Re: New Here

[Guest guest]

> They certainly do play dirty tricks and not just limited to school

> boards.

>

> About 10 years ago I bought a new car. Word around the neighborhood

> was that, because I didn't seem to have a job, that I was using and

> dealing drugs and that was how I bought the car. I don't know who

> started that rumor nor do I particularly care.

>

You probably should casually find out where that came from because in

times of trouble that source will likely be your worst enemy

unfortunately. Once accusation of something like terrorism or being

a pedophile and everything you have is likely thrown out the window.

I don't trust people one bit. (With some exceptions.)

> A time later when one of the neighbors who had relations in Alabama

> found out I was telling the truth about running the family business

> and the other legal things on the side, their attitude really

> changed. People who wouldn't talk to me before were suddenly all

> smiles and chatty. I didn't buy it though because I remember that

> they believed the rumors over the truth when I told it to them. It

> is also funny that, even so, I don't get invited to neighborhood

> functions and get togethers, even though the neighbors on both

> sides of me would, and one of them is a newcomer.

>

And my wife wonders why I can't get close to her family. We've

gotten polite over the years but they accused me of the most horrible

things and even attempted to convince her to divorce me in earlier

years. (They had some insane rules for her - a 10:30 p.m. curfew at

the age of 21 among other things. *boggle*)

I give people a chance. I've learned that I have to do that. But

usually it doesn't take long for them to prove themselves either

insane, evil (the truly evil are rare), or just an asshole. Then I

write them off unless they prove me wrong.

And it usually takes a lot to reverse my decisions in that arena.

--

Mike

See with eyes unclouded, think with mind uncluttered, act with heart

unchained!

[Guest guest]

> I trained to be a teacher in the state of Illinois, and though I am

> certified, I never completed the final student teaching because I

> elected to change career paths.

>

Just an aside the aide in question is actually certified to teach in

another state.

> There ARE in fact union rules that govern these things as a matter of

> fact, but I am not clear on what the union rules actually are. I DO

> know that if the EA requests to be moved, she can be, and there is

> nothign the school can do about it. In the situation you describe, it

> sounds to me like she would have stayed had the school not bothered

> her

> so. So if there is a way to patch things up between them, perhaps you

> would stand a chance at getting her back.

>

Doubtful but potentially possible. One of the reasons she left was

that they cut her pay because she was supposedly hired to work with

blind children - even though there aren't any in the classes she was

put in. It's a pretty big rift and while I have managed to become a

fair moderator over the years I don't know...

> But let's say that you cannot. By law, if your child is considered

> special needs and has a diagnosis given by medical professionals, then

> the district may be obligated to, within reason, provide for those

> needs. The operative words in the previous sentence are " may "

> and " within reason. "

>

Ahh yes...the dreaded " weasel words " !

> " May " means that there is a base minimum of entitlements that are

> afforded to your child, and district policy " may " add to those

> requirements in their own policies. You should have no problem being

> able to hold the district to state requirements, but holding the

> district to their own requirements will be harded. They can

> cite " funding availablity " or lack thereof as a reason for not being

> able to provide what they say they will provide in their requirements.

>

This is where my parents' experiences come in handy. They managed to

get all sorts of things sorted out by quoting " chapter and verse " so

to speak.

> " Within reason " is a state and district thing. It means that if your

> district would have to provide services at an expense that would

> significantly lower their ability to educate other students in their

> district, then they can forgo giving your child what they need. This

> clause usually applies to amounts in the high tens of thousands of

> dollars and greater.

>

They might bend their definition to include salaries but if they are

already paying another EA then I can't see why they'd be able to

claim that.

> Certainly what your child needs is LESS than what the upper tends of

> thousands of dollars can provide.

>

Indeed. My daughter's autism is moderate but surmountable. She's

potentially able to be mainstreamed because she's potty trained but

she's still having a problem with language and " conditionals " .

