Ok, let's see...where did I leave off? Oh yeah, the tour of "Hell High"....we were standing in the classroom talking to the teacher about the program and her class/students. I can honestly say that it just blew my mind when she made the remark that none of her students were on track for obtaining a diploma, then she came up with one excuse/lame explanation after another as to why. At that point I'm pretty sure she began to sense our doubt about this program being the "best fit" for Taz, because she desperately tried to change the subject.
She began to talk about her "plan" for Taz -- the ideas that she had for when he arrives the next school year. By the way she spoke, hubby and I both got the impression that she had been given a lot of incorrect information about Taz and his abilities. She spoke about various math skills and took a step back when I said "umm no that's not correct, before switching to the other school he was getting an 'A' in his Algebra I class." (look of shock on her face when I said that) So then she started in on something else, I forget what...and I said "no, that's not correct either." Hubby & I both looked at each other and thought "who the hell gave her this info?"
At that point the teacher said "well apparently I've been misinformed, why don't you tell me a little bit about Taz and his skills." Ok lady, you asked for it...now it's our turn for some "shock and awe"....we told her about his amazing memory, how he's a whiz at math, loves sports, etc. We mentioned again how prior to switching schools and having the behavior problems, he was in ALL Gen Ed classes -- was on the HONOR ROLL -- and was doing grade level work. At that point a light bulb went off in her head and she switched gears....started to talk about ways she could challenge him, keep him on grade level work, etc. Suffice to say, once the tour was over and the conversation ended, we still weren't 100% certain that this was the best program for Taz. We thanked her for her time and left the building.
We had some time to kill before our next tour/meeting, so hubby & I stopped for lunch. While we sat there enjoying our meal, we discussed the tour of Hell High, the teacher, the program, etc. After lunch we headed over to the high school in our district to meet up with ISD boss #2 to take the tour. When Taz first switched over to the other school, everyone on the team told us that this was just a temporary thing -- the plan was to get his behavior back on track and return him to our home district for High School. Either someone lied to us, or somewhere along the way they switched the plan and just "forgot" to tell us. Everyone at our home district school was surprised to see us there taking a tour....they were shocked that Taz "might" be returning in the fall. We got the impression that they thought he was gone for good -- that he would be staying in the other district. Ummm, no that was never the plan -- sorry sparky, but we want him back here.
Although our district has it's problems, we KNOW that Taz would be doing grade level work and the academic quality/standards are a LOT better here than they are at the other school. Anyhow....we sat and talked to ISD boss #2 for a little while then took a very short tour. The principal barely spoke to us, stopping long enough to say a quick "hi" and shake our hands, then rushing off down the hall in the opposite direction. Compared to "Hell High", there were very few things about our home-district high school that we didn't like....however, the sad thing is, those things are big issues.
For example, here in our district the disciplinary rules/policies are very strict and everyone is treated the same, regardless of disability.....they do not take the child's disability into consideration at all. Thus if Taz were to attend school here, and IF he did something similar to what occurred in the past, odds are he'd either be suspended for a longer period of time or possibly even expelled. Students here do NOT have one-on-one aides....the only exception to that rule is if the child has a physical disability (wheel chair or they are blind). Thus it wouldn't matter to the "powers that be" that Taz can be impulsive and might try to bolt from the classroom if he's feeling stressed, etc -- sorry no one-on-one aide for him -- in their opinion, if he needs an aide because of issues like that then perhaps he'd be better off at the other school (Hell High). The other thing, they really don't have a program that would fit with what Taz needs.....the options are either: (1) all Gen Ed classes with no aide assistance or resource room time, or (2) a mixture of Gen Ed and Special Ed (for high functioning students who have a physical handicap, thus Taz wouldn't qualify for that), or (3) attending all class in the low functioning/Special Ed classrooms (yes they actually refer to it as "low functioning". This program is reserved mainly for students who have an IQ of 60 or lower). Thus there isn't any "middle of the road" type of program -- something that would provide the aide service that he needs yet ensure that he's working on grade level work.
The other thing that disturbed me about the visit to our local high school, even though there are some high-functioning ASD students....the graduation success rate is still very low. The "Boss Lady" wouldn't provide exact numbers, but said repeatedly that very few students have had graduation success (receive a diploma) -- the majority receive the "Certificate of Achievement". As we spoke, I stated that it felt as though the "powers that be" along with the ISD in our district just give up on these kids....I also mentioned that it was rather disappointing that there is nothing available to address the needs of a student like Taz, someone who does have the capability to succeed and obtain a diploma. I told the boss lady that not only did it feel like a slap in the face, but also like we've spent all this time fighting and working with our kids to help them be as successful as possible, just to get knocked down and told that all of our time and effort was a total waste. She agreed and said "unfortunately that's all that is available at this time, we just don't have the resources or staff available." Well gee, thanks for that....I guess I'll just take my press-on nails and go home now huh? How in the hell do they expect these kids to believe in themselves and their abilities (and expect the parents to do the same) when the "powers that be" don't even believe in them?!
So.....that's where we are at right now. The options are:
1. Send Taz to one of the lowest performing academic schools in the district that "might" be able to provide for his other needs
OR
2. Return him to our school district, to a school that really can't provide for his needs and has a "sink or swim" mentality
OR
3. Just give up, say STFU to the schools and ISD, and homeschooling him for the next 4 years.
Sigh.....I thought after dealing with the hell of puberty, things were suppose to level out and get a bit easier from here? I guess not....welcome to Autism....the music might change from time to time, but the dance is always the same.
One last thing....as I've said before, I know that there are some children who just aren't able to do "whatever" -- because of their ASD, etc. -- I get that, I understand that, and by no means am I trying to say that they are less worthy of anything compared to my son. These kids ALL deserve the best possible chance -- they deserve to have all of the support and services that are out there, regardless of the level of disability they may have.....to provide them with anything less is unacceptable. It ticks me off that the "powers that be" have the attitude that these kids can't and/or won't amount to anything, so why bother investing any time in them....give the parents and kids a false sense of security all the way through Elementary school, tell us how much you believe in our kids and how much you want to see them succeed, then just drop them when we/they need the support the most....it's not right. How can the "powers that be" just write them off without even giving them a chance? Our kids deserve better than that...we deserve better than that....
No comments:
Post a Comment