Question about spec ed children and homework

[gillenkl]

I have a 6yr old in spec ed (1st grade) - just about every day he gets in the car after school without either his homework or his lunchbox. No big deal - we just walk back to his class and get it. Today the principal stopped me and said I would no longer be able to enter the school building to pick up my childs homework. She even gave him a lecture about getting his own homework - which frankly he couldn't even comprehend. I said that if I didn't get it, he wouldn't have any homework - her exact words were "then he'll have to deal with the consequences" and she trotted off. What? Is this legal? He has been in spec ed with an IEP for almost 4 years - he is mentally handicapped. This is his first year with homework - he receives spec ed services 22 hrs a week in an inclusion class. Please tell me they can't get away with this?

 

[Lillypug]

The principal sounds like the principal we had when Noah was in sp ed preschool. She was so antagonistic about the petttiest of things. What harm are you doing actually going into the building to get your child's homework, esp when he has special needs? I just don't "get" why we have to deal with people like that esp when their jobs are to keep our children's best interest at heart. I would take this problem to someone higher than she and explain the whole situation. I would not let her give me grief and would "fight" this all the way to the top even if I had to take it to the superintendant or further. ((((HUGS))))

 

[T-i-double-g-err]

DW speaking:

When our DD was having issues with the basic organizational stuff, I brought it up in an IEP meeting. (Don't forget that you can call for one at any time). One person on the committee decided that she should have a laminated checklist of what to do at the end of the day. Things like: lunchbox, homework, jacket, etc. Each one had an appropriate picture. Then she would check each one off with a washable marker. The next morning (I think) she would clean it off so that it was ready for that afternoon. This year she is checklist free and has only forgotten homework once (today, as a matter of fact).

 

[DisneyTeacher]

I would call and talk to the principal one time and if nothing changed then I would call to have a IEP meeting set up. If that wasn't enough I would start following the chain of command right up the ladder. I can't tell you how many times we went back to get my non-sp ed son's homework last year (2nd grade) and I would have been ticked if someone stopped me to tell me we couldn't go back and get it.

I have junior high kids come back for forgotten homework after school is out.

 

[MightyMom]

No, the principal can't get away with this.

First of all, snuggle up with a copy of your child's IEP tonight. Read it and figure out if this issue is specifically addressed. If it is NOT addressed, I would call and schedule an IEP meeting ASAP!

You can talk to the principal until you're blue in the face...... but until it is written in that precious little IEP...... you don't have a leg to stand on. Once you have specifics in the IEP it MUST be followed.

My son is also in first grade. His teacher puts his homework and reading book in his back pack for him at the end of the day and then hangs it on the back of his wheelchair. We are blessed that my son's teacher is so helpful. None of this is in my son's IEP..... but the teacher just has the common sense to know that my son needs the extra assistance.

Last year my friends son, who has down syndrome, kept coming home from kinder without his jacket zipped on cold winter days. My friend asked the teacher to help him zip it...... for the first few days she would remember..... but then forget again. So, my friend called an IEP and this was specifically addressed.

Best of luck!

 

[Karalynn]

I would definately call a meeting.
Ok, I just deleted what I wanted to say about the principal!
I think this is the best solution, and agree with the pp that it needs to be in his IEP, otherwise you have no 'ground' with the principal. This still just sounds so ridiculous to me that he is giving you a hard time about wanting to get homework. At least you are an involved parent making sure he has it, and doing something about it if he doesn't!!

Why oh why is everything a battle??? Be strong girlfriend!!

 

[disney-super-mom]

How can the principal tell you that you can't come in to pick up your child's homework anymore? You're a taxpayer (or a tuition payer), it's your child's school, it's during school hours but after class so it's not like you're disrupting his class. I don't get it. Unless you're leaving your car parked in a pick-up only line or something like that, I don't think the principal has any right to tell you that.

 

[Michigan]

Like everyone else said call for a meeting to be held before the end of this week. Make someone responsible for going over with your son what he has to bring home a part of the IEP. Also call for the director of special ed and someone from the board to represent regular ed. That school gets paid more to have special ed services provided there and trust me the top brass would rather get rid of the principal then violate an IEP.

Also if it's a public school your taxes pay for it and if it's a private school you pay tution so there is no way anyone can tell you that you can't go into a school your child attends.

 

[XYSRUS]

Um...I would speak to the teacher first about maybe checking to see if he has his homework or get another student to check for homework supplies...then I would talk with the principal if I got no where with the teacher...then I would call an IEP mtg if I got nowhere with the principal.

