I need to vent. Budget related.

[fortwildernessishome]

I think this is a terrible way to look at this. We are talking about a DISABLED child, not a regular education child. A disabled child misses out on so much, not just a math book. In the whole scheme of things, this is petty. You should be so grateful that your REGULAR education child can do math. I have six very healthy and regular kids and I would give up a couple of things that they have so a special needs child can have some type of normalcy, even for a few hours. They are not "taking" anything away from your typical child-your typical child is just that!That in itself is so much! I don't understand this way of looking at this at all-I find it horrible! The average student can go out and fly a kite on his own, he doesn't need a one on one aid to do it!

I agree with you, I also have healthy "average" kids and would be more than happy for them to give up things so that a special needs child could have the assistance that they need. Your right, the typical child has SO MUCH already!!!

 

[July19]

As a brand new member to these forums, I am absolutely horrified by some of the responses. Saddened, and truly scared.

If you are so concerned, why don't YOU generously pay for it? Yeah, didn't think so. I'm sure you don't want to do it personally, but you expect other taxpayers to pay for it.

I am so willing to help. If everyone stopped arguing over what is right and what is wrong and what is messed up about our school systems and took the time to remember what brought you here: a young severely disabled girl will be unable to hear for several weeks through no fault of her own.

My husband is dying from something we cannot diagnose only to have Blue Cross Blue Shield tell us they are going to pay $500 for diagnostic tests for a calender year. We have over $90,000 in student loans. We have a young child who is medically ill, too. And I am still willing to donate to help her.

8 pages worth of arguing is not what the OP wanted. She wanted compassion. She wanted to vent. And it's sad that this thread has come to this. I hope a moderator shuts this thread down before anyone else has such horrible things to say.

 

[cristielf]

I looked back at some of your other posts in the last month and expected more compassion from you than you have shown on this thread.

It's not a lack of compassion and I'm sorry that you feel that my compassion is inadequate. All I said was that if she can prove the school was neglectful, then they should pay. If she can't prove it, then she should buy her daughter a new hearing aid and make sure that there is a program or paperwork in place for the responsible party to buy a new one if this should happen with any other adaptive equipment.

 

[NaLisa]

The ignorance and lack of compassion by some on this thread just breaks my heart.

OP, I'll be thinking of you and your daughter and hoping that the school does the right thing of its own accord. You have every right to be angry and frustrated.

 

[Tink-aholic]

They did sue over the leg.

And that is the only point to this thread. If the aid was negligent, did it on purpose then it is the aids responsibility to pay. BUT if it was an accident then it is not the schools responsibility.

I think I was the first to suggest suing the aide over this. However, as of now, the aide represents the school. As a representative of that school, his/her actions (or lack of action) caused OP's daughter significant financial loss. OP should be made whole from that loss and not have to bear the burden to replace it. What if she couldn't afford it?

In addition, has anyone stopped to think about how much more difficult it will be for OP's daughter until she gets a new hearing aid?

OP, please don't think that the majority of posts here represents how most people feel. Some people just can't see past their own situations.

I am reminded of a Benjamin Franklin quote: "The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance."

I hope this is resolved quickly for you and truly wish you and your daughter the best of luck.

 

[jls886]

It seems that some of you are forgetting that it took the OP HERSELF to notice that the hearing aid was missing. If the aide (or whoever's job it was to care for the OP's daughter at the time the hearing aid fell out) was actually doing their job, they would have noticed that it fell out. And maybe it was crushed by accident, but if so the aide should have seen that and should have reported it immediately so that there would be no question what happened to the hearing aid and how it happened.

The OP is simply asking that her child is taken care of in the way that she is promised. If that is part of the aide's job description, and it wasn't done, then the aide or the aide's employer should be responsible.

At no point should this have been a discussion on whether or not 1:1 aides for disabled children should or should not be publicly funded. Is it too much to ask that threads don't ALWAYS become so political

 

[Oh Hia]

I agree with you, I also have healthy "average" kids and would be more than happy for them to give up things so that a special needs child could have the assistance that they need. Your right, the typical child has SO MUCH already!!!

As the parent of an "average" kid, I don't feel it's the schools job to make sure they don't fall though the cracks. That's my job as a parent.

If there's something I, or my child, can give up in order to get a special needs child the assitance they need....We'll gladly give it up, even if it means that I'll be expected, as a parent, to do more for my own child. I think I can handle that, after all, it is my responsibility.

 

[Topper]

What about Stephen Hawking...pretty sure he would have needed an aide. Not all special needs kids are below average intellegence, in fact I'd bet a lot of them are above.

Hawking's disability did not manifest itself until his last year of college.

 

[daughtersrus]

They did sue over the leg.

