Public school board

[blueeyedgirl]

It was decided at the end of the school year along with the guy from the school board who deals with children with disabilities, that it would be in my son's best interest to leave him at the same school. It was brought up that we haved moved to a different school district and that i could not provide transportation to and from school. They said that they would take care of it. Now i have been pressured since my son has been in school to have him in a disability class but for reason of my own and after talking to several proffesionals i have decided to intergrate him. Today i get a call that they will not provide him with transportation and that i need to look into a disability class for september and at that point they will provide transportation. I am looking for parents who have dealt with this situation and can offer me some suggestions or who i can turn to, to help me advocate.

[Jackie B]

So they will only provide transportation for your son if you put him in special ed? What a crock! I would be furious. They're really bullying you into complying.

The first person who popped into my head was Tony martin, but I'm not sure what all he does. I would take it to the superintendant of the schoolboard.

Good luck with that.

[blueeyedgirl]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jackie B</div><div class="ubbcode-body">So they will only provide transportation for your son if you put him in special ed? What a crock! I would be furious. They're really bullying you into complying.
</div></div>

Pretty much that is also how i feel. They are willing to cab him back and forth to a special educations class that is farther then his current school. But they will not meet his needs at this school which is what i believe and other professionals believe is what is best for him at this point.

I have seriously considered getting him baptised and switching him to a catholic school to see if they can fit his needs better.

[Teddy_Gurl]

Does he really need to be baptized to go to a Catholic School?

[sage]

B.S! Schools get extra funding if there is a need for special ED. Like Jackie B. stated, dont let them bully you into switching to another school.

[Sweet_And_Innocent]

Have you gone directly to the school board? This can be classified as a discrimination case and if you have had him assesed by professionals and in their opinion he is better off being intergrated the school im pretty sure is obligated to comply to their professional opinion and assessments.

[blueeyedgirl]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DragonFly</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Does he really need to be baptized to go to a Catholic School? </div></div>

Before he started school, I talked to both the catholic and public school boards along with visiting the schools of each board in our school district. When i was doing that i was told that he could attend but at some point would need to be baptized.

[blueeyedgirl]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sage</div><div class="ubbcode-body">B.S! Schools get extra funding if there is a need for special ED. Like Jackie B. stated, dont let them bully you into switching to another school.
</div></div>

I will not let them bully me. I am pretty good at advocating for my child when it comes to his best interest. I did not know that they get extra funding for special ED. That is interesting. Some of the parents i have spoken with have told me that they have been pressured also to have their child segregated.

[blueeyedgirl]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sweet_And_Innocent</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Have you gone directly to the school board? This can be classified as a discrimination case and if you have had him assesed by professionals and in their opinion he is better off being intergrated the school im pretty sure is obligated to comply to their professional opinion and assessments. </div></div>

I have been on the phone most of the day dealing with people from the school board. I also had to do this last year but not to this extent. I have made some phone calls also to some of the people involved with my son.

I just don't understand why they are willing to provide him with a cab further to a special needs class but are not willing to provide him with a cab to allow him to continue to have structure, routine, familiarity with where he is. He has done amazingly well with social skills and learning.

[Tutones]

My opinion here would depend completely on the type of disabilities that your son is dealing with. If your son has specific physical requirements (mobility difficulties etc...) I would side with the school board as most schools do not have facilities to accomodate physical disabilities. Certain elemetary schools have been specially outfitted for physical needs and that is most likely why the school board would prefer your son be bussed there.

If you are talking about learning disabilities he could be easily accomodated at any school in the city. Contact your school board TRUSTEE

[chase_me]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: blueeyedgirl</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DragonFly</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Does he really need to be baptized to go to a Catholic School? </div></div>

Before he started school, I talked to both the catholic and public school boards along with visiting the schools of each board in our school district. When i was doing that i was told that he could attend but at some point would need to be baptized. </div></div>

It is def easier if they are baptised cause if not you have to go through a big application process. I have my children baptised at Wilowgrove united church and because it says catholic on their certificates of baptism i can send them to catholic or public schools.

[blueeyedgirl]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tutones</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My opinion here would depend completely on the type of disabilities that your son is dealing with. If your son has specific physical requirements (mobility difficulties etc...) I would side with the school board as most schools do not have facilities to accomodate physical disabilities. Certain elemetary schools have been specially outfitted for physical needs and that is most likely why the school board would prefer your son be bussed there.

