School decisions again
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| Thu, 05-25-2006 - 7:29pm |
Well, I am back in a place where I am thinking about changing Cait's school program. I had said prior to her starting this program that if it didn't work out I would homeschool her or similar. Well, I just feel it really isn't working. I am having a hard time deciding what to do with her though.
My therapist is right. Cait would be a very tough child to homeschool and to mother. She has some cognitive learning troubles as well as AS that can be tough to deal with. She gets very frustrated. So I would be the bad guy on both accounts and never get a break. It is possible but it could get ugly and no way can I homeschool her and Mike.
1. There are a couple programs that are part time homeschool and part time school. Both are very close by and she would be in school 2-4 days a week depending on the program.
Pro's
- small classes and school (150 in entire middle school program)
-individualized learning
-emphasis on the arts in middle school program, career training program in HS.
-core curriculum taught in AM and afternoons have other opportunities.
-great philosophies about teasing, responsibility, personal growth, etc.
Con's
-may not have resources for special needs kids particular those of the autism persuasion
-some homeschooling requirements. Not sure how that would go with her getting confused between us, etc.
2. There is a Non public small special needs school not far away. This is the one I usually think of for Mike.
Pro's
-Great program for HFA/AS kids as well as other HF special needs
-program includes sensory in it as well as a structure that includes yoga, etc
-curriculum includes living skills such as paying bills, keeping a budget, job training, shopping, etc. Cait is learning these at home but still is very dependent on me. I think with someone else teaching it too it will help independence.
Con's
-no inclusion or mainstreaming with typical peers
-No access to things like school dances, sporting events and other typical middle and high school activities.
-have to get the district to pay for it (fun)
Con all together - leaving her 2 friends and school dances.
grrrrr any input?
Renee


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It is confusing the different school levels in CA. Here were the options
-Private Special ed school (here called a NPS or non-public school)
-Charter school (actually a sort of public school with a charter. There are many kinds and they are close to a private school but not really. This is the partial homeschool option)
-public school specialized AS program (current program she is in)
The charter school (which many mistook for the private school) has not returned my emails. They are a public school with regular ed students mostly. I have had the experience in teh past that smaller schools with general ed kids don't want to be bothered with special ed kids. Cait requires alot of support so unless they are willing to provide that it will not work even on a parttime basis. We have tried magnet schools, regular private, etc and this has been the case. Thier not returning my emails and such after the first one tells me they don't want to be bothered and I am not in the mood to fight with folks for appropriate education. I can do that in her current placement.
The NPS (private special ed school) seemed to be the best option but recently changed principals. I found out today that the new principal is not doing so well. Progress reports aren't being turned in, IEP's aren't being followed, etc. great (sarcasm as mike would say)
Another option is another public school placement in a different district. It is still on a regular middle school campus so they would have access to dances and other such mainstream events but almost all of their program is self contained with other HFA/AS kids. Kids still have the option of mainstreaming as they are able to do so. It sounds like a good fit and is highly recomended but it is over an hour away in traffic and there is ALWAYS traffic in San Diego. Plus we would have to get in if there are openings after thier own district has first dibs.
OYE. Why is this never easy.
Renee
It is funny how schoold are so different across the country.
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The one lady replied once asking me very briefly which program I was looking for. I replied to her over a week ago and nothing.
I know the principal to that charter school on an aquaintance level. I will talk to her tomorrow at church. Charters are similar here without the bussing but they don't bus for regular school either. State thing. They only bus special ed kids for free and then only if it is because they recomend a placement that is not thier home school. If I choose to send her to a charter it would be my responsibility to get her there.
The charters home district is responsible for providing special education and related services. It is a public school so they have too, but they don't have to be good at it if you KWIM. This is another problem, this charter school is one of a chain of charter schools of the same name. The charter is actually held by a district an hour away. Which means that Cait's special education services would not be provided by our district or even the same SELPA (another california thing) but a completely different one and they would have to drive out here to provide it and oversee it unless they have someone really good on staff at the charter school. They will only have the staff there if they have a large number of sped kids which I can't seem to find out.
Pain in the tush isn't it.
Wanna hear one better? My DH is in the process of being given a contract by the parent company of the charter school. (they own (?) alot of the charters in S. Cali). Anyway his contract is to consult and test kids for some of thier charter schools. He hasn't been able to get ahold of them either to find out which schools and he hasn't been to any yet to find out what kind of shape they are in as far as special ed.
Renee
Renee
Dear Renee,
Realistically, every time I or anyone else I know has tried to find out more about a school, etc., we have had to be incredibly aggressive in order to get information, pestering with phone calls, setting up appts. over and over, finding out the parents who have kids in the programs and calling, taking them out for coffee to find out all ... showing up at the schools and getting appts. that way. You should have seen me this Dec. - Feb. pestering the poor BOE lady who needed to do all the silly paperwork etc. to get Malcolm transferred from one private funded school to another, I called her every 3 days, to the point where I think she may have actually started weeping at the sound of my voice. I was just lucky this time that we were switching back to a school where I am on first name basis with principal and vice-principal, so it was real easy to get answers...
If you know the one charter chool principal lady from church, that makes the pestering very easy, you can corner her! The other new principal thing is a common scenario in the private school world, BTW, it takes new administration awhile to get it all together. I wouldn't write the school off right away based on this if it has had a good reputation in the past, here in NYC, I can think of 5 private special needs school who have been through exactly the same thing in the past 4 years, a new principal and a very rough first year under new tutelage... Then they get it all together by the next year, after parents get all riled, and rumors are flying all over , etc.. In fact, that was the year we moved Malcolm to ASD school, when new/old school was having that year with a new principal. She has since really gotten it all together, and now she rocks!
I think the very hardest thing here is getting good enough information on which to base any kind of decision. And how hard it is, all this constant WORK!!! I sure know that uneasy feeling when the schooling your child is getting really isn't the right place for them at all, BTDT. Exhausting.
Sara
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