And that is the only point to this thread. If the aid was negligent, did it on purpose then it is the aids responsibility to pay. BUT if it was an accident then it is not the schools responsibility.

You're right, we did sue about the leg. Not because we wanted to but because we had to. Our health insurance refused to pay for it because they determined that it was an accident caused by someone else. We didn't have an extra $30,000 just laying around to cover the hospital expenses. For the record, 6 1/2 years later, the rods are still in her leg and will have to be removed at some point. We're lucky that a doctor at Shriners has offered to remove them when we decide that DD needs to be put through a major surgery again.

The point that you and may others don't appear to understand is that DD's IEP clearly states that she is to have someone with her at all times. That person is responsible for DD because DD can not be responsible for herself due to her disability.

From past threads, it's clear that you are against anything school related that costs taxpayers money.

I do wonder how you define an accident? Neither aide, bus or Best Buddies, followed the check list. Would you define that as negligent or as an accident?

You've made it clear that you feel that people responsible for accidents shouldn't have to pay. Is that true for all accidents or only ones where the person is paid for with tax dollars?

 

[cristielf]

You're right, we did sue about the leg. Not because we wanted to but because we had to. Our health insurance refused to pay for it because they determined that it was an accident caused by someone else. We didn't have an extra $30,000 just laying around to cover the hospital expenses. For the record, 6 1/2 years later, the rods are still in her leg and will have to be removed at some point. We're lucky that a doctor at Shriners has offered to remove them when we decide that DD needs to be put through a major surgery again.

The point that you and may others don't appear to understand is that DD's IEP clearly states that she is to have someone with her at all times. That person is responsible for DD because DD can not be responsible for herself due to her disability.

From past threads, it's clear that you are against anything school related that costs taxpayers money.

I do wonder how you define an accident? Neither aide, bus or Best Buddies, followed the check list. Would you define that as negligent or as an accident?

You've made it clear that you feel that people responsible for accidents shouldn't have to pay. Is that true for all accidents or only ones where the person is paid for with tax dollars?

Just curious, is the aide a school employee? I know that sometimes there is a private organization that sends aides to help. I hope you get what you are looking for and the right solution is found. Good luck!

 

[daughtersrus]

Just curious, is the aide a school employee? I know that sometimes there is a private organization that sends aides to help. I hope you get what you are looking for and the right solution is found. Good luck!

Yes. The aid at Best Buddies (at our local high school) is a school district employee. Our district also owns the buses and all employees on the buses are also employed by the school district. The aid at Best Buddies isn't actually a certified Hearing Intinerant Teacher. She works the Best Buddies program along with one of the SpEd teachers from the high school that teaches a high needs, self contained classroom. She was DD's teacher for two years a year before the broken femur incident so she is well aware of DD's needs and abilities.

 

[cristielf]

Yes. The aid at Best Buddies (at our local high school) is a school district employee. Our district also owns the buses and all employees on the buses are also employed by the school district. The aid at Best Buddies isn't actually a certified Hearing Intinerant Teacher. She works the Best Buddies program along with one of the SpEd teachers from the high school that teaches a high needs, self contained classroom. She was DD's teacher for two years a year before the broken femur incident so she is well aware of DD's needs and abilities.

Well, it sounds like you may have a case.. Good luck. It's just sad that the school district has to suffer because of one negligent employee. I hope they get rid of that person who didn't do their job correctly.

 

[robin09]

Again no one is saying take away her education BUT the public should not have to pay for her hearing aid, any more than they should have to pay for my child's glasses. (unless the aid purposefully broke it)

And why isn't it the same thing? a child loosing their glasses is the same as a child loosing their hearing aid.

I didn't read the whole thing through.. but here's my 2 cents for whatever it's worth... My DD12 has an IEP and a 1 on 1 aide. We have gone thru 3 pairs of glasses.. she ate one when they were making her wear it.... literally scraped and scraped at them with her teeth taking bits and pieces of it each time... (she was in a safe room at the time) ANother time, she snapped them in half during a fit of anger, again when they made her wear them and she didn't want to... After this I requested that if she is telling youshe doesn't want to wear them PLEASE don't make her.

Each time I replaced them, but they are only $100 or so... BUt how do you compare that cost to $3000 for a hearing aide? I wear hearing aides, and if my daughter did .. I would want the school to replace them at that cost.

Yes money is tight.. but we have to think of our children as human beings with needs with compassion not as dollar signs... A child that is needing as much help as OP needs compassion and to hear.. how was it not known that it was missing? There is something wrong there that needs to be looked at...

 

[tar heel]

OP -- I'm sorry you're having to read some of these ignorant posts. How can someone in this bountiful country think that a child should have less than what he/she needs? Unbelievable.

