For the teachers/child workers: How to handle this.

dandan83 · November 2010

Got a little long, CN at bottom.

My brother is enrolled in a charter school this year. He was having issues with bullies in public school and my family thought this would be a better environment for him. Unfortunately now, he is having trouble with his teacher.

He has vision problems due to being on oxygen the first 3 months of his life. He is also ADD. Before putting him in the school they were given his file, and it's like the teacher hasn't even read it. She has insisted he can see and doesn't need to be put in the front, among other things. Now he says when she walks by his desk she knocks his folders in the floor on purpose. She also takes food from her students when they are on lunch. (Not just my brother)

My stepmom has spoken to the principal, which has done no good. She has now gone to a board member who admits that the principal will not do anything about it because they like their teachers too much. He also stated that there have been other complaints.

I'm so pissed off that I want to go beat up this teacher for the way she's treating not only my brother, but the other children. I can only assume my brother is not the only child that she is treating this way in the classroom since she's taking the food from other children in the cafeteria.

Do you have any suggestions for anything that can be done about this?

CN: My brother, and other students are being treated poorly by their teacher and charter school won't do anything about it.

reddy123 · November 2010

Does he have specific paper work with the school district claiming what he needs to be accommodated?

Every state has a different name for them our are called 504's or something. As long as he has that paperwork, the school must accommodate him, no matter the trouble. They could really get in big-time trouble for denying him help.

However, if he doesn't have this special school district piece of paper (different from a doctor's note), you need to get that ASAP before going forward.

reddy123 · November 2010

FWIW, I had the correct paper work, and teachers would still argue with me about it because I was causing them more work. I constantly had to be my own advocate and learn the law thoroughly myself. Sometimes I would even have to excuse myself to the bathroom, and then high tail it to the principal's office for back up.

ETA: college was a whole different story. They had paid people that were beyond understanding there to just to help me, it made me realize if public schools had more money, they would too.

[Deleted User] · November 2010

That is unreal. I don't know what to do, but I can ask my mom when I see her tomorrow. She's a teacher so she might know who to contact, if you don't get a response by then from the teachers here who know what to do.

In any case, I'd imagine the school is bound to comply to a child's medical needs. If the principal won't do anything, there must be someone on the board who has the power to step in.

ETA--that pisses me off about taking the food. We barely had any money when I was little and didn't have much food to go around. If a teacher took food from me I'm pretty sure my mother would have been in the office every single day until someone did something about it.

cupcakesfrosting · November 2010

My little brother goes to a special school for children with ADD/ADHD. Is there something in the area for your brother? It's a public school, just with an emphasis on learning disabilities..

NatesGirl16 · November 2010

Hmm, I don't know that much that can help you here. I can't lie--I'm not sure about the laws regarding charter schools and educational modifications, especially in your state, but this is what I do know.

Reddy is absolutely right. First, you must have your brother evaluated (for the ADD), which may result in his obtaining an IEP (individualized educational plan--for classified students) or 504 Plan (modification plan--students are not fully classified, but receive modifications for various learning issues). Without either of these plans, legally, the school does not have to provide modifications or preferential seating for any student (although, honestly, kids have issues all the time and I try to help them out, but that's neither here nor there).

Second, from here on out, I wouldhave every correspondence with the school in writing, either email or even certified letter. This way, the administration can't claim that they have no record of complaints.

Third, can your stepmom talk to other parents in the class and see what their experience is? Perhaps if you approach the board with several complaints, it will motivate them to take action.

Let me know if you need any more help, although I'm not sure how much I'll know :P.

kaesha · November 2010

Can you threaten legal action? I'm a teacher in Ontario... I don't understand how the charter school system works at all... but are there any elected officials you can go to?

That's awful. Who takes food from kids? That's nuts!

Whatever you do, document, document, document. Write up reports of the contents of each meeting.

reddy123 · November 2010

Thank you Nates, IEP, I was trying to remember the name of it! I had a choice between an IEP and a 504, I chose the 504 because it's good all the way through college.

