After The Graduation Party is Over

There is a lot of angst amongst the HCDS people about something called Springboard. In today's Tribune, there is an article that leads one to believe that this Springboard gimmick may be more about how some people can make money disguised as an effort to increase accountability in education.

Maybe image is everything. After all, schools are supposed to educate students, and what better way to say that one is educated than to go off to college. The fact that someone makes money off of this may be just pure coincidence.

I see that at least one board member, April Griffin, is looking out for "all" of the students and recognizes that at least a few of them are not on fast or slow track to college. In fact, there may be a few of them that want to get on with their life outside of a formal education. I hear a few stories about how there are a lot of rich people who did not get a college education. What we don't hear about is how many people lead happy, productive lives without a college education. I think Marxist's are the one's who measure success by how much money or material possessions one has. There are other ways to measure success, especially by those who see themselves as successful. Not that I dabble in politics much, according to one of those guys running to be POTUS, if one owns a gun and goes to church, they ain't successful.

But what about the kids that ride the short bus with the little blue emblem on the side. BTW, it is my understanding of IDEA that kids in special education could ride the regular bus right along with their peers just like they can be in a classroom with their peers. For some reason, it seems to be wrongly entrenched in school systems that "special education" automatically means separate classroom and separate bus. It seems to me that sending two busses to the same bus stop would cost more money than to send just one with an aide on it, but I'm just a parent. Maybe it is harder to find aides than it is bus drivers is all I can think.

And then there is "Transition, Transition Services, Transition Planning". Wrightslaw can explain it better than me.

Some may wonder what the big deal is that I would write about this. It has to do with arrogance and ignorance. I will highlight some points that we should all know:

".....The phrase "further education" and the emphasis on effective transition services is new in IDEA 2004. Section 1400(c)(14) describes the need to provide "effective transition services to promote successful post-school employment and/or education. (See "Findings and Purposes" in Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition, pages 45-48)


"(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)"

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A hint to all - this can not happen in the last one or two years of high school, and hit and miss approach. It has to start from day one with professional oversight.

Just like those regular ed kids.

And there may be where the problem lies.

CERT - No It's Not One Mint of Two

I decided to copy-n-paste my comment on my previous post. Maybe more people will get to read it. Because we all know the road to improvement is based on exposure.

Tell your friends.


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Considerations for Educationally Relevant Therapy

"CERT".


I have written several times about "parsing" of words. I have been in many, many IEP teams where services are denied because "it" wasn't "educationally relevant".

Next time you are around an ESE specialist or related service person, ask them to define "educationally relevant". Then ask them for their source.

It is my understanding that an IEP is to be developed to meet the individualized needs of the student with a disability. If the IEP team agrees that a student needs a related service, and we know by our formalized IDEA training that related services means,and is not limited to:

"§ 300.34 Related services.
(a) General. Related services means
transportation and such developmental,
corrective, and other supportive services
as are required to assist a child with a
disability to benefit from special
education, and includes speechlanguage
pathology and audiology
services, interpreting services,
psychological services, physical and
occupational therapy, recreation,
including therapeutic recreation, early
identification and assessment of
disabilities in children, counseling
services, including rehabilitation
counseling, orientation and mobility
services, and medical services for
diagnostic or evaluation purposes.
Related services also include school
health services and school nurse
services, social work services in schools,
and parent counseling and training.", the student receives it.


You state: "Usually, I don't get a kid assigned to my Caseload until they are eligible". I will try to clarify my previous post. Once a student has been found eligible for specialized instruction under the IDEA, it is my understanding that they do not have to then be "declared eligible" for any related services. This would be one of those areas where the parsing of words and meaning of intent comes in to play. Such as, if the District person, after presenting the CERT, says it (the CERT) is the recommendation of the IEP team, a knowlegeable person could argue that the CERT is simply another source of information, but that the CERT is not an IEP Team recommendation.

However, I have witnessed that (the District person saying that the CERT is the IEP team's recommendation) happening on more than one occasion, in fact numerous times. In one IEP meeting where I pointed out that the OT evaluation and the PT evaluation had the exact same language, I was told I wasn't properly educated to understand how OT and PT evaluations were done.

It has been my experience, and my opinion that the above mentioned CERT is treated by some District personnel as a secondary "finding of eligibility" for a specific related service, especially in the area of OT and PT.

Regarding your question about hiring outside services, it is my understanding that a Local Education Agency (LEA), which in our case is HCPS, is responsible for providing any and all related services that are specified in an IEP. It is also my understanding that how that is done is left to the LEA, but the services must be provided as outlined in IDEA. So, if the District has to hire outside agencies, then so be it.

