Re: Re:Committee doesn't care

[Guest guest]

Unfortunately, NO ONE --neither a lawyer or an advocate should EVER suggest what is " BEST " for one of our children.  You can only talk about what is " appropriate " and what is " inappropriate "   and that which will or will not meet a child's unique needs.  Unfortunately if you go in there talking about what is best for the child, you will be accused of wanting a " Cadillac " education and be told that schools are not required to provide what is " best " --only what is " appropriate. "   The problem lies in semantics.  Of course, in parents view, the definition of " appropriate " is what is truly going to benefit the child and move him/her forward.  The word " appropriate " in the districts' views is " de minimis "   --a legal term for " crap " and " let them eat cake. "

The Supreme court has ruled that it violates the IDEA if a district offers only de minimis, but districts get away with it every day.  The prey on unsuspecting parents who know little of advocacy and special education law and try to convince them that they are getting a Cadillac education when what the child is getting is a burned out PINTO from the junk yard.

It is up to the parents to get educated about advocacy and special education law and then use knowledge to benefit our children.  It is either advocacy within the schools or home-school or if you win the lottery then you can send your child to private and walk away from the madness.

The norm in Texas, as far as I know, is to either advocate and realize that every year is going to be rough if your child is going to get appropriate and adequate services or give up.  I can't imagine giving up and just letting them run my son through the school to prison pipeline.

67% of special education children in this country are unemployed a year after graduation.  37% windup in the prison system within five years of " graduation. "   What they plan on most of our children receiving is a " certificate of completion "   not a REAL diploma and so they educate our children as if it does not matter.  Parents must band together and advocate for some serious changes in Texas.

I NEVER sign at a meeting.  I " table " the discussion so that I can go home, read over the document --though I confess I got bullied last time and should have taken more time to read the document than I did, but I learn from my mistakes and will never make that one again.  So many problems have come up afterward that I will revoke my agreement.  But I think they deliberately bully parents to get them to sign quickly.  It's a " save money " game to them.  To us, it is our children's very survival in the world at stake.  They just don't get it.  Every child has the right to learn to read, write, and compute and to be taught how to do so in a manner that they can learn.  Children with autism have a unique need such that they need DAILY speech intervention, behavior training, and social training, and they should NEVER be denied an academic education simply because they have autism.

, you are right except don't ever have a parent use the word " best. "   Unfortunately, in Texas, wanting the " best " for a child with autism is educational suicide.  So if there is something a child needs, it MUST be referred to as " appropriate " and be presented to the committee as the very least amount  the a parent will accept as appropriate.  A parent should never say, " I feel... "   They've got to leave the emotions outside the door.