" Don't do that _or_ X will happen. " etc. Part of me thinks being

" mainstreamed " would be good for her but I remember what it was like

failing almost all of my classes because I just couldn't keep up.

Unfortunately I think it might be the " shapechanger child " issue

(Deep Space 9 reference) where she won't grow without some painful

motivation. :-(

> In the case of district funding, it is irrelevant what THEIR financial

> problems are. If your son is entitled to services, they are obligated

> to acquire the funding.

>

A fact that I've used on them more than once. I know in some ways it

sucks but No Child Left Behind has really helped here.

> In the matter of EAs, it does not matter what issues they may have

> going between themselves and the union. If your son is entitled to an

> EA, then they must provide one for you.

>

They are but see below...

> As far as I know, however, they are NOT REQUIRED to provide you with

> the EA of your choice UNLESS you can prove that

>

> A) The the present EA is a danger to your child

>

Not likely - the current EA is ex-military and pretty stable however....

> That the present EA is in anyway preventing your child from

> becoming

> educated

>

The EA regularly misspells things on her homework and refers to her

as " the girl " in the classroom.

> C) That the training that other EAs have is insufficient to

> effectively

> provide the educational assistance that your son needs.

>

See the note about " our " EA being a teacher. Furthermore she doesn't

accept my daughter throwing a tantrum during lessons and makes my

daughter do them. Thus my daughter makes progress with her but not

with others because the other EAs back down when she fusses.

> Arguing point C may be a good route for you to embark on.

>

> I would caution you, however, that what I am giving you is NOT advice.

> Merely opinion based on what I have heard anecdotally. You may wish to

> get legal representation on this, and I would say for sure that, if

> you

> have not already, research all federal, state, county, city, and

> district requirements for special needs education.

>

Oh indeed. It's just good to be able to talk to someone about this.

My wife has a bunch of " mom " support groups (which clog the hell out

of her Outlook .pst file all the time) but until now I really didn't

have an open place to speak about this stuff.

> Your best weapon against the Board is not only knowing what they know,

> but knowing everything they are SUPPOSED to know.

>

> Best wishes to you as you embark on this struggle.

>

Thanks! It's certainly going to be a struggle but I know I'm better

than they are. I joked with my wife once that the combine IQ points

of the administrator in question and the one EA in question don't

equal mine. ;-)

(I'm not bragging just joking.)

----

MARS NEEDS CHOCOS! - Martian Manhunter

[Guest guest]

" A time later when one of the neighbors who had relations in Alabama

found out I was telling the truth about running the family business and

the other legal things on the side, their attitude really changed.

People who wouldn't talk to me before were suddenly all smiles and

chatty. "

Just a few comments on this.

Their attitude changed because they discovered you were a business

owner, and, in their minds, potentially rich. (After all, if you can

afford not to " get a real job " as the saying is, your business must be

thriving).

If people think you are rich, suddenly you have friends and

acquaintances you never had before...because they think

1) When you die, there might be something in it (like money and

material bequests) for them or the town they live in.

2) That you may have business connections that could be of use to them

someday.

3) That you may be able to loan them money or given them financial

advice when they need it.

4) That you hold some sort of political clout with the local

politicians.

5) That you may have tie-ins to celebrities.

6) That for all of the above reasons, you could squash them like a bug

if they crossed your path.

Additionally, when they discovered you had land, they assumed not just

that you were rich, but filthy rich. The asusmption is that only filthy

rich people can hold -not acreage- but " realms " (to use the word they

are probably thinking of) of land as you do.

I happen to own five acres of forested land. One acre comprises 4,840

square yards or 43,560 square feet.

If that acreage happened to be around where I live, I could sell that

land for a million dollars an acre minimum. Around here, vacant lots

measuring 70 feet by 100 feet go for $150,000.00 at least. If you own a

series of lots together, you can sell to developers for even more than

that.

As it happens, my land is in backwoods Missouri and I'd be lucky if I

could sell it for $1,500 an acre. But I never tell people where the

land is lovated and what it is worth. And it is funny that people

believe that the land must be worth a lot.