I assume you read my post “Old News Is Still Bad News” about the OT/PT state investigation in Hillsborough County
HCPS OT/PT State Complaint
I never have heard what happened to the money .And just think about the negative image the District has from the people who heard what happened. Of course, we all realize that statistically, few know, but it sure meant a lot to the students and parents who were involved in not receiving the services.

Do I Want To Be An ESE Teacher?

I started what I thought would be a short answer to a comment on this post: Moron State Complaints.

But I couldn't just stop at one paragraph,so here is my response.


No thanks on being one of those ESE teachers, or any other position. I couldn't work in a system that depends on slight-of- hand relationships in order for the system to continue to exist. And hopefully, all that ESE teachers should expect from parents who have been deceived by the system is empathy. What is the difference of parents being dumped on and teachers being dumped on? We are all in the same dump.

For instance, if the District doesn't have the money to professionally develop and service IEP's, then why doesn't the District say so? Instead, the system has developed a set of shifting "hoops" that students and parents try to jump through, that frequently does not make sense.

Delay, delay, delay is the first hoop. "Observations, screenings or evaluations" take forever. There is nothing that says a student must fail first in order to be evaluated for a suspected disability.

A CERT is nothing more than a "double eligibility" scam. In other words, once a student is under IDEA, they are "eligible" for services "if they need it". An "IEP team", which includes the parent, can, and should, make decisions based on a variety of sources of information. Try convincing an OT/PT person of that one.

Have you ever studied the scoring system of a CERT? Just getting older lessens the "recommended eligibility score". How does that work, other than to diminish District costs for older kids.

And speaking of the words "recommended eligibility score", how many times have you seen where the CERT score is presented as "it is the recommendation of the IEP team....". Excuse me, but the "IEP team" includes the parent. But District people know better than to say: "In order for us to save money, the District is saying your child does not need (insert a related service here). However, in order for us to get some money from the State, but limit our expense, we will put a check mark for "consult services" on the IEP."

I do have empathy for teachers because they bear the brunt of the parent's anger when the parent starts to figure out they are being lied to. I may have labeled those posts under "administrative abuse of parents" and "parent/teacher conflict". I do not have empathy for teachers who actively go along with the deceit.

However, as one who has set through countless IEP meetings of my own and to assist others, it is little solace to parents when it has become evident that the IEP is not based on the needs of the student, or, it has become evident that the needs of the student were written into the IEP but the IEP is not being honored.

While parents and teachers are at each other's throats, the real decision makers are far away from the emotional toll it has on the teachers and parents and these distant decision makers don't have to face the truth in person. It is just paper work and check marks for them.

It's Raining, It's Pouring - And We Are Drowning

"Long as I remember the rain been comin down.
Clouds of mystry pourin' confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages, tryin to find the sun;
And I wonder, still I wonder, who'll stop the rain." - Credence Clearwater Revival

***************

I've "pumped a lot "pain"" on my blogs. I've written about how I perceive the "HCDS system" having a propensity towards obfuscation, parsing of words and unprofessional actions that thwart parents when they attempt to advocate for their kids.

When I read of teachers, and a lone administrator, being treated in the same manner, it bothers me. I will keep banging the drum. I am more convinced that not only are there countless parents that are treated that way, but there are countless employees that are treated that way.

I can defend my allegations because I have the goods and the know how to present it. But it took me six years to realize I needed some specialized knowledge and a few more years to develop the skills. Most parents and teachers don't survive that long. I read the book "Death By Education" many years ago. It made sense to me, because I knew a lot of people within the school system that were caught between a rock and a hard place, or ethics and a job.

I am starting to believe more strongly that the one's who give up their ethics are rewarded - those who don't are dealt with severely.

Here is a case that I can relate to even though I am not an employee.

Follow the links.

Some day maybe the rain will stop.

Runaround Sue

Within the world of ESE, there is a lot of needed information to play the game. Very few players have that information. There is a lot of misinformation out and about about how some parents "sue the District". I think the HCDS once had a big meeting at the fair grounds to address the rumor mill about parents suing the District. I would love to hear some first hand accounting of what was said, and how parents were portrayed. The fact that money must have been paid to hold such a huge number of district personnel all at one time to get the same spin, I mean information, means it must have been important to the continued exemplary service of the District.