 

[hookedup]

Although I too would be very upset with what has happened with the principal, I would try to focus on what you CAN do rather than what you've been told you can't do (yes easy for me to say).
First of all address this issue with the teacher. Then formalize with a IEP meeting to make sure everyone is on board (including the principal). My 6 yr old ds has one of his goals (OT goal) to be able to complete a 3 step task independently. We have used this to work on things like entering class independently and unloading his backpack and putting things where they are supposed to go. He is still not getting the end of the day steps but we have made progress at the beginning of the day ones.

Anyway sorry for the long reply about me but I was trying to share what was helpful for us. Thankfully I haven't run into an administrator who is obviously so clueless.
Best wishes for helping your son!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

My 5th grade son has an IEP (for Asperger's). I usually walk to the hallway to get him and my 2nd grader. I ask them both if they have their lunchboxes, jackets, homework, etc. Last spring, I had a badly sprained ankle and was on crutches and walking into the school wasn't possible. They had to meet me at the curb and several times I had to send one of them back to get a forgotten item.

I don't understand why a kid can't go back into a classroom to get something. Our school has kids and parents milling around for at least 1/2 an hour and no one notices if you come back for something. As long as the teacher hasn't locked the classroom and left, there shouldn't be a problem.

Besides having a special ed son, I work in a special ed classroom (preschool). Parents make requests of us all the time since lots of our kids ride the bus. I would recommend talking to the teacher and setting up some kind of system for remembering his homework, lunchbox, etc. A poster above had a good idea about a laminated card that he would check off at the end of each day. I'm sure the teacher wants him to succeed and should be open to helping in any way possible.

 

[Selket]

My older son is in 4th grade and is not special ed and forgets some of his homework at least once a week (if not more). He often forgets lunchbox and coat and other things too (and tomorrow he starts taking a flute to school for band - ack!). And he has done this consistently throughout his school years (and I'm sure he isn't forgetting it on purpose!).

I'd like a nickel for every time I've turned the car around to go back and get something. He has other friends who do the same thing. He has to go to the office and let them know - he can't go to the classroom by himself. So is this generally considered an unusual practice? The school has never complained.

Well...this makes no sense to me! I agree to have it put in your IEP but really I can't believe that the students (special ed or not) are not allowed back in school to pick up their homework! My older son wouldn't have come home with his head until last year if it wasn't attached.

 

[gillenkl]

Thanks for all the information. I am requesting a meeting to discuss the IEP - I will then have something put in the IEP regarding homework - the laminated sheet is a good idea. I have an educational consultant who attends all IEP meetings with me.

 

[LindaDVC]

I work for the schools and had an LD/ADHD kid of my own (now graduated-- AMEN! )

Anyway I have seen both sides of the problem. We have had parents who come in every morning and every night and chat with the teachers for over 1/2 an hour taking away planning and set- up time. Of course staff want to answer questions BUT I am talking about some parents who DAILY chat and interupt the teachers plan.

On the parent side I regularly tried to have strategies to get my son's homework home. Things we tried were checklists, peer buddy, teacher checks, etc! One strategy that helped my son was knowing that he had a set homework time-- if he didn't bring home the teachers homework then he had mommy homework. I made sure mine was tougher than the teachers and it helped motivate him to get the teacher's list home .

Linda

 

[stampin_fool]

Just a thought, but when you have your IEP meeting ask to have a set of books for home as well as school and that the teacher e-mail you the weekly newsletter or homework list for the coming week. This is something we have included in our DS (mild autism) IEP because I was going back to the school several times a week last year to get forgotten homework. This was with a picture schedule taped to his desk to remind him of what he needed to pack up for the day. It is a great idea (picture schedule) but didn't always work. I asked him once why he didn't look at his list and he said "there was a paper on top of it". I just had to laugh. This year I have only had to go back to school once because he forgot the spelling list and that isn't included on the teacher's weekly newsletter. Have the extra set of books at home has proven to be a blessing, he doesn't forget to bring them home or back and he isn't carrying around a backpack that weights 20 lbs!!

Ronda

 

[PaMom001]

The principal needs a good swift kick in the a**. How dare she/he give you that attitude!! You pay her/his salary. I would give him/her the hairy eyeball and keep going. If the principal of my DD10, learning disabled, school told me this I would have it written in the IEP also.

