I need to vent. Budget related.

[Hannathy]

I am just stunned at the bolded.

Why? If cutbacks have to be made then they need to be made to all students.

I'm very sorry for the OP's DD's situation but she is being bused to an activity a club, how many schools do that for the average child? In most schools activities have been cut the activities themselves the busing has long been gone.

and yes I do think aids can be shared. aids can take care of more than 1 child at a time.

And I'm surprised that you can't have an extra policy written to cover aids because it seems like you can add almost anything you want to policies. I don't mean just under general homeowners. Like when my DD went to school I had to pay extra to have her laptop added but I could.

 

[ccgirl]

Somone in an earlier post suggested that the OP should move to a different school district............maybe that is what you should do! Your district sounds horrible! My kids go to public school and we have NEVER experienced ANY of the things that your kids are subjected to. When my kids were in elementary school the class size averaged 15-20. In high school the average is 25. We have gifted programs, everyone has their own textbooks, my kids are both in band, have librarians and can take art as well as a huge variety of other "extra" classes. Seriously, if things are that bad, I would be looking into other options for my kids!

As far as not being able to afford 1:1 aides, I think the EXACT opposite, we cannot afford to not have them. I thank my lucky stars that my kids dont need aides, but if they did, I would want them to have every advantgage that they could, and if that meant a 1:1 aide that they qualified for, then I sure would want that for my child.

Good luck to the OP. Dont let some of these comments get you down, although they must be very hurtful. Ignorance can be bliss!!!

I couldn't agree more. Very well put.

 

[ccgirl]

Why? If cutbacks have to be made then they need to be made to all students.

I'm very sorry for the OP's DD's situation but she is being bused to an activity a club, how many schools do that for the average child? In most schools activities have been cut the activities themselves the busing has long been gone.

and yes I do think aids can be shared. aids can take care of more than 1 child at a time.

And I'm surprised that you can't have an extra policy written to cover aids because it seems like you can add almost anything you want to policies. I don't mean just under general homeowners. Like when my DD went to school I had to pay extra to have her laptop added but I could.

Apparently, you do not understand the purpose of a 1:1 aide. Not everyone has health insurance either. I don't know why you say in most schools because we still have all of the activities around here. As far as buses taking kids elsewhere I see that all the time too. I sincerely hope that none of your children are in the same position of the OP. If you are so disenchanted with your child's school maybe you should look into a private school.

 

[mistysue]

We shouldn't HAVE to pay for 1:1 aids, we should want to because these kids are human beings. Unfortunately, people are selfish meaning that these kids would be SOL if we weren't forced to pay.

I get being angry about funding issues, but it is our job as parents to teach our own children when the schools are failing... you may want it easy but if your schools are failing step up and help your kids do it rather than trying to take away any chances somebody less fortunate has.

 

[daughtersrus]

Why? If cutbacks have to be made then they need to be made to all students.

I'm very sorry for the OP's DD's situation but she is being bused to an activity a club, how many schools do that for the average child? In most schools activities have been cut the activities themselves the busing has long been gone.

and yes I do think aids can be shared. aids can take care of more than 1 child at a time.

And I'm surprised that you can't have an extra policy written to cover aids because it seems like you can add almost anything you want to policies. I don't mean just under general homeowners. Like when my DD went to school I had to pay extra to have her laptop added but I could.

If DD's leg wasn't broken while in the hands of a school district employee, there would be no need to bus DD back to our local high school for Best Buddies because she would already be attending this school.

Had either district employee (the bus aid or the school aid) completed their check lists as required by the IEP before DD got off the bus, the hearing aid wouldn't have been crushed in the parking lot.

 

[Tink-aholic]

My kid has TOO MANY programs to choose from in public high school! After taking back-to-back trips with the school band (Pasadena, CA for the Rose Bowl parade and NYC for the St Patrick's Day parade), he was on two Destination ImagiNation teams (one is going to Global Finals next month). The team members can only meet on Sunday evenings because between the five of them, they participate in seventeen afterschool sports/clubs/activities!!

Oh, and the bus will drop him off at home at 2:20, 3:30, or 5:00.

He also has a set of books for home and a set for school so he doesn't have to lug them back and forth all the time.

 

[robinb]

we are not talking about a kid who lost their glasses, we are talking about a child with severe and profound disabilities and under the LAW has rights and protection afforded to them

BECAUSE

without the law, left to our own pitiful devices, we, as a country and human race, would let them live, tucked away in some hole-in-the-wall care center until their premature deaths. (You can learn a lot from history, what NOT to do to you fellow human being). I, for one, will NOT support that kind of inhumane treatment of people with disabilities nor will I place a price on CIVIL RIGHTS.

Sadly, after children reach a certain age (18 or 21, I think it depends on the state) educational funding goes away and many of these kids end up in a "hole-in-the-wall care center" anyway due to aging parents and other factors. My 10-year old nephew is autistic and NOT in a 1:1 situation and I still worry about what will happen to him when he becomes an adult.

As for the OP ... since the hearing aid was crushed in the parking lot it may have been in place when your DD was removed from the bus but taken/bumped out while in transit from the bus to the Best Buddies facility. Since they did NOT check off that the hearing aide was in place when they took her off the bus I think they are liable for the cost of the hearing aide.