" I didn't buy it though because I remember that they believed the

rumors over the truth when I told it to them. "

Yep.

" It is also funny that, even so, I don't get invited to neighborhood

functions and get togethers, even though the neighbors on both sides of

me would, and one of them is a newcomer. "

Yep. But I would not be too quick to blame your AS over this.

They could be thinking anything.

They could be thinking that

1) Because you are obviously a successful business mogul with

connections to politicians and celebrities, and rich beyond the dreams

of avarice, you should naturally throw a party first and invite them

over. Then they would better know how to reciprocate.

2) Because you are obviously a successful business mogul with

connections to politicians and celebrities, and rich beyond the dreams

of avarice, and because everyone knows that with wealth comes

eccentricity, they would not want to insult you or your eccentricity,

because that would mean you might elect not to bequeath them or your

town some money in the future. If they got stiffed, it would surely

hurt them personally. But if you stiffed the town because of something

one person said or did, then that one person would be the subject of

permanent ridicule from the townspeople.

3) Most people don't know what to say to successful business mogul with

connections to politicians and celebrities, who are rich beyond the

dreams of avarice.

Personally, I would view the whole thing as a gift. The more people

don't want to have anything to do with me, the more enjoyable my life

is.

Administrator

[Guest guest]

Just want to apologize. In my haste to respond to your post I kept

saying your child was a he instead of a she. I'm a tad busy over here

right now, but was trying to be as useful as I could in the limited

time I have allotted.

Administrator

Thanks! It's certainly going to be a struggle but I know I'm better

than they are. I joked with my wife once that the combine IQ points

of the administrator in question and the one EA in question don't

equal mine. ;-)

(I'm not bragging just joking.)

[Guest guest]

> Just want to apologize. In my haste to respond to your post I kept

> saying your child was a he instead of a she. I'm a tad busy over here

> right now, but was trying to be as useful as I could in the limited

> time I have allotted.

>

Not a big deal on the substitution.

I'm dyslexic so if I don't substitute a word now and then I feel kind

of off. ;-)

----

Arrrr!

[Guest guest]

wrote: " ... <snip> ... As far as I know, however, they are NOT

REQUIRED to provide you with the EA of your choice UNLESS you can prove

that:

A) The the present EA is a danger to your child

That the present EA is in anyway preventing your child from becoming

educated

C) That the training that other EAs have is insufficient to effectively

provide the educational assistance that your son needs ... <snip> ... "

Regarding Point A: An allegedly qualified Child and Youth Worker (one

up from an EA) assaulted my child. The school board kept her at my

child's school and expected me to accept the fact that she would

continue to work with my child.

Regarding Point B: During the former school year, the Child and Youth

Worker did not work at keeping my child in the classroom but rather

focused on ways to get him worked up so he would have to be sent back

home within the first hour of his arrival at school. The school board

claims that it was all my child's fault.

Regarding Point C: The Child and Youth Worker told me to my face that

she had taken two half-day courses through the school board and because

of those two courses, knew everything there was to know about Autism

Spectrum Disorders. And yet, she and the school board insisted that

approaches such as " subtle visual cues " were appropriate ways to

interact and communicate with my AS child who, it was documented,

cannot interpret visual cues at the best of times, never mind subtle

ones.

In other words, the school boards will just put an available EA with a

Special Needs student and when it fails, ultimately it is the student

who bears the brunt of the blame.

Raven

Co-Administrator

[Guest guest]

>

> of the aide that my daughter actually makes progress with. They

> annoyed her into giving notice and leaving, she was gone a week to

> find another job, there was a week of spring break, now they won't

> let her come back.

>

> They've been citing bogus union rules and a ton of other excuses.

My

> wife has been prodding them and they've been giving her the runaround.