No doubt, the posturing of any school District to require parents to sue a District to obtain a parents desired outcome saves a District a lot of money. However, we know of at least one instance where this backfired, and cost the District a lot of money paid out to the parents, who "won" the case, and also paid out to the District's legal defense. Since that case took several years and ended in Federal court, there is a good chance it was a substantial amount of money. The fact that it was determined in Federal court that the District retaliated against the parents for advocating for the student is not something most would want the world to know.

So, who makes the decision within the District to force an issue to due process? Is there any conflicting interest in this process?

How many people who are responsible for the public money are fully informed about the details prior to the District drawing a line when the parent is indicating that they may go to due process to address an issue if that is what it will take?

Do these decision makers rely on just one person's assessment of the case? Does the District make decisions based on fear of setting a precedent, rather than the issues relative to an individual case?

Do these decision makers get to ask questions in a private one on one session and can they expect to get straightforward answers from those involved?

Do the one's who write the final check for the District's legal defense ever know if a case was about winning at any cost, despite any legitimate issues of the parent?

Just wondering. If any one has any answers, feel free to stop by for some fresh sweet tea and set a spell on the front porch.

Moron State Complaints

IEP season is getting near. ESE specialists are honing up on how to streamline IEP meetings with minimal distractions. This includes practicing a "set routine" of the IEP meeting process and remembering to delay addressing parental questions and concerns until the end of the meeting. Phrases such as "we will get to that later", or "we need to do these steps first" or maybe "we don't have to write that down, the teacher incorporates that in her daily routine", or maybe "all of the kids in that class get that related service - the District understands the importance it is to education, so we don't have to write that down."

Teachers are dreading IEP season because it means more paperwork. They want to know what happen to that slick program that came about last year where there was going to be an assistant that was going to ease the workload, do all of the paperwork and make attending IEP meetings less burdensome. Plus, they know they are going to face the brunt of the parent's frustration when the parent figures out they were given another snow job.


Back to state complaints. Another blogger had suggested that parents need to bring about "legal authority". I have never been through due process, which is a highly formalized legal proceeding, but I have watched a few cases from the sidelines. I have been involved in a few state complaints, the first one unwittingly because I didn't even know that was what it was.

I will agree with the other blogger that parental ignorance allows the system to continue to be dysfunctional. Along with this goes employee ignorance. When I started learning the real rules of the game, I started to see the decision makers, who had authority, were just ignorant to the fact that the way they do what they have always done was wrong.

It is by design. Knowledge is power, so keeping the masses ignorant is a must. Within a motel, there is always dirty laundry. Most parents think if they complain to "a higher person", the problem will go away. That is because they "trust the professionals" to be "professional". After they have been up the local ladder, only to be shoved off to the people they have already been dealing with because the District is strong on following the chain of command, if they write a letter of complaint, it gets sent to the state (it's in the rules).

Most people think an outside agency will bring influence into solving what is obviously a problem, say like kids not getting OT/PT services for months, even thought it is written in their IEP's. But, here is the dirty secret. When the representative from the state calls the parent about the state complaint, they will say everything and anything to get the parent to drop the state complaint.

The point is, the Feds monitor the number of state complaints. The fact is, there are far more "state complaints" that are never recorded as such because the representatives are zealous in their attempts to get the complaint dropped. To the untrained parent, it sounds professional and responsible. Options include Mediation and "Early Resolution". Or maybe they use statements that are similar to the following: "the District said they were going to fix this, they are professionals and really, there is no need for you to continue with this -0k?" "I am glad they were able to take care of this for you so quickly - it shows they care" -

If being nice doesn't work, trust me, they get just like the District and they use veiled "threats" and "intimidation". Despite years of frustration by a parent facing the same problem, they might even say something like "the only reason you are filing a state complaint is to punish the District".

It is a war zone out there folks. It is telling when District people won't commit to paper what is said or done. And then everyone blames parents for filing state complaints, or due process.

Moron Sex - After All of these years

I am under strict marital-law orders to clarify my previous post:

HIgh School Sex -It's More Than Just Sex

When I wrote that I wasn't going to ask the second girl if the adult school employee was having sex with her before she graduated, I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. Like, maybe he took some professional development courses, and instead of grading on her curves while she was a student like he did the first one, he waited until graduation night to cap the gown.

My wife doesn't like the way I wrote it. First of all, she thinks the only reason I brought it up was because he was tapping it and not me. She said something to the effect that I could go find the girl if that would make me happy, and don't forget to send money. After a few months shy of 32 years of bliss, and she hangs it up for one night of 37 years ago. Whoever...