 

[crisi]

Somone in an earlier post suggested that the OP should move to a different school district............maybe that is what you should do! Your district sounds horrible! My kids go to public school and we have NEVER experienced ANY of the things that your kids are subjected to. When my kids were in elementary school the class size averaged 15-20. In high school the average is 25. We have gifted programs, everyone has their own textbooks, my kids are both in band, have librarians and can take art as well as a huge variety of other "extra" classes. Seriously, if things are that bad, I would be looking into other options for my kids!

As far as not being able to afford 1:1 aides, I think the EXACT opposite, we cannot afford to not have them. I thank my lucky stars that my kids dont need aides, but if they did, I would want them to have every advantgage that they could, and if that meant a 1:1 aide that they qualified for, then I sure would want that for my child.

Good luck to the OP. Dont let some of these comments get you down, although they must be very hurtful. Ignorance can be bliss!!!

Or maybe I should do what we do, which is pay for enrichment activities for my children, including tutoring, out of my own pocket and supplement with homeschool materials. As its an affordable cost for us - no big. Or we could send them private, but I think that if people like me pull our kids, the government will have no incentive to do anything other than let middle class kids rot in public school. For public school to work, the public has to be invested in it with our kids - or the public will stop supporting it - which is what is happening - but I won't be part of the problem.

 

[crisi]

My kid has TOO MANY programs to choose from in public high school! After taking back-to-back trips with the school band (Pasadena, CA for the Rose Bowl parade and NYC for the St Patrick's Day parade), he was on two Destination ImagiNation teams (one is going to Global Finals next month). The team members can only meet on Sunday evenings because between the five of them, they participate in seventeen afterschool sports/clubs/activities!!

Oh, and the bus will drop him off at home at 2:20, 3:30, or 5:00.

He also has a set of books for home and a set for school so he doesn't have to lug them back and forth all the time.

There is a huge disparity between states and localities in public school funding. But there is a huge disparity between states and localities in public school needs - which is not adequately funded. Our school district has a large IEP and ESL population.

 

[LisaTC]

There is a huge disparity between states and localities in public school funding. But there is a huge disparity between states and localities in public school needs - which is not adequately funded. Our school district has a large IEP and ESL population.

Amen...Some districts in our area and it isn't necessarily poverty stricken by any stretch, but rural/farm land is over 50-60% Title 1. That should definitely speak...the system is unfortunately broken and I can't in good conscience leave my child in it. I hated school and she loves it, that to me is worth the sacrifice.

 

[fortwildernessishome]

A book and a 1:1 attendant is not even CLOSE to the same thing. And the student's IEP doesn't say 1:2 or 1:3...it says 1:1. That is the whole point. What if both children had different classes at the same time? Or needed to have their diapers changed at the same time?

Hannathy, clearly you feel passionately about what you are saying. Call your Congresspeople, if you feel so strongly. But I would find a better argument than comparing a 1:1 aide to a book.

Maybe you could try to put yourself in the OP's shoes for just one minute. Her child doesn't get to take the books home, either. It isn't like her daughter gets to be the star in the school play or gets 1:1 SAT prep with the Calculus professor. Her daughter needs someone there to help with everyday tasks that your kids can do for themselves...and if for some reason your kids couldn't, then a 1:1 could be assigned to them, too. Everything IS equal.

I'm sorry you can't see that.

Well said!!

 

[Leajess99]

What does compassion have to do with this situation at all? School districts and tax payers do not have the money to pay for things they should not pay for that people should have private insurance for and accidental damage to personal property.

Unless the aid purposefully removed it and put it on the street to get run over or stomped on it, it is an accident.

I agree with what I bolded to a point. IF the aid removed the hearing aid than she should be held liable and it should be on her and not on the school. IF the hearing aid fell out than it would seem that it was not properly placed or fitted or was knocked out on accident and therefore should NOT be the aid or the school district's responsibility.


Schools offer insurance to be purchased at the beginning of the year for accidents and such and it seems that this should be what is bought and used for situations like these.

As for the broken femur, I am so very sorry that happened and it seems the aid may not have been properly trained in handling this particular child.

 

[GinnyEmma]

The aid should have seen it fall and picked it up. Easy peasy. She/he only has one peice of business, attending to the student.

 

[Leajess99]

I am trying really hard to say this in a calm and unoffending way so I don't get points. If we take away one child's aide/IEP then no children should have an IEP. That means that only "smart/non-disabled" children would be able to get an education. I am really trying to understand how some people can think it is okay not to fund this. Where should the money to provide an education to disabled children come from? By disabled I am talking about all children with IEP. Should there be no special education at all because that is taking money away from the "average" children???

This scenario would punish the gifted students as well since they also have an IEP (known here as a Gifted Services Plan).

I do not feel that we should take aids from those who truely need them but I also think that the ais need to be properly trained and the schools not held liable for hearing aids and such unless they purposefully remove them.

 

[Leajess99]

Why? If cutbacks have to be made then they need to be made to all students.