>

> Mike

, you have cited the Number one thing that works at IEP

meetings. You AND your wife. A couple gets much much farther than a

single parent. Single parents are known to already be taxed

emotionally and physically. As you said your parents won for you.

Fighting a team is harder. It is unfair but it's done all the time a

person alone is fair game. Keep it up, if you can get that aide to do

some home piece in the interrum. I moved and i am due to move again.

I fight but when it comes to a lawyer I don't have the funds moving or

making my own solution is money better spent. Good luck mimi

[Guest guest]

>

<snip>

> A) The the present EA is a danger to your child

> That the present EA is in anyway preventing your child from

becoming

> educated

> C) That the training that other EAs have is insufficient to

effectively

> provide the educational assistance that your son needs.

>

> Arguing point C may be a good route for you to embark on.

>

> I would caution you, however, that what I am giving you is NOT

advice.

> Merely opinion based on what I have heard anecdotally. You may wish

to

> get legal representation on this, and I would say for sure that, if

you

> have not already, research all federal, state, county, city, and

> district requirements for special needs education.

>

> Your best weapon against the Board is not only knowing what they

know,

> but knowing everything they are SUPPOSED to know.

>

> Best wishes to you as you embark on this struggle.

>

>

> Administrator

>

" but knowing everything they are SUPPOSED to know " if you can do

that part you are pretty well golden, in my area there are clseese

given to explain IDEA 2004 and it's ammendments. Federal law

superceeds state code even when the mandate is unfunded (by the

feds) This is the problem most districts have. No federal dollars

but federal rules. Unfortunately proving that an aide is unqualified

is difficult as the child usually has to regress past a transition

period (and of course by that time it is a bit late) Good aides are

discouraged usually because they fight for best practise

independantly (um they like your child and have advocated without

your knowledge) This angers the district as your child has an

advocate in the know. This person may have been threatened not to

aid you or they will never work in that or perhaps any other

district. (be careful) mimi

[Guest guest]

>

>

> In other words, the school boards will just put an available EA with

a

> Special Needs student and when it fails, ultimately it is the student

> who bears the brunt of the blame.

>

> Raven

> Co-Administrator

>

So um when is the podcast? There is a big push for school

accountability well around here, but I think your statements are echoed

a lot everywhere. Like schools are business ventures and ASD is a

business threat (a lot of stonewalling) It really is horrid. Keep

plugging Raven. I think about you a lot mimi

[Guest guest]

" So um when is the podcast? There is a big push for school

accountability well around here, but I think your statements are echoed

a lot everywhere. Like schools are business ventures and ASD is a

business threat (a lot of stonewalling) It really is horrid. Keep

plugging Raven. I think about you a lot mimi "

It would be nice to make a podcast that simply trashes people but

unfortunately, that is irresponsible. For us to be taken seriously, we

have to back everything up with facts, figures, and corroborated

accounts, and we cannot use our media as a weapon to simply attack

people.

Otherwise we will not be taken seriously.

Administrator

[Guest guest]

Mike wrote: " ... <snip> ... My wife has been prodding them and

they've been giving her the runaround ... <snip> ... "

mimi wrote: " ... <snip> ... A couple gets much much farther than a

single parent. Single parents are known to already be taxed

emotionally and physically. As you said your parents won for you.

Fighting a team is harder. It is unfair but it's done all the time a

person alone is fair game ... <snip> ... "

As a single parent, I can only concur with mimi's comments on how

single parents are attacked relentlessly not only by school boards but

by other agencies and government departments. The concept is that if

they make it intimidating enough and impossible enough, the single

parent will fold and shut up. In other words, these organizations will

BULLY single parents into submission using threats such as severing

parental rights, reporting parents to Child Protective Services under

the guise of 'reasonable concern' and worse.

Raven

Co-Administrator

[Guest guest]

mimi wrote: " So um when is the podcast? There is a big push for school

accountability well around here, but I think your statements are echoed

a lot everywhere. Like schools are business ventures and ASD is a

business threat (a lot of stonewalling) It really is horrid. Keep

plugging Raven. I think about you a lot. "

I hadn't thought about this topic as a podcast but you bring up a very

good point, mimi, and I will strongly suggest to that we do a

podcast on this very subject. Thanks for the suggestion.