Secondly, my wife thinks the way I said that "the three of us were together" one night along with that I said how easy it would be to not ask "her" implied that it was her, my wife.

So, I am here to set the record straight. It wasn't my the wife the guy was tutoring. I did not get a BJ in Immokalee, at any price. And I did not have sex in New York .... with a $4000 call girl.

Glad I didn't say anything about the girl that sat next to me in typing class and the days she wore those short skirts and crossed her legs. You know how embarrasing it is to have a wet spot on khaki pants, and I never took my hands off the keyboard.

HIgh School Sex -It's More Than Just Sex

If you are thinking I am going to share personal history, I'll play a little of Garth Brooks' "Old Stuff":

"Oh the stories we could tell
If it weren't for the code of the road,,,"

Just a marketing ploy to get one's attention. Speaking of marketing, now that we know some people pay $4000 an hour for sex activity in New York, it may be surprising to know that one can get a blow job in Immokalee, Fla for $2. One can use their own calculations and variables to figure out how much that comes to in an hour. In case you wonder how I know this bit of information, look back on my post (it may be on my adjacent blog) of my days working for the U. of Miami on a nationwide AIDS research project. I have to admit, the packaging of the $4000 woman and the $2 woman says it all.

High School Sex. I graduated in 1971 from East Bay H.S. A male school employee was boinking one of the senior girls. I later found out he also was boinking another girl who was two years younger. What I am not sure of if he started on the second girl before she graduated. What I am sure of is he and I were in the same place with her one night, but it was after she had graduated. I didn't ask then, and I am not asking her now.


Fast forward to 1998. I know a high school girl who was boinking her soccer coach when she was in school. Also, during the late 90's, I knew a married woman was involved with a married AP. I saw them several times in the same vehicle at various places. I saw his truck at her mother's place. I also heard the rumors of how the windows on a school room were covered over and the room would be locked when the two of them were together. She became pregnant. They are now married.

Today we have an article from the Tampa Tribune - Are More Teachers Crossing The Line? .

This sentence grabs my attention:

""I'm doubtful that there's an epidemic going on," Finkelhor said. "I do think there's more reporting. One of the things that's changed is the very large liability lawsuits that happened in the wake of the priest abuse stuff. I think that has sensitized schools to the liability that they themselves may incur if they don't really take a very proactive stance with regard to these things.

"There was, perhaps, more in the past, a tendency of them to try and keep it under wraps. Get rid of the teacher. Negotiate something out, but not allow it to get public."".

I have expressed my thoughts about how important "image" is to our local school system here: Image More Important Than Substance? .

I don't have many guests register at my motel. I seem to think that a few drive by and look to see what the marquee says, but they never check in. Maybe they have read the lines behind the above flower vase. Maybe they know the words in the rest of the song -"you can check out anytime, but you can never leave" (Eagles).

Timing is everything. I did have a guest drop in here: Where Does The Money Go and How Does One Know .

This person writes: "Next year )we have heard rumors) resource rooms are coming back--even for higher functioning kids who are doing well in FUSE classes. I'm so sorry that this has all come down to politics and money, money, money. Parents should check this out-- it is NOT Least Restrictive Environment"!"

I learned a long time ago that parents can do what school employees can't. Despite the disparaging things that have been said to me and about me, I know that there are a lot of teachers silently begging for help. Some are openly begging for help.

I know what it's like to be told I was a "malcontent", that I used "broadbrush attacks" and that I only complain about "isloated incidents". But I also have the records to show how one administrator and one teacher lied and altered documents. Sort of like the blue dress evidence.

Here is an example of what parents did that school employees wouldn't. "Old news is still bad news, but how many know it?" . Real Professionals would work to correct this problem. I have reason to believe that efforts are strengthened to keep the public ignorant.

I remember my fraternity parties with the loud music playing and a very crowded dance floor, and the obligatory kegs and 55 gallon can of Everclear and fruit juices. One of the brothers would reach over and grab my date's ass and I would get slapped because I was the closest one to her. To make the metaphor clear, teachers are getting slapped by the parents because of what the administration is doing.

The house of cards is falling down. Blaming it on the kids and parents to maintain an image takes a lot resources. These resources could be put into developing an honest relationship with the public.

Almost another $200,000 down the drain

If this account is true, I wonder if the secretary has kids.

Or was her reaction to an irate parent a reflection of an administrative posture that "no one talks to us that way. We are educational experts."

In the real business world, consumers who don't like the way they are treated don't go back. In the real business world, business owners have the right to refuse service to those they do not want to do business with. I know the public school system is not a business - because they get their money no matter what.

