I normally would agree with DeeDee about not rewarding his meltdown with a day off from school but in this case I think the school situation made it impossible for him NOT to meltdown. It sounds like he did an amazing job of holding it together as well as he did through the school day.
The district is required to provide a free and appropriate public education but it is clear that some folks in leahchris' school are not understanding that. If they create an environment that makes it impossible for DGS to attend then they will be faced with coming up with an alternate placement. This needs to be THEIR problem and not put on the shoulders of a 7 year old who already has a boat load of issues to deal with. Just as eldertree said once it is in an IEP it will be compulsory to provide the agreed upon level of service. Now is the time to start to put a bit of pressure on them so they know that leahchris knows DGS's rights and will require the district to treat him appropriately. In my opinion pairing the requests for the appropriate environment with him losing school time as a result of their improper level of services will put her in a strong position to argue later if it comes to mediation or due process.
In our case last year I moved heaven and earth to make sure that DD attended school each day, even though she was very frequently sent home early by the nurse. This year I told the school that I was not going to do that. It was up to them to create an environment that allows her to access her education. If the environment that they create in not appropriate and they trigger her anxiety they will simply have to provide her an education OOD. It will be more expensive. It will be more complicated. It will be more difficult. But it will be THEIR responsibility to provide the education nonetheless. It is amazing how much harder they are trying to make her environment appropriate since THEY are the ones facing the consequences...
Last edited by Pemberley; 09/28/12 09:08 AM.