If you are talking about learning disabilities he could be easily accomodated at any school in the city. Contact your school board TRUSTEE </div></div>

No he does not have physical disabilities. He is developmentaly delayed. He has Fragile X Syndrome. I did call and leave a message this afternoon for the school board trustee.

[blueeyedgirl]

I am still looking for parents who have dealt with this situation and can offer me some suggestions or who i can turn to, to help me advocate.
Thanks for the suggestions so far /ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

[Tutones]

PM to you blueeyedgirl.

[A*lil*Loopy]

As far as I know, if your son is going to a school out of your district and is in a regular class, you must provide transportation because it is your preference to have him attend that school. It doesn't matter that it has always been his school.

Funding is different for special education but regular classroom attendance is seen differently.

I drove my child from JK through to graduating Grade 8 because I chose for him to attend a school outside his district.(By a block and a half)
Not to sound like a school official (cuz I'm not), if every parent wanted their child to attend a school outside their district and the school board had to provide transportation, imagine what a mess the bussing situation would be.

So if they cab your son, then why not cab everyones son? Please understand that I'm not saying your child shouldn't stay where he is because it's helping him a great deal, but they don't see your son like you do.

Good luck in your efforts.

[Madmax]

Take him out of school and school him yourself the way you want.

[blueeyedgirl]

A*lil*Loopy I understand what you are saying but I was not the only one making the decisions. The school and the guy from the school board came to the decisions also to leave him there and cab him. He cannot take the school buss. Now they are still willing to cab him if i send him to a special education class. I live in the west end and the options i was given are all further then the current school that he attends.

My son does not do well at all with change. He needs to have the same environment that he already has had. They also continued to cab him once i moved to finish out the year. THe school board should not say one thing one day then say something else the next and leave me with trying to figure out what to do with my son. They knew that i could not provide transportation when the decision was made.

[blueeyedgirl]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MadMax</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Take him out of school and school him yourself the way you want. </div></div>
I do not have an issue with the schooling program that he has set up for him so why would i want to home school him?

[Madmax]

Well it was just an alternative to the B.S schools in town.

[adigirl]

I am trying to understand this. They approved transportation last year to his current school right?

This year they want him in a special needs class. In addition because they have identified this need for a change of classrooms, they will no longer provide tansportation to his current school?

If that is right what has changed in that school meeting his needs?

[blueeyedgirl]

From the minute he started school i was being pressured into putting him in a special needs class. When he started school 2 years ago we lived in the district of the school. A few months ago we moved to our new place. Once I moved they continued to cab him back and forth. At the end of the school year there was a meeting at the school to discuss what will happen in the new school year. I had already moved at this point.

A plan had been developed for the new school year with them knowing that I could not provide transportation. They told me not to worry about it that it would all be taken cared of. This meeting consisted of the principal, the guy from the school board, the guy who deals with special needs from the school and myself. Now that the plan has been set forth i got a call telling me that they will not provide the transportation, that if i want the transportation that i need to look into a school that has a special needs class.

[Madmax]

So basically the school now has no special needs class?

So basically you need to look for another school right?

Or am i just as DUH tonight as some others ... like are you stating you don't want him in special needs and want the school to still provide transportation?

Well schools have guidlines to follow and no special needs class offered, then no transportaion provided.

[adigirl]

It sounds like the school cannot meet his developmental needs. That is probably valid being that school really stuggle with crappy budgets from the government.

I agree with MadMax (God I HATE THAT!), the school is not obligated to provide transportation to a child they have identified as needing special care in the system to meet his needs if the parent chooses not to follow those recommendations.

[blueeyedgirl]

The school meets his needs. Nothing about the school or meeting my son's needs at that school has changed. They have just changed their minds about providing the transportation. I have been given a few names of parents in the last few days that i have spoken with who have a child with special needs. These parents have had to advocate very hard to have their child intergrated into the school system. It seems that the public school board would like to have the children segregated and i am sorry but that is not what i feel is best for my son at this time. I guess unless you have had to deal with it or hear other stories like i have been hearing the past few days it is hard to understand.

[1337]

Blueeyed you got a PM