 

[Hannathy]

You're right, we did sue about the leg. Not because we wanted to but because we had to. Our health insurance refused to pay for it because they determined that it was an accident caused by someone else. We didn't have an extra $30,000 just laying around to cover the hospital expenses. For the record, 6 1/2 years later, the rods are still in her leg and will have to be removed at some point. We're lucky that a doctor at Shriners has offered to remove them when we decide that DD needs to be put through a major surgery again.

The point that you and may others don't appear to understand is that DD's IEP clearly states that she is to have someone with her at all times. That person is responsible for DD because DD can not be responsible for herself due to her disability.

From past threads, it's clear that you are against anything school related that costs taxpayers money.

I do wonder how you define an accident? Neither aide, bus or Best Buddies, followed the check list. Would you define that as negligent or as an accident?

You've made it clear that you feel that people responsible for accidents shouldn't have to pay. Is that true for all accidents or only ones where the person is paid for with tax dollars?

I was answering someone who asked why you didn't sue. I do understand why you had to in that case and if it was for medical bills I understand that.

As far as accidents yes sometimes people need to pay for accidents but other times I think it needs to be proved that it was on purpose and not just a standard accident.

If a child bumps my child and knocks off their glasses and they break then that is an accident and I pay. If that child punches my child on purpose that is not an accident and they pay.

I guess I'm also unsure how you can determine that even if it was found as soon as they got back into the building that she was missing it and they went back out it wouldn't have already been run over?

 

[HHSTigerFan]

OP -- I'm sorry you're having to read some of these ignorant posts. How can someone in this bountiful country think that a child should have less than what he/she needs? Unbelievable.

You must have missed the news, the country and the school districts are in HORRIBLE financial conditions.. if the child has a need, how about letting the parents pay for it instead of the taxpayers? Not happy with the school systems, homeschooling is always an option.. or why not volunteer to be your childs aid at school?

 

[fortwildernessishome]

I was answering someone who asked why you didn't sue. I do understand why you had to in that case and if it was for medical bills I understand that.

As far as accidents yes sometimes people need to pay for accidents but other times I think it needs to be proved that it was on purpose and not just a standard accident.

If a child bumps my child and knocks off their glasses and they break then that is an accident and I pay. If that child punches my child on purpose that is not an accident and they pay.

I guess I'm also unsure how you can determine that even if it was found as soon as they got back into the building that she was missing it and they went back out it wouldn't have already been run over?

\

Your point is moot, because they DIDN'T find out it was missing and DIDN'T go out and look, maybe if they did the outcome would be different, but it ISNT......the OP discovered it missing NOT the people that should have been responsible for the OP's daughter. There is NOTHING to be "unsure" about, there is NOTHING that needs to be "determined" other than the school that was responsible for the OP's daughter was NOT responsible!!!! I think its time to accept the fact that the school didn't do their job and now they should be held accountable and if that is our taxdollars than so be it!

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I just want to pop in to say that I am so saddened to hear about all that your child has to endure on a daily basis.

I hope you can get a new hearing aid in place for your daughter.

 

[RitaE]

I for one pay an incredible amount in taxes - I even pay a good healthy sum in the state of the OP.

Special Ed funding is one solid place that I don't resent my tax dollars at all. Other education also, although I think many of our schools coul do a better job utilizing their dollars.

 

[scottmel]

This has zero to do with the original question, OP, but it is something I have always been curious - and clueless - about. DD now 12, use to attend public school and honestly I felt for her she wasn't getting what she needed. Classes were completely mixed making it difficult for a teacher to teach both to the upper and lower students at one time - it was maddening a parent to have DD never have to lift a finger and earn straight A's b/c material was just so simple. Included in her class were 2 kids with aides (no idea of what their issues were but seemed more learning than physical and they could at times be quite disruptive with outbursts, tempers, shout outs, etc).

DD's new school will not accept kids that require an aide and this caused a bit of an uproar as when kids were identified as NEEDING an aide well they needed to make other plans for school basically. Now I quietly and willingly left public eduation to go somewhere that was more focused and a better enviornment for my daughter to learn in. Heck I have fantasized about giving our public school my tuition bill and stating "you couldn't meet our needs so here is my bill!!!"My question to anyone with a child needing an aide - aren't the kids frustrated by material moving too fast? Wouldn't they like a school better suited to their speed of learning? I am truely curious on the answer to this. A very DEAR friend of mine teaches special education (if that is ok to call it that...I don't know!) and she is sooo adament on these kids attending mainstream classes with their peers yet they can't really verbalize sentences, many shout out or lack impulse control and quite sadly are made fun of by the"mainstream kids". Yet this seems to be WHAT the parents want and I am soooo curious as to why. I could be missing such a simple point and am just really interested in the why.....please no flames I am honestly curious!!!!