Special Needs Problems with CCSD

Dear A.,

O.K., now you and the other mothers need to go beyond the school district. Go to the County Superintendent of Schools and don't take no for an answer. Before you go, make an appointment and get your act together. Think about what you want to tell them, then think of the sleazy way that they are going to try to get out of helping you, then have a good response ready, and so on, do not go alone, and sort of 'dress up', they love that, did you notice that a lot of school administrators 'dress up' a bit too much. That is meant to be sure that you know that they are serious, important and smart. So are you. Go for it.

You are so right about that 'No Child Left Behind Act' that thing is a farce, made up to make us think that THEY , whoever they are, care about our children. Not true.

O.K., then when you do or don't get any action or help from the County Supt. of Schools, write to your Congressman or woman; write to your Senator, and no kidding, they will listen to you. You also could write to the Federal Department of Schools, I don't know the proper name of the dept, but you can find it on the internet.

Good Luck and try for your own child as well as the many, many others who are being let down also. C. N.

The only 1 thing i can think of it to talk to a family advocate. There is a chw office on folsom blvd. I don't know where you live but, im pretty sure they can find 1 anywhere. Try to call ###-###-####. I hope they can help you. Please let me know .??

Your child should have an IEP that the school, regular ed and special ed teachers, and YOU all signed. In the IEP is the specific, individualized education plan for your child. The school must follow the IEP or they are out of compliance. And if you want something changed in the IEP, you need to request a meeting to re-evaluate the situation.

The school district's goal is to have students in mainstream education as much as possible... and that is a result of most special needs parents wanting that.

No elementary child should have 4 hours of homework... that doesn't sound right. What exactly do you mean by that? I teach elementary, and they should have about 10 minutes per grade, not including reading for fun/practice and special projects... So 4th graders should have about 40 minutes of homework, 3rd should have about 30, etc. What could you be doing for 4 hours? Now, if your child takes 4 hours to complete something that a "mainstream" child takes a regular amount of time for... that is something different... The assignments need to be adjusted for your situation. I am not really sure how you would solve that problem.

Most schools, administrators, and teachers do NOT like the No Child Left Behind Act because it sets unrealistic goals... Schools are labeled "at risk" if parents don't bring their kids to school... umm... something the school can't control.. yet if a school doesn't have 95% attendance, they are "at risk". There are many other ridiculous goals in that law that schools can't make happen. Within another 5 years, all schools in Clark County will be "failing" according to NCLB, yet there are many fine schools here.

I don't know your past experiences, but I have to say that MOST teachers, administrators, and schools really DO have your child's best interests at heart; and with all the problems they face, they are doing the best they can.

Have you had a Special Education IEP done recently - by law you have a right to that - - - and that trumps anything else. I am a teachers assistant for Special Ed - the Federal Laws are there to help you - but you have to push some school district to get them to obey - once your daughter is in the Federal program you will have a lot more power to get her what she needs - including less time in mainstream and modified homework assignments...

Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you get there.

Have you been in contact with Nevada PEP ###-###-####? My 3.5 y.o. son is autistic and I've just started dealing with what you are dealing with but I've found PEP to be helpful.

Good luck!
T.