Only 3 Months!
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| Thu, 12-07-2006 - 10:17pm |
OK, so we filed for home schooling the second week of Sept., under duress, as you all remember. We just this week got the approval for our OT to start!!! Bless the behavioral counselor, she actually started without the approval and is willing to fudge the paperwork in order to get paid, 'cuz we don't have her approval yet. And we are still negotiating with providers and schedules to find a speech therapist, we call and call, noone has openings or the right time...
In the meantime, Malcolm has been without the services he needs and is owed by law, oh well. AND we have pestered the DOE, either called trying to leave messages (voice mailboxes ALWAYS full) or gone to sit there until someone will actually talk to us at the many different DOE offices 3 - 4 times a week every single week since we filed -- trying to get this seen through.
Of course I know a woman for whom it took over 7 months just to get her basic forms approved, that took us a month (ONLY) after the month it took the one lady who IS the entire homeschool office (now since cutbacks) to learn how to input special ed students into the NEW computer system so we could even file for the RSAs.
Now I have to keep calling the Speech approval person and the Counseling approval person so we can GET the mounds of paperwork so the provider can get paid. More daily calls. Amazing.
BUT the one very good thing I can say is that ... the providers are all people who no longer want to work within the school system, did work for years within the school system, AND THEY ARE OLD SEASONED PROS!!! NO pop-tarts, not a one. And they rock.
We are also now paying for a great tutor out-of pocket, so basically we are almost good to go on Malcolm's schooling for however long this school hunting process takes... The boy could definitely be in college first HA.
Sara
ilovemalcolm

Ug! I remember this sort of nonsense from my son's one year in public school. When we first met with the school to enroll him in kindergarten I brought them a folder that had his speech testing and therapy results from what we had taken him to at 3-4yrs old. After that we called several times to remind them that he needed speech and that they had the test results. Nothing.
Then in *November* they come to me to request a meeting because 'he may need speech'. After that oh-so-productive meeting the get back to me in *January* to tell me low and behold he *does* need speech. He finally started services in something like late Jan or Feb.
At the end of the year... the teacher I gave his original file to *returned the file to me* from her desk... clearly never even opened or otherwise considered. No wonder it took so long! But everytime I reminded them he needed speech early on they acted like they knew what results I was talking about and that they were just a working away to get him services... like I was stupid enough to believe it took three months to even get the paperwork *started* and five months to get it services underway.
I don't think as homeschooler in our state we really have as many services avalible to us... (he doesn't even need speech anymore and we haven't considered other services yet since we are just now looking for a dx)... but I know we have some and I shudder to think of the mountains we'll have to climb if I ever decide to fight for them. ((((hugs))))
Kristy
Kristy
wow! I salute you and your persistence and patience! I'm sure I would have broken by this point! way to go Sara, you are an amazing mom!
Betsy
MAJORLY Frustrating isn't it! I feel for you. It is sometimes just darn ridiculus the hoops we jump through. I am in a frustrated mood today because it appears that after all my arguing for an extra assessment for Cait because of her score drops that, well, some how she is miraculusly cured! Which is great except now they will stop providing the supports and go back to thinking I am just crazy. UGH!!!!!!!!!
Renee