I'm very sorry for the OP's DD's situation but she is being bused to an activity a club, how many schools do that for the average child? In most schools activities have been cut the activities themselves the busing has long been gone.

and yes I do think aids can be shared. aids can take care of more than 1 child at a time.
And I'm surprised that you can't have an extra policy written to cover aids because it seems like you can add almost anything you want to policies. I don't mean just under general homeowners. Like when my DD went to school I had to pay extra to have her laptop added but I could.

In ref the bolded, that is not always the case. It depends on the severity of the special need/disability. Imagine how much more would be lost if a child with special needs does not have an aid to protect them and something serious happens. A lawsuit will ensue and the shcool will be paying out big time.

 

[chris31997]

Fund them somehow other than through the general school budget. If its important to us as taxpayers to take care of these kids, then make it a funded mandate. Don't take resources away from the rest of the kids for a 1:1 aide. This needs to be funded COMPLETELY outside of the school budgets.

And its possible that once that is done we will decide we can't afford a 1:1 aide for kids as a society. And we will have to do away with mainstreaming or their parents will have to self source if they want their kids mainstreamed. Its a hard choice, but we cannot afford the way these programs are currently set up. The U.S. debt rating has been downgraded. We are at our debt ceiling. Our country has reached boiling point regarding the tax situation. Foreclosures means less property tax revenue for localities - which is how schools are funded.

I'm about as liberal as they come. I'd be happy to pay more taxes. Who is with me that EVERYONE should have their taxes raised (because we will ALL need to have our taxes raised - you can't do this simply by taxing the rich) - AND we are going to need to put in austerity cuts. Are you ready for that?

I am all for cuts in spending I think I pay enough in taxes/fees to the gov't.

 

[ccgirl]

I agree with what I bolded to a point. IF the aid removed the hearing aid than she should be held liable and it should be on her and not on the school. IF the hearing aid fell out than it would seem that it was not properly placed or fitted or was knocked out on accident and therefore should NOT be the aid or the school district's responsibility.


Schools offer insurance to be purchased at the beginning of the year for accidents and such and it seems that this should be what is bought and used for situations like these.

As for the broken femur, I am so very sorry that happened and it seems the aid may not have been properly trained in handling this particular child.

I've never heard of such insurance. The aide is a 1:1 aide and is supposed to be there at all times as the OP's DD cannot do anything for herself, including pushing her wheelchair. How do you not see a hearing aid is missing. According to the IEP she should be checking.

The aid should have seen it fall and picked it up. Easy peasy. She/he only has one peice of business, attending to the student.

Exactly. As I mentioned before, this is a 1:1 aide that is supposed to be there at all times and checking the hearing aide is there as is noted on the IEP.

This scenario would punish the gifted students as well since they also have an IEP (known here as a Gifted Services Plan).

I do not feel that we should take aids from those who truely need them but I also think that the ais need to be properly trained and the schools not held liable for hearing aids and such unless they purposefully remove them.

True. I guess only "average" students would have a right to what they need then? As far as the aide being properly trained, I totally agree. Also, if she just showed her due diligence and ensured the hearing aide was in she should have found it as soon as it fell out. It seems to me the aide was not providing close enough supervision.

 

[crisi]

This scenario would punish the gifted students as well since they also have an IEP (known here as a Gifted Services Plan).

I do not feel that we should take aids from those who truely need them but I also think that the ais need to be properly trained and the schools not held liable for hearing aids and such unless they purposefully remove them.

Here Gifted Students are not covered under an IEP.

 

[Disfan3]

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.

Because no one situation is the same where an IEP is concerned. You understand that a child with a severe and profound disability has such impairments that would probably limit even such easy daily functions as toileting, speaking, moving, etc. right? That is why. There is an adult that was hired to be there to take care of that child; be her eyes, arms, fingers, assist with all the daily functions, and obviously, if the parent and director had to implement a checklist for the items, it IS the responsibility of the school. The OP's child has a 1:1 and that is why. It is her JOB to make sure the child gets home the way she came to school
BECAUSE THE CHILD IS UNABLE TO DO IT HERSELF DUE TO HER DISABILITY.
My comment about it not being the same was in regards to a child who the glasses was due to the fact that I assumed that child did not have disability that required a 1:1 associate and did not have a documented disability that was specific to those needs....if they DID have an IEP that required that, then YES...they are entitled to compensation of the glasses.


It is the law. This is why the school went ahead and comped them for the first missing/lost/destroyed item....

OP: I would document that and have that in your student's IEP. The checklist is an important modification/accommodation/service that is needed. I would demand that be documented on the IEP (yes it can be done!)

 

[Hannathy]

I don't care what her IEP says, what does that have to do with whether this was purposeful or accidental? as long as the aid did not purposefully damage it it is an accident. The aid could have watched it fall and been unable to grab it before another child stepped on it. Isn't that an accident? should the school still pay for it? what if it had fallen off I would say no. Unless the aid took it off the child and placed it in the parking lot it was not purposeful.

there is a huge difference in taking it off on purpose and putting it where it could get damaged and it accidentally falling out and getting damage. and the tax payers should not pay unless it was done on purpose by the aid.