Raven

Co-Administrator

[Guest guest]

mimi wrote: " So um when is the podcast? There is a big push for

school accountability well around here, but I think your statements

are echoed a lot everywhere. Like schools are business ventures and

ASD is a

business threat (a lot of stonewalling) It really is horrid. Keep

plugging Raven. I think about you a lot mimi "

responded: " It would be nice to make a podcast that simply

trashes people but unfortunately, that is irresponsible. For us to be

taken seriously, we have to back everything up with facts, figures,

and corroborated accounts, and we cannot use our media as a weapon to

simply attack people. Otherwise we will not be taken seriously. "

True on all points from both of you. However, doing a podcast on the

Union rules and regulations as they pertain to Educational Assistants

and Child and Youth Workers, and how they are assigned to school,

classrooms and individuals is not defamatory or attacking. It is a

statement of fact.

In other words, if the Union rules are (as they are in some areas)

that EAs and CYWs are assigned based on average numbers of special

needs children in a school (ie. school of 400 has 17 special needs

children of which 3 classes have 5 children and 2 classes have 1

child each, then the Union may state that the school is only entitled

to 4 EAs to be split among those 17 children as the school deems fit).

To this end, such a podcast would be educational and enlightening

without being attacking and defamatory.

Raven

Co-Administrator

[Guest guest]

>

>

> It would be nice to make a podcast that simply trashes people but

> unfortunately, that is irresponsible. For us to be taken seriously,

we

> have to back everything up with facts, figures, and corroborated

> accounts, and we cannot use our media as a weapon to simply attack

> people.

>

> Otherwise we will not be taken seriously.

>

>

> Administrator

>

There is a lot of data regarding school delay tactics and unfunded

mandates. Pressure is everywhere to find footing that was what I was

saying. The data is there I once researched in psycology journals,

the tactics used to make the disabled child and the family

responsible as to defray school responsibility

[Guest guest]

> True on all points from both of you. However, doing a podcast on

the

> Union rules and regulations as they pertain to Educational

Assistants

> and Child and Youth Workers, and how they are assigned to school,

> classrooms and individuals is not defamatory or attacking. It is a

> statement of fact.

>

> In other words, if the Union rules are (as they are in some areas)

> that EAs and CYWs are assigned based on average numbers of special

> needs children in a school (ie. school of 400 has 17 special needs

> children of which 3 classes have 5 children and 2 classes have 1

> child each, then the Union may state that the school is only

entitled

> to 4 EAs to be split among those 17 children as the school deems

fit).

>

> To this end, such a podcast would be educational and enlightening

> without being attacking and defamatory.

>

> Raven

> Co-Administrator

>

In addition there is the severing of parental right in the case where

no abuse is documented. what are those stats. It is a growing

concern of mine that the state abscond with these children and then

all family love and stability is taken from them simply out of

convience of removing the single parent barrier. This does happen

and continues to happen. With a divorce rate of 85% this is a real

issue. anyway I would help if you ask for research. Mimi

[Guest guest]

mimi wrote: " In addition there is the severing of parental right in the

case where no abuse is documented. what are those stats. It is a growing

concern of mine that the state abscond with these children and then

all family love and stability is taken from them simply out of

convience of removing the single parent barrier. This does happen

and continues to happen. With a divorce rate of 85% this is a real

issue. anyway I would help if you ask for research. Mimi "

I will email you privately on this as I am going to ask for your help

in researching this to provide and me with a broad overview from

more than two areas in North America.

The severing of parental rights is becoming an increasing more common

action from school boards, organizations and some government

departments towards parents, especially single parents, when they are

unable to otherwise intimidate the parent(s) into silent submission.

Raven

Co-Administrator