Special Education

2009-02-11T10:42:00.000-08:00

SPECIAL EDUCATION IS A SERVICE NOT A PLACEMENT

Placement is determined by your childs needs first and foremost. Not the type of disability or label that may have been thrust upon your child.

If placement has been decided first then you have an IEP Team that has violated your childs rights and you must question the IEP teams behavior and their knowledge of IDEA 2004 and No Child Left Behind.....

2009-02-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

Because my daughter has failed statewide assessment test they have taken her off of her academic path and lowered her standards and placed her in a program where no one cares whether these kids learn or not. It is not my daughter fault but the schools. When the child fails these assessements it is the responsiblity of the school to help these kids and not place them in what I call modern day slavery programs. Providing them with instruction that is not research based, no books no homework, no spelling, vocabulary, etc nothing comes home for reinforcement, yet they give tests and are expected to pass. A recipe for failure. They weren't even teaching my daughter to read this year. I fought several months just to get her in a intensive reading intervention and then to find out they are not administering it properly. Actually I've been trying to get her out of this modern day slavery program since the beginning of this school year (September) and have gotten nothing but talk and no action. But with that said I am teaching my daughter the fundamentals. Something the school should have done and should be doing. All they had to do was supply her special education services i.e. a tutor. I even provided a model of a program that I researched and provided it to them since they don't know what they are doing.

During this time I've had to quickly educate myself on the law to understand my daughters rights and mine and now now that my rights and daughters have been violated. This is what I like about No Child Left Behind because you can make the school accountable using the laws. So I've armed myself with Wrights Special Education Law and No Child Left Behind and now GAME IS ON. They have opened Pandora's Box. I've been submitting my poems to my state Governor, Congresswoman, senators, Board of Education, Superintendent of Schools, the White House, etc.... My daughter will get an free and appropriate education as stated by law. In the meantime while fighting them I've resulted to teaching my daughter 3-4 hours everyday. Teaching her the basics/fundamentals and she has made more progress in the last couple months of at home teaching/tutoring than she has made in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade combined. I use books that are used in the tutoring centers i.e. KUMON, and other books from reading specialist, and books that are aligned with statewide assessement in Maryland. My daughter is making tremendous progress and motivated to do more everyday. Borders, the Library, teaching websites are my resources for teaching my daughter as I fight to have her removed and placed in private school because apparently the public school has no clue. That's just being nice, they know they are only looking at services within their school which keeps these children hidden. There is nothing individualized and the childs needs are not met when the school is thinking about themselves. If they had to say we could not help your child then they would be responsible for paying to send them to private schools, tutoring etc. Of course they don't want to do that. Instead they hide them and forget about them making the school look good and your child suffers. Hoping the parent is not aware of their rights.

I urge everyone who has a child receiving special education services to not just accept what is being told to you especially if your gut is telling you something else. Understand that you and your child have rights. If you are not satisfied with services you are receiving and don't have time to educate yourself on the law their are plenty of free advocates out there to help. Best books WrightsLaw ---No Child Left Behind and Wrightslaw--- Special Education Law or www.wrightslaw.com. TIP---Document, document, document, create a paper trail of every meeting, every conversation i.e. send a followup e-mail of meetings, conversations, etc. I have a paper trail of everything starting from September. When you fight you need facts and evidence. Words are not enough.

I just can't believe that in the 21st Century I have to fight to get an appropriate education for my daughter. Something that is supposed to free.

All I can say is GAME ON!!!!!! My daughters situation will change YES IT WILL!!!!

2009-02-06T06:17:00.000-08:00

A Child Left Behind

My child is more than 3 grades left behind,
the school districts have lost their mind.
What happened to No Child Left Behind?

Removing her from her academic path,
because her challenge is reading, writing, and math.
Instead of providing services to help
They put her in a hidden place to be kept.

My child comes home crying
as there is no denying
that the school districts are not applying
but only justifying
while my child comes home crying.

Told me she felt sorry for herself.
This is not good for her health.
This type of depression,
is stemmed from oppression,
brought on from regression,
by those who used transgression,
for the purpose of suppression.

Stripping my child of her rights,
don’t they know they have a fight.
Believe I’m gonna fight for her
didn’t know I had to be a lawyer.
But on the contrary,
she will get a free and appropriate education
by any means necessary.

I am fighting for a free and appropriate education.
I must admit there is some frustration
but
there is no hesitation
as I’ve educated myself on legislation and regulations.
No Child Left Behind and IDEA 2004
my daughter will not be left behind
anymore.

To get a free and appropriate education is an entitlement.
Not to fit the criteria of someone’s
ignorant
judgment.

Trust when I say
It is a new day.
A change is gonna come her way.

I thank God for who I am
I am a mother with a plan
I am a mother not afraid,
to fight the good fight in this decade.
I am a mother
dedicated,
to get my daughter
educated.

I do believe that in the end
my daughter will win
a free and appropriate education.

What is Special about Special Education?

2009-02-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

What is special about special education,
when it causes regression,
segregation,
frustration,
and isolation?

What is special about special education
when the children who receive an individualized education plan
turns out to be no more than a scam?

What is special about special education
when the needs of the children are supposed to be individualized
when the reality is they’re trivialized?

What is special about special education
when the needs of the children are met
with a shrug,
then swept under the rug?

What is special about special education
when the needs of the children are not met
but
the availability of services for the school are set
for the sake of placement?

What is special about special education
when it doesn’t focus on children meeting their full potential?
This program then is detrimental.

What is special about special education
when the unique needs of the child and parents are ignored
for the sake of the school getting scored?

What is special about special education
when placement is determined first
and the unique needs of the child
becomes just a verse?

What is special about special education
when some of the very people we trust to educate our children
should be tried for treason.

What is special about special education
when instruction is experimental
instead of research based instruction
which is essential?

What is special about special education
when you have the IDEA 2004 and No Child Left Behind laws
and some of the people you trust to teach your child
are ignorant of the laws
all the while?
That’s a cause for pause.

What is special about special education
when the rights of the parents and child are violated
even when it’s mandated?

What is special about special education
when the needs of the child are not addressed?
This special education is one big mess!

What is special about special education
when you attend an IEP meeting
and
the placement has been decided
before the greeting?

What is special about special education
when a child is molded to fit a special placement
or
sent to a most restrictive environment
when it is an entitlement
to be in the least restrictive environment?

What is special about special education
when the child is made to feel inferior
among the rest,
for the sake of the school appearing to be superior,
amongst the best?

What is special about special education
when the child is hidden,
as if to say good ridden.
Oh my god
this should be forbidden!

What is special about special education
when this system
is supposed to educate and maximize potential
yet treat these kids like non essential.

What is special about special education
when the parent has to tell them
how and what to teach their child
and they ignore you all the while?

What is special about special education
when the children are turned into victims
by the ones who educate them
because of beaurocratic decisions?

What is special about special education
when the rights of parents and children are pushed aside,
IEP’s are vandalized,
children become victimized,
feeling ostracized,
in a place they can’t really socialize?

What is special about special education
when the teachers are paid
while the kids are enslaved
in this thing called
Special Education?

What is special about special education
when there is no dedication
from Administration
to enforce regulations
and endorse remediation
acceptable by legislation
to enhance education?