Is this now the point where we no longer beat around the bush?
Yes. What's your picture of no longer beating around the bush?
Homeschooling? Keeping him home for a week in protest? Switching to a school that will accelerate him (after a year you can bring him back)? Making a formal request for the next skip in writting, and sending copies to the teacher, the principle, the gifted coordinator, the school board?
How do I make it clear to the school that it's academics affecting behavior so they don't use the reverse argument?
The articles might help. might not. Asking for a temporary placement to evaluate if you are just being crazy for thinking this thing that they clearly don't believe. In the end, you might not ever change their thinking. You can only ask, as cleanly as possible, for them to do the right thing.
Sometimes it helps to frame it in terms of the school's mission statement, whatever that might happen to be. Repeating yourself over and over again while projecting complete confidence seems to help. The book 'Getting to Yes' will help you 'coalition build' with the school.
It seems to me that the first challenge is to sell them on 'we have a problem' and after that, you can try selling them on 'here is the solution.'
BTW - it seems like you got a good 6 months in with the current situation. That is actually something to celebrate. He likes school. That's very good! He has friends, friends that he likes even, it sounds like. That's very good. Now the trick is to help the school see that there is a problem. Ask yourself - what things have happened recently that make me want to cry. Those are the stories that you have to share with the school.
Best Wishes,
Grinity