ETA: From my understanding, most charter schools accept public money, therefore have to follow all the rules of a public school.

dandan83 · November 2010

Thanks for the suggestions guys! Reddy, I'll be sure to ask my stepmom about what kind of paperwork they have filed.

Sesh: Exactly! The area the school is in, is a very low income area to begin with. I'm highly upset that this school was supposed to be taking in the public school students that were having difficulties learning because of issues in the classroom (violence, etc.) and then they're going to go and treat the students this way!!

Unfortunately there's nothing like that in this area Cupcakes. I'm really glad that your brother has that oppurtunity though! It would be nice to see something like that here!

NatesGirl16 · November 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_teacherschild-workers-handle-this?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:c20003c0-94ea-4346-8a0f-f7af7a2c85d2Post:1fb2a544-7630-4fc4-a788-dcbc68493d13">Re: For the teachers/child workers: How to handle this.</a>:
[QUOTE]Thank you Nates, IEP, I was trying to remember the name of it! I had a choice between an IEP and a 504, I chose the 504 because it's good all the way through college.
Posted by reddy123[/QUOTE]
Yeah, colleges are getting on board with educational modifications, which is definitely cool. My mom's friend's daughter (convoluted, much?) was classified and the college recognized her classification and offered her the same modfications, etc. . She did really well in her program and wouldn't have made it (she has pretty severe learning issues, but is amazing in music, which is what she studied) through all of her classes without it.

dandan83 · November 2010

Thank you Nates! That gives me a great place to start searching for some more info! You ladies are always so helpful, and I really appreciate it.

NatesGirl16 · November 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_teacherschild-workers-handle-this?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:c20003c0-94ea-4346-8a0f-f7af7a2c85d2Post:f9a71d5e-149e-4d7d-8a47-a749e8b4b156">Re: For the teachers/child workers: How to handle this.</a>:
[QUOTE]Thank you Nates! That gives me a great place to start searching for some more info! You ladies are always so helpful, and I really appreciate it.
Posted by dandan83[/QUOTE]
I would also check the Department of Education website for VA. Ours sucks visually and is hard to get through, but it does have all of the legal information you're probably looking for and contact info for advocates who can help get your brother in a good learning environment.

<a href="http://www.doe.virginia.gov/students_parents/index.shtml" rel="nofollow">http://www.doe.virginia.gov/students_parents/index.shtml</a>

And, I can't stress documentation enough. I would research your rights, then send a certified letter to the school, explaining the issues and citing the appropriate laws/info from the DOE website. I'm pretty sure my principal would be all up in that classroom if she received a letter like that.

jamiefour · November 2010

First off I am sorry your brother and you and your family are going through this. First thing they have to do is make sure your brother has an IEP or 504 like pp's suggested. Also, make sure that it is current and gets reviewed properly each year. If they are updated and the school is not following it they are breaking the law. It doesn't matter if it is a charter school, private, public, or perochial (SP), it is still illegal. The hard part about a charter school is they tend to be run by a private organization, so there may not be a board of education, however they still have some sort of board. If things aren't being resolved with the modifications or lunch thing your stepmom needs to contact the charter school's board all the way up to the president and find out why nothing is being done. If there are still problems after all of that, she should contact the states board of education department, probably special services and report the school. I hope this helps!

nda_roxybabe · November 2010

What do you mean taking food?! What are they doing with it??

[Deleted User] · November 2010

Charter schools do accept public money, however they do not have to follow the same standards and curriculum as a public school. You have to go to the top who ever that may be, the board or public offical shoulc be able to help. I would suggest removal from the school. Charter schools are not always equipped to handle children with special needs. Like the others said however he would need an IEP or 504 before that would be the case anyway.
I hope everything works out for you!

jasmineh7777 · November 2010

That is awful.
I think his parents can request to reevaluate his IEP at any time. They should be able to outline specific modifications he needs.
The school is legally required to accomodate him, just fyi.

