I just wanted to say that I find that linked story so disturbing I have read it a couple times. If it can happen to a well-educated, well-to-do family it can happen to anyone. It reminds me so much of our school and I can see something like that happening here. They report families to CPS or the police without bothering to discuss the situation with the family or get the whole story, they fail to do evaluations when parents have concerns, gossip and talk behind the back of the family, falsify records when backed into a corner, etc. etc. etc. I think it's a disgrace that apparently nothing happened to the school or anyone in it. They didn't have to pay any damages? No one was fired? Schools do this because they know they can get away with it. No one ever loses their jobs and nothing ever happens.
So, I was talking with a mom who has a child with special needs about getting an advocate, etc (she has been trying to get an iep and services for her disabled child for 6 moths now and getting nowhere)... And another mom chimed in with this comment: "Definitely get a lawyer or advocate to help you in {state county} because in that particular county, and in a few other neighboring counties, if you p*ss them off enough they will anonymously report you to CPS." She said that she has been working with Special Olympics for years and almost every family that she has dealt with in the certain state counties had been reported at least once and many 2 or 3 times - almost always around their IEP and getting the things laid out in their IEP. Pretty disturbing that this is apparently a strategy used by some schools
So it goes both ways. Especially since they know that I know laws have been broken and I'm simply being "nice" in not reporting them.