So far today I spoke to new DSS to hear what principal is proposing, met with a special ed attorney and spoke to asst superintendent filling in for the real one who is on medical leave. Frankly I have to wonder if I am totally losing my mind. This really, truly cannot be happening...
So the principal is reassigning a 6th grade teacher to 2nd grade and wants to place DD in her classroom rather than with one of the returning 2nd grade teachers. So yes, she is in fact reassigning a teacher for DD - just refusing for it to be the one who has already proven to have a classroom style that works for DD and who has already gotten to know how to read DD's signs of anxiety. (And Amob whether or not the first grade teacher has asked to be reassigned is basically a moot point. She made clear that she is not expecting to return to 1st grade next year and had no idea as of the beginning of June "what they are going to do with me.") Principal told the new DSS that this teacher will be using a "responsive classroom" along with a color chart. I pushed and said that my understanding of the responsive classroom is that you utilize positive reinforcement and logical consequences. A color chart does not belong in the mix. In fact I read one article on a Responsive Classroom website that is entitled "Beware the Color Chart." At this point her wording changed to "a responsive type classroom".
She said her color chart would be a bee hive shape and would use a system called "Positive Bee-havior" where kids would get moved to the yellow and then red hives. So, it's a color chart. A cute shape, a cute name but still the same public shaming device we have been arguing about. She would also use the "rest stop" part of responsive classroom by sending the children to a chair as punishment. I asked if this would be a specific punishment chair or back to their own seat and she did not know. If it is actually a punishment seat this is even worse than the system at AIM that triggered the whole situation.
Since the principal is insisting on the color chart new DSS is back to pushing for systematic desensitization over the summer. What? Didn't we agree last week that it wasn't reasonable to try to put this together over the summer and we needed to do it in conjunction with a proper classroom placement - not instead of it?
She was supposedly going to contact the superintendent to have her deal with us directly since I told her that when I and our consultant tried we never got anywhere. Instead I just got a call - and the third degree - from asst superintendent. My story doesn't change, my request doesn't change. I am just trying to prevent a full blown school anxiety issue. Period. I am not asking for anything different than what we asked for last year and my reasons haven't changed. I am all for desensitizing her but in conjunction with an appropriate placement - not instead of one. Really - it's just that simple. If you wanted to be able to put her in a classroom without making this accommodation you should have prepared her for it. You had an entire year with the SW working with her weekly. You didn't even try it. You didn't even TRY. You also timed this to blindside us so we couldn't even TRY to work with the new teacher to come up with a mutually agreeable plan. Don't you get it???? AARRRGGG!!!!
Attorney sees this EXACTLY as I see it and says it is just plain silly. Why on earth would the principal be doing this over something as ridiculous as a color chart? Her ego and her anger at us for going over her head. She didn't say but I assume also embarrassment over the letter about her violating the IEP. Attorney said "everything with special ed comes down to either money or ego. In this case it is ego." She cannot understand why the district is allowing this principal to behave this way. She suggests going to the superintendent and asking directly "Can you really justify to the school board that you are paying $3k-$4k in legal fees rather than make a change that costs NOTHING?"
Please tell me if I am still the sane, rational person I have tried to be. This really just makes no sense...
