I could not believe how ignorant they were. One teacher told me (2 wks from my son being released) that if he didn\'t step up to plate and come to her for help, she would not help him. She told me it was a privilege to receive help. At the time, I was numb and didn\'t react. Now I am outraged and sad for other students who don\'t have advocates. Our school district was rated in the top 3% in the nation regarding tests scores, ranking, etc., also. The administration is always tooting their own horns about that, but forget about the ones who are struggling. I actually did get the school (NHS) group to participate in a Suicide Prevention walk ...raising $ and awareness. I am a parent liaison. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm has wained due to our new circumstances. I am just worn out. Our new challenge doesn\'t compare to what we experienced with our 2nd born. What\'s sad is I know the administration will find out soon enough about our youngest, but I know from what we\'ve experienced before...we can\'t count on them to support us.