If the teacher is a biitch about it, I would request to change classrooms. Are there any teachers with experience with his needs?

NatesGirl16 · November 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_teacherschild-workers-handle-this?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:c20003c0-94ea-4346-8a0f-f7af7a2c85d2Post:ec154f1a-0561-453d-bc3b-84447c71259a">Re: For the teachers/child workers: How to handle this.</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>Charter schools do accept public money, however they do not have to follow the same standards and curriculum as a public school. </strong>You have to go to the top who ever that may be, the board or public offical shoulc be able to help. I would suggest removal from the school. Charter schools are not always equipped to handle children with special needs. Like the others said however he would need an IEP or 504 before that would be the case anyway. I hope everything works out for you!
Posted by raenbow319[/QUOTE]
This was my understanding, as well.

And, I don't believe that parochial schools have to recognize classifications, either. I went to Catholic school my whole life and there were no in class supports or anything. My aunt had to pull my cousin out of Catholic school because they evaluated her and couldn't meet her needs. My understanding was that although they must be Middle States accredited, they don't have to follow the same laws as public schools. Public school is mandated, so they must meet your needs. You have the choice to choose a parochial school.

dandan83 · November 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_teacherschild-workers-handle-this?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:c20003c0-94ea-4346-8a0f-f7af7a2c85d2Post:215c0833-0fc8-44f4-a9c7-efc221484572">Re: For the teachers/child workers: How to handle this.</a>:

[QUOTE]What do you mean taking food?! What are they doing with it??[/QUOTE]
She's eating it!! She'll come by and say, "Oh, are you going to finish that? And then take it and eat it!

[QUOTE]That is awful. I think his parents can request to reevaluate his IEP at any time. They should be able to outline specific modifications he needs. The school is legally required to accomodate him, just fyi. If the teacher is a biitch about it, I would request to change classrooms. Are there any teachers with experience with his needs?
Posted by jasmineh7777[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure about other teachers for his grade, that's something I'll tell my stepmom to look into. I feel that if they didn't think they would be able to handle his needs they should have just been honest and told my parents that.

Oh! I forgot this bit. My stepmom said when she talked to the board member about the issues that he told her to be sure not to mention to anyone that she had spoken to him. He said that previous students have been treated worse when it was found out the parents had gone above the principals head...

NatesGirl16 · November 2010

IDK about charter schools and laws. I would imagine it's similar from state to state, but I have no idea

.

But WTF is up with eating the kids' lunches? Although, we do have a guidance counselor who does something similar. She walks around during her lunch duty and picks fries off of the kids' trays. She's a piece of work. She does work her ass off to help those kids with college apps and such, though, so no one really gets on her.

nda_roxybabe · November 2010

She'll eat their food!? Hell ya, I'd be going to someone about that.

jamiefour · November 2010

In NY if a Catholic School can't provide the services, the district public school must provide it for them, either in the child's school or busing them over for their services.

brilibby4 · November 2010

First of all, have they spoken directly to the teacher? I would definitely bring up my concerns to the teacher specifically, if that hasn't already been done. I would schedule a meeting and come with all documentation such as his IEP in hand and just nicely explain their concerns. I might have missed this but how old is your brother?

I agree with the PP who said to make sure that your parents are documenting EVERYTHING. Even writing down each time he comes home with a specific complaint and dating it just to have exact data to refer to in the future. I would NOT stop and would continue to speak to the principal about every single complaint, maybe with a follow up email to keep a paper trail. I don't know much about charter schools but your brother is being treated unfairly and that is horrible. I'm so sorry!

Anysunrise · November 2010

If she's actually taking food from him and refusing to accomadate his needs with the paperwork in tow, and the board won't do anything about it, I'd be contacting a lawyer and going from there. That is seriously fvcked up.

HobokensFury · November 2010

Does your brother have a 504 plan, which is for students with physical disabilities? If he does not get him one asap because it is a legal contract. If the school / teacher does not abide by it take them to court.

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