 

[3kidsmommy]

OHHH..this has me sooo very MAD! The principal at my 8yo son's school is the same WAY! This is how I fixed the issue for us. Chandler, my son, is in his third year of the combined P1/P2 classroom with resource pull out more than half the day. He has autism and is mildly mentally retarded and has all the other issues that seem to go along with autism. He is also very verbal now and wanting to be social--just can't figure it out. He cannot read nor write yet. That gives you a bit of background.

What happened with us was this: The principal did not want me in the building at all. I was told that I could not be in the building without prior authorization and I WAS NOT a parent who went in and chatted with teachers in the morning. At the time (last year) I was in my last year of college and had to get to school myself. Thing is, Chandler could not find his room by himself, and at pick up melted down daily. She wanted to go ahead and pass him on to 3rd grade for this year on top of everything. NO way. I called the director of special education in my district, gave him a heads up as to what was going on and called an ARC meeting. (this is for the IEP.) I requested the director be at the meeting, along with all Chandler's teachers, the principal, school psychologist, and the educational advocate I hired. In the meeting, I took the reigns and explained that IF things were not fixed to MY liking, I would file a formal complaint wiht the state department of education. I won. The principal loves me this year (or at least acts like it--fine by me!) and I have not been questioned one time in the building.

I wish you luck in your fight!

 

[Linnie The Pooh]

I don't think the principal can get away with this. Call an IEP meeting as so many other people have said.

Also, do you have an agency in your town that advocates for parental rights? If you do, they can, not only, inform you of your rights, but also send a representative to the meeting so you're not being run over by the principal. If they don't have one, consider seeking legal advice. It sounds extreme, but the whole idea of an IEP is to make accomodations that meet the needs of you child regarding his education, which he is entitled to.

I used to be a special ed teacher and I hated it when those advocates came to the meetings b/c they really make sure the school crosses those t's and dots their i's. How ironic is it that I ended up with a child with special needs and have had to seek their counsel many, many times to advocate for my child's rights!! Talk about being on both sides of the fence!!

 

[Purple Princess]

Maybe I'm differnt than some parents but I would never allow any person to get away with something like that! My daughter is 21 and is mentally and physically disabled. This is her last year of school as the children are allowed to attend until age 22. I have went through a lot over the years and when a situation like this evolved I would immediately call the Supervisor and demand this be attended to at once. Most times it would be corrected by days end. Knowing me, after 21 years of putting up with people like that Principal, I think I would have said something I may not should have and called her an idiot for not understanding a mentally disabled persons lack of reasoning/remembering. That is why the child is in this class to begin with. Secondly his teacher should know better than to leave him on his own to remember his homework etc. and not to offer to help him. Even when certain things are not stated on the IEP, many teachers will go ahead with your wishes without setting up an IEP meeting. My daughters do unless it is something physical. After 21 years I can say that 95% of my DD's teachers have lacked in the common sense department. Even more so when they are a teacher for the disabled. I have to keep on them sometimes as much as I do a child. You have more power than you realize! Definitly look for an advocate if there is one in your area and there should be. They can help you if you don't understand certain things. The schools system is bound by laws and yes they try to get away with things probably hoping we parents don't undestand the laws that pertain to our childrens education. You should have received a booklet about your rights at each IEP meeting. There is so much I could tell you about that I have encountered in my daughters 21 years! Much of which isn't good.

 

[vhoffman]

I have a LD son with ADHD. I'm tired of battling the school system. He has an IEP, but its a farce. Seems its one issue after another. I've even hired attornies and advocates, no real results. My ds forgets his homework at times, too. He also forgets his lunch box, coat, etc. They make such an issue of it. I pointed out at the last ARD meeting the lost and found is always full, its not all my son's stuff. Other kids forget, whey make such an issue when mine does? Well, forgetfulness isn't the only issue. Its such a tangled up mess I've decided to pull him out and homeschool. You can fight, but you can't win. yes, I know, I'm a taxpayer, we're entitled to services, etc. but fighting isn't winning. Meanwhile, my poor child is caught in the middle.

I intend to take him out next week. However, I'm just a little leary of the school--I've been told they get extra mony for students with an IEP. Would they fight me because they stand to lose money? What if I took him out and enrolled him in a private school? They'd still lose money. However, I don't think they actually make money off him, it just offsets their costs. They've actually reduced some of his special ed classes. I didn't protest, because I was planning to take him out, anyways.

You're living in a fairly tale if you think you have any real clout with the school system. yes, you can ask for an ARD any time you wish, but they don't have to schedule it just when you want. They can drag out scheduling it 'till the point that the whole issue becomes stale. Believe me, the more you fight the more your child loses. Its all a farce!