Hi Action,
So sorry to hear your little boy is having such a negative school experience
. Sounds like there are a lot of very strong (and confident
) opinions about your son by his teacher - who is probably not qualified to make them. I agree with Grinity that you should document the conversations you have with the teacher. I would also add snail mail to the e-mail recommendation IMHO. Letters are an advocate's friend
.
My recommendations for priority things to do: First and foremost,you do need to find out what your DS's issues are (Emotional? LD? Attention? Boredom? Poor environmental fit? Medical issues? Combination?) and that means finding an *independent* psychologist to do a thorough eval. I believe there is inherent conflict of interest when a district employee does the eval. It can be pricey, but I would get the most qualified, most highly recommended one you can afford. Second, go to the department of ed website for your state and read the laws for special education and gifted education. It may be helpful for you to find a special ed advocate in your area (some work pro-bono, but most should at least provide a free consultation to see if you need their services).
You're in good company here on this board. I have a second grader I'm advocating for as well... It's exhausting but the support from this board has really helped me get through this.
