Broad Brushes are Like Bad Apples - It Only Takes One To Spoil The Rest

Frequent readers of my blogs would recognize that I have been accused in the past by the then top administrators of making "broad brush attacks" against the HCPS.

I thought I was simply speaking the truth. And I still think so.

One of the issues that I have faced as the parent of a disabled student within the HCPS system was teachers of the disabled that were less than professional. Couple that situation with the fact that my wife is an excellent educator, and it doesn't take long for issues to arise.

I was perusing another blog today and found this one at "From The Trenches of Public Education".

This paragraph got my attention: "One thing that I think very few non-teachers understand is that there is great incentive in teaching to perform well because of the very nature of the job. There are few things more humiliating than to stand up in front of twenty-five to thirty adolescents and know you are bombing. That audience is not very forgiving. There are very few occupations I can think of that would be worse to be bad at than teaching. Maybe professional boxing."

Bingo.

Standing in front of a group of kids who have limited communication skills to go home and tell Mommy and Daddy what the teacher did, or more importantly didn't do, is not conducive to being humiliated. Along with that, trying to prove anything a limited communicating "child" tries to say is essentially impossible.

Add to that a system that has arrogant and cavalier authority that looks at all teachers as professionals and students and parents as liars and troublemakers and what you have left is an insulated system that is unchecked.

Limited communicators can't go home and tell Mommy and Daddy that the O.T. didn't come to school today.

Limited communicators can't go home and tell Mommy and Daddy that the teacher showed a full length movie to the deaf class today. BTW, it makes it even more egregious when the kid is deaf and legally blind. Therefore the seat in the back of the room for a deaf kid with colobomas and 20/400 "distorted" vision is not really the appropriate educational setting for that kid. But who the hell am I. I am not a professional teacher. I am just the parent.

What real professional educators should know about kids who have "limited communication skills" is that their parents (most of them) have learned what the kid is "communicating" by "reading" their behavior. It is a real phenomenon. I have plenty of these types of scenarios that I could share where my son was "telling everyone" things were not well. Self mutilation and clothing destruction were two of the signs.

Over a period of time, the signs get louder. Even if the kid can't talk.

Fall of 1996.

Due Process Resuming

This Thursday and Friday- July 8th and 9th.

Public welcome.

Dreyer and Associates
201 N. Franklin Street, Ste 1775
Tampa, Florida 33602

Due Process in Progress

I just finished my second 1/2 day as a court spectator to the Due Process.

It is scheduled to be continued.

I am learning more about what I already knew.

Low expectations can be a roadblock.

Read the links.

Learn the history.

Understand the disconnect.

Transition Service - What it is and how hard is it to come by?

From Wrightslaw, we have the legal definition:


"Congress also made significant changes in the legal definition of "transition services" in IDEA 2004.

(34) Transition Services - The term `transition services' means a coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability that-

(A) is designed to be a results-oriented process, that is focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child with a disability to facilitate the child's movement from school to post-school activities, including post-secondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation;
(B) is based on the individual child’s needs, taking into account the child's strengths, preferences, and interests;
(C) includes instruction, related services, community experiences, the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives, and, when appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation. (See "Definitions" in Section 1401, Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition, page 56)


Then we have the reason Congress strenghtend the law in the interest of the disabled students:
Seeking to improve upon the unacceptable post-school outcomes for students with disabilities, Congress has provided several new requirements to strengthen transition planning. This article provides an overview of changes to the transition requirements in IDEA 2004. These requirements are effective July 1, 2005.

Better Definition

First, by redefining the term "Transition Services," the IDEA now states that activities focus on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child to facilitate movement from school to post-school activities. Additionally, the definition has been expanded to include a requirement that the transition services be based on the student's strengths, as well as their preferences and interests. The process is expected to be "results-oriented" as opposed to the earlier requirement for "outcome-oriented," signaling a clear intent to ensure that the process includes activities designed to produce success for the individual. "




**********
Most parents of ESE students are not familiar with the law. Very few ESE parents know how to effectively advocate for their kids. They "trust the system", and usually don't know their child will not receive required services if the parent agrees with the school system's recommendation. Later, when the parents find out the truth, the school system will say it was what the parens wanted.

A question to not only ask but seek the answer to is: Does the school system spend their money to fight the extremely few parents who know their rights instead of spending money on the required transition services for the students?