Yesterday was the first day of school. But not for Jack.
- Jack D.'s Mom
- Aug 31, 2023
- 3 min read
When Jack was small, he would get up, pack his lunch and would be dressed with his bag ready by 6:30am. He loves school and loves to have purpose. This is the second school year that the school district refuses to educate him, and it breaks my heart. He loves school, his teachers, his friends. We both miss community. Now he has only what we can create for him and my heart is broken. Like in pieces. Like a big ceramic bowl that just got dropped on the floor. And there are little bits lost. The little bits that break off when you try to piece something together and you can’t. Now there are gaps, missing pieces, so nothing fits like it did before. The gaps are my heartbreak. My rage, my tears, my isolation. You can see right through my heart, and pieces will never fit together like they did before.
While we wait for the school district to create symbol writing boards using assistive technology that align with education, they do their very best to shame and blame us. It hurts. They blame us for calling out their failure and expect us to take that blame and hide in the dark with it. The school administrators made a choice to be public servants, they get paid to do their job. They have sick days, retirement, benefits... They have been paid to deprive the low verbal students here of education. I picture it like a chef, using tweezers putting the herb in just the right place on the plate as they finish their emails to me with – “It is you that are keeping Jack from attending school.” The level of parent blame and shame is unbelievable. It’s ironic that they are the same administrators that proudly uphold the district’s anti bullying policy.
We have waited since November of 2011 for the school district to implement all the “suggestions” from the evaluation they performed for AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication), they have disregarded Federal and[sd1] state education code, district policy and procedure. And in the process of self-preservation have disregarded Jack.
The school district has refused to educate Jack after the “instructional grade 2”. Typical students that participate in general education in our school district receive a “guaranteed and viable curriculum”. SPED students, such as Jack do not. So far, the school district cannot provide the name of the curriculum they were teaching him within the SPED environment. Hmmm? It seems low verbal kids here are not provided access to the curriculum with grade level picture vocabulary boards for core subjects. So, while general ed kids are taught science, Jack has to sit and listen, not react, not fidget, not vocalize. He must sit and listen or watch “big class” science but is not given the tools to access the same information nor participate. This is what his IEP team calls “access to peers”. He is required to have appropriate behavior, or he would be removed from the class. I think it must be like being stuck in a foreign movie, picking up a word or two all in the name of “access to peers”. All they had to do was put in subtitles.
Did I mention the part where the district has never marked “cognitive delay” on any piece of paperwork?
I do wholeheartedly believe that the issues we’re having are systematic and not specific to our family or Jack. And that is the biggest problem that I have. We are not sending him to “school” for daycare. If he has no voice, then it is not a safe place for him either. …But we’re the ones making that choice, right?
What we do to change the level of arrogance paired with ignorance is what is going to start to change our broken hearts. After all, a mosaic is art too. Get your spirit bear some grout. Collect your broken bits and make something beautiful.
*Side note, it is the law that Jack attend school. There is a paper trail required in our state to remove him from public education (we did not do that). The district knows they have not provided adequate access to education and reduce the educational code to my “opinion”. The last question I asked in a facilitated IEP meeting was, “why don’t you take us to Due Process?” The response was, “It is 4:02 and we are out of time. Thank you.” They are in the wrong and they know that. As I spend countless hours reading and noting education code, they are betting that I will just go away.
Nope. Not today, Satan.
What is "instructional grade level" and how do.I find it? |
This is considered replacement curriculum, as the grade level instruction (whatever grade the student is in), cannot be modified appropriately to meet the student where they are. |
"Instructional grade level" is noted and referenced within the Present Levels of Performance within the service areas in the IEP. |
How do I know if academic vocabulary boards exist for my student? |
Look under consideration of Special Factors in the IEP. The third question is: Does the student require assistive technology devices or services? Then look under the Supplementary Aids and Services Section (this is what is used in the general education setting) to see what assistive technology devices or services are listed. Look for restrictions or exceptions. |
If you do not see "AT vocabulary boards with the list of classes your student is taking, take a pencil and underline all of the AT educational related phrasing you see within the entire IEP. |
You can ask the IEP team to add AT vocabulary boards: Supplementary Aids and services (this is what is used in general education setting.) Add data and reference into the Present level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance. Add into Annual Measurable Goal and benchmark goals. Ask for the boards to be emailed to you and to be included in the student record. |
Assistive technology device | |
Assistive technology service | |
Evaluation | |
Special education | (ii) To ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that the child can meet the educational standards within the jurisdiction of the public agency that apply to all children. |
Supplementary aids and services |