{"id":4286,"date":"2015-03-09T07:30:03","date_gmt":"2015-03-09T11:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/njcts.org\/tsparents\/?p=4286"},"modified":"2015-03-09T07:30:03","modified_gmt":"2015-03-09T11:30:03","slug":"a-plea-to-all-parents-of-special-needs-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/njcts.org\/tsparents\/a-plea-to-all-parents-of-special-needs-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"A plea to all parents of special needs kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

EDITOR’S NOTE: This blog entry was originally written to parents in Delaware, but the general theme of it applies to parents everywhere!<\/em><\/p>\n

When I started this blog journey by telling my son\u2019s special education story from a\u00a0Delaware Charter school, I promised I had no political agenda.\u00a0 That has changed.\u00a0 The only way things can change for these kids is through legislation and hammering the points home to those who need to listen the most.<\/p>\n

I am not running for any type of office, but I believe new legislation needs to be passed so children with special needs and disabilities have more rights in the state of Delaware.\u00a0 I have talked to many parents from different states, and when they hear about the types of things that go on in Delaware in terms of special education, they are shocked.<\/p>\n

All\u00a0special needs parents need to stand united.<\/strong>\u00a0 We need to stand up to the schools and let them know they are not doing the best they can.\u00a0 Some teachers do, some special education specialists do, but not nearly enough.\u00a0 No one knows our children better than we do.\u00a0 So why must we fight so hard to get our children what they deserve?\u00a0 Why do we have to go to endless meetings and fight for even the most basic of accommodations?\u00a0 Is it a funding issue?\u00a0 Is it that the schools are so arrogant to truly believe they know what is best for OUR children?<\/p>\n

Things need to change, and they need to change as soon as possible.\u00a0 I go to a support group for special needs parents.\u00a0 Tonight was our last meeting until September, but I know we will all be there to support each other over the summer.\u00a0 Every town should have one of these groups if they don\u2019t already.\u00a0 It has helped me, and I know it has helped others.\u00a0 The biggest thing for these types of groups is confidentiality.\u00a0 I promised everyone I wouldn\u2019t blog about their experiences!<\/p>\n

As parents, we see what our children go through.\u00a0 We see their daily struggles at school and home.\u00a0 We know immediately when they need us more than the school.\u00a0 We know why they do certain things that the schools just don\u2019t seem to understand.\u00a0 We understand that all their behavior is not intentional.\u00a0 What we don\u2019t know is why the schools don\u2019t want to get this.<\/p>\n

The Delaware Department of Education is having their monthly school board meeting tomorrow in Dover at 1pm in the Townshend Building, across from the new library.\u00a0 On their agenda is to go over the IDEA Annual Performance Report.\u00a0 I am very interested to hear what is in this report.\u00a0 I can guarantee not every single special education matter is in that report.<\/p>\n

Many\u00a0parents who have gone beyond the DOE know this.\u00a0 The DOE knows this.\u00a0 So what happens to all of those children who are not accounted for in that report?\u00a0 According to the DOE website, there are very few due process hearings in Delaware.\u00a0 Those that don\u2019t go to a due process tend to\u00a0get resolved through a\u00a0mediation of some sort.<\/p>\n

I spent hours last night going through these reports from the Delaware DOE on their website:\u00a0http:\/\/www.doe.k12.de.us\/infosuites\/students_family\/specialed\/cont_improv\/default.shtml\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The reality is very different than what is depicted in these reports and many of us know this.\u00a0 The DOE stated in 2010 that all Delaware schools would have a special education audit every three years, broken down into thirds for each year amongst the Delaware schools.\u00a0 Where are those audit reports?\u00a0 Why doesn\u2019t the public have access to them?<\/p>\n

They have plenty of reports on\u00a0how the special education students are doing with the \u201creform\u201d of Delaware schools, whether it is through standardized testing or how they do towards reaching targets for the state performance plan.\u00a0 Our students are more than just numbers and statistics.\u00a0 Special education needs to change in this state.\u00a0 We need to know what is going on in our schools.\u00a0 The audits are for existing IEPs.\u00a0 Why aren\u2019t their audits being done on DENIALS?<\/p>\n

