Unfortunately, the response has not been good and I have been forced to move on to the next step. Today I drafted a letter to send to the principal reiterating all my requests, my reasons for them and quoting supporting information from the school board's website. I have cc'ed Leah's teacher, the Educational Resource Teacher and the Coordinator of Special Education at the School Board. If nothing comes of this, then I will lodge a formal complaint with the school board.
I am greatly disheartened that it has come to this. I can't believe that the school would not be more proactive in seeking/providing assistance for her.
I have included the body of the letter below.
Further to our conversations on February 15th and
22nd, I would like to re-iterate my request for a Team Meeting to
discuss the educational and support needs for Leah. I understand that the lack of an official
diagnosis may make this a more difficult process, but the facts speak for
themselves, she is missing an astonishing amount of school, and while at school
it is noticeable that some days she is lacking the ability to work to her usual
level.
As mentioned in her report card, Leah is constantly
struggling to catch up on school work missed due to her frequent absences. I understand that Mrs. ****** is working
with her as time allows to bring her up to speed, but I cannot imagine that she
has sufficient time to meet all of Leah’s needs.
As of the date of the printing of Leah’s report card, she
had missed 29.5 days of school. As we
discussed, this figure does not include the many, many days that she has come
home after an episode. She is normally a
good student who is eager to learn, but with this amount of missed instruction,
it is a terrible strain on both teacher and student to attempt to remain up to
date. As stated on the website;
Belief
6:
|
The classroom teacher
needs the support of the larger community to create a learning environment
that supports students with special education needs.
|
From our conversations, I understand that any work sent home
cannot be assessed for marks, but currently I am not receiving any type of
work/practice for her to do. I am
willing to help her at home, but am not being given the opportunity to do so. I have asked that any practice or work that
needs to be sent home could be given to one of her three siblings at the
school.
In doing some reading on the NCDSB website, I am given to
understand that Educational Assistants are assigned to the school not a
particular student, and I would like to again request that some time be
dedicated to Leah to help with her school work and her trips to the
bathroom/office/etc. Based on the
Emergency Protocol established at the beginning of the year, the school
requested that Leah not be allowed to be alone when outside of the
classroom. Since then she has used other
students to ensure her safety, I would prefer that safety issues be attended to
by an adult.
I had also requested giving Leah an opportunity to lie down
during the day, possibly at lunch. We
have noticed that a brief nap or chance to rest seems to be very beneficial to
her and might give her the opportunity to remain at school more often. I understand that dedicating a staff member
to her for this time would be difficult, but again, that is where an EA would
be an asset to her. As for a lack of
space, even a quiet corner in the library would be sufficient if a more
suitable space was not available, or until one is made available.
While I understand best practices for a teacher would be to
modify the teaching program as a student requires it, and I appreciate the offer of an IEP prior to the EQAO testing next year, to ensure she receives some sort of accommodation if required; I strongly urge that an
actual IEP be in place for Leah now. This would allow the IEP to follow her
from teacher to teacher for continuity.
Leah’s needs are unique and a new teacher would need to have an
understanding of what has worked in the past and what those needs are. I am requesting the assignment of an IEP at
the earliest possible opportunity to ensure she receives the necessary accommodation. I strongly
believe she needs one now. Again,
quoting the Guiding Principles:
·
The
guiding principles for services to students are rooted in the belief that the
Special Education Department advocates for all students.
·
Students
and their successes are the focus of all decision making.
·
The
foundation of programming and delivery is early ongoing assessment and
intervention.
I am distraught at the idea of Leah falling so far behind
that her marks and foundational studies are negatively affected. This will hinder her chances for success as
she progresses through her schooling.
This is something I am not prepared to allow.
As always, I can be contacted by phone or will make myself
available for any meetings that would assist us in accessing the help that Leah
needs.
Thank you,
Heaven only knows how this will turn out. Keep us in your prayers.
XOXOX
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