It may be difficult for many to comprehend the emotional processes a parent goes through when they find out their kid is lost. One of these emotional processes is an inherit sense of distrust that starts to emerge. They want to find their kid, and any perceived action that anyone else does not share that immediate need will not be taken well.

The previous HCDS Superintendent once tried to bring back that "welcome feeling" for parents. I believe there were a few "red carpets" sent around. I am sure his desire was for a change in the culture, not just another "check mark" and an substance-empty symbol.

I can only imagine, in my "malcontent disposition", that the kid and the parent will be blamed for the trauma they have chosen to feel. After all, they are not the only family the HCDS has to deal with.

And for those who don't grasp the significance of $200,000, that is all Eric Martin the HCDS thought was fair value.

God forbid that none of us have to endure a tragedy. It could happen to any of us.
Maybe the degree of professionalism that parents give to a public school system is how much the system sees the value of their kids.

Right Before I Go to Bed, I Read This Sh*t - Almost another $200,000 worth

Deaf student left miles from home

"Pinellas school officials are investigating an incident Tuesday that left a 13-year-old deaf girl at the wrong bus stop, in the rain, more than two miles from her home"

"She tried to use sign language and other hand gestures, said her father, Joe Catalano. But the driver seemed frustrated and hurried her off the bus. Asked whether Heather tried to communicate with the driver through a written message, Joe Catalano said, "It never got to that point."

He added: "My daughter panicked and didn't know what to do.""

A 13 year old deaf girl.

Signing to the bus driver. Sign language we will presume that was professionally taught to her by an education system that recognizes special education.

Not a 13 year old girl saying "Fu*k you bro, I ain't gettin' off here!". Not a 13 year old girl all up in the bus driver's face. Not a 13 year old girl yelling and screaming. Because if she had done all of the above, a frickin referral would have been written, she would have been suspended from school transportation and sent to alternative school.

But no, we have a meek disabled, educated kid trying to tell an adult that the adult is wrong.

Fat chance that an adult that works for a public education system would even have a second thought about their actions being questioned, much less be questioned by a disabled kid (or parent for that matter).


I am quite sure this is forgotten:


Right bus, wrong stop, devastating consequences
Eric Martin died three years ago when a car struck him as he walked home from the wrong bus stop, 5 miles from home. Could it happen again?
By LOGAN D. MABE, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 3, 2002

“Eric Martin, a sixth-grader at Walker Middle School, was 10 years old and 5 miles from home when he was dropped off at the wrong school bus stop Oct. 28, 1999. It was the first day of an after-school tutoring class, so he went home on a different bus with a different driver who had different bus stops.
In the growing darkness, Eric set out on the long walk from VillaRosa to his family's house in Wyndham Lakes. He was hit and instantly killed on Lutz-Lake Fern Road.
Kimberly Martin sued the Hillsborough County School Board claiming negligence on the part of bus driver Linda Moore, who was driving Eric's bus that day.
The case never went to court. The School Board settled out of court for the state-mandated maximum of $200,000. Martin says she didn't sue for money but to bring attention to what she calls a flawed system. “

"On the advice of legal counsel, the district's director of transportation declined to discuss procedures in the context of the Martin case. Mark Hart, the district's spokesman, released a statement saying that dismissal procedures are regularly reviewed. Bus drivers now get a "rollover" list of student passengers to help drivers at the beginning of the school year. And elementary school officials now have an instructional video tape on effective dismissals to watch.

Hart emphasized that these changes were in the works before Eric's death. "

-----

"Eric made it about 3 miles trudging along busy Lutz-Lake Fern Road before a Dodge Ram, driven by University of South Florida student Christine Matanane, hit him. Matanane said she tried to avoid the boy but couldn't. It was about 7:25 p.m., 40 minutes after sunset. Eric's parents had been driving all over looking for him.

A little after 9 p.m. sheriff's deputies delivered the news to Kimberly Martin. She knew why they were there before they said a word. "


-----------------------
"The case never went to court. The School Board settled out of court for the state-mandated maximum of $200,000. Martin says she didn't sue for money but to bring attention to what she calls a flawed system.

-------------------------



I despise the arrogance and ignorance of those who have the authority to abuse it.

The very ones that need our help the most are used for a cathartic expression of power and authority because they can't fight back without the unchallengeable retaliation that they face.

I fight the fight because they can't.

I mock and make snide, sardonic comments about the system because it is what it is, and I recognize it.

Prove me wrong.