In 2012, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), a Federal education department,\u00a0announced they are suspending compliance visits to schools around the country and they are allowing states and school districts to be more accountable for\u00a0 \u201cpositive adult outcomes\u201d.\u00a0 How is that going to help a 5 year old? A 10 year old?\u00a0 These are children.\u00a0 They aren\u2019t going to college or entering the workforce for many years.\u00a0 This was a huge federal mistake.\u00a0 This is allowing the schools to be less compliant with special education.<\/p>\n

Parents of ADHD, Sensory Processing, Autism, Deaf, Blind, OCD, Tourette\u2019s, and more know this.\u00a0 But what are we doing about it?\u00a0 We need to stand as one.\u00a0 Stand together as a group.\u00a0 We can\u2019t be heard by ourselves.\u00a0 Some of us have gone to District House reps or Senators about issues, but nothing ever really changes.\u00a0 We need to demand change,\u00a0we need to be loud,\u00a0we need to be large, and we need to be public.<\/p>\n

Our children are the most precious thing we have in our lives.\u00a0 We all want them to have a better life.\u00a0 But if the school\u2019s aren\u2019t doing it, then we need to make them change.\u00a0 The schools and the state government can form all the councils, committees and task forces they want, but at the end of the day we need to be the group that facilitates change.<\/p>\n

We need to demand transparency from the schools.\u00a0 We need to know how many IEPS and 504 plans they have.\u00a0 It needs to be visible on EACH school\u2019s website.\u00a0 Not just the DOE website, or hidden away on some Office Of Civil Rights webpage.\u00a0 I also believe schools should report the number of IEP and 504 denials they have each month.\u00a0 We owe it to our children to fight for them, to advocate for them.\u00a0 And the only way we can make the schools change is to force them to be compliant.\u00a0 We need to do this now more than ever.<\/p>\n

Smarter Balanced Assessments are, unfortunately, the wave of the future.\u00a0 But that future is coming up, and before we know it, teachers will be so wound up in preparing students for these tests because their jobs will depend on it.\u00a0 There is already legislation coming up that could dramatically affect how teachers are measured in the future.\u00a0 Everything is tied into Common Core and standardized testing now in Delaware.<\/p>\n

The implementation began in 2012, but it is in full swing now.\u00a0 My fear is this will be horrible for children with disabilities.\u00a0 Schools will have so much pressure to be the best.\u00a0 Teachers will feel like their job is on the line if their students don\u2019t do well.\u00a0 On a test done once a year.<\/p>\n

The frustration level for the schools and teachers will be at an all-time high.\u00a0 If students currently on IEPs or 504s are not fully accommodated, they will resort back to what prompted the IEPs and 504s to begin with.\u00a0 There is already a zero-tolerance culture in our schools on many types of behavior.\u00a0 Which can be a good thing, but for special needs students, it\u2019s all about the communication.<\/p>\n

Teachers will be so stressed out to begin with, how can we hope they will be able to give 100% to our students with special needs?\u00a0 Child Find will not be a top priority for our educators.\u00a0 Behavior issues need to be dealt with\u00a0immediately is\u00a0something I am hearing more and more from schools and\u00a0teachers around the state.\u00a0 Do not let our children get caught in the crossfire between\u00a0State demands and\u00a0stressed-out teachers.<\/p>\n

We can not let the Delaware DOE, our schools, and our teachers drop the ball on special education.\u00a0 Our children do not need to suffer more than they already have because of events beyond our control.\u00a0 If we let this happen, then we are failing as parents.\u00a0 I won\u2019t have that kind of weight on my shoulders, nor should any of you want that.\u00a0 It is time, past time, for us to take control and demand change.\u00a0 It starts now.<\/p>\n

I will be writing more about how we can ALL come together on this.\u00a0 Whether your child goes to a public, charter, vocational, or alternate school, ALL our children count.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let your child be stuck on the bottom in the race to the top.\u00a0 Please contact me at Exceptionaldelaware14@yahoo.com\u00a0if you have any questions, concerns, or want your story to be told.\u00a0 We are all in this together!<\/p>\n

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