Knowing Your Child’s School
School systems have unique ways of functioning. They have rigid rules governing their actions. Specific people hold power, while others, no matter how much they want to help you, simply cannot enforce change. School systems also have specific attitudes toward children with disabilities and their parents. By learning how to navigate your way through your child’s school system you will be able to more effectively get your child what he needs.
- Who has the power?
- Are schools generally accommodating to special needs children?
- What kinds of program restrictions can I expect to encounter?
- Why do the people I talk to at my child’s school make me feel like I’m being unreasonable?
- How can I make sure my child is getting everything she is legal entitled to?
The power in schools generally comes from the top, with principals having the most. Teachers may or may not have the power to act on your requests.
Are schools generally accommodating to special needs children?
As much as we want to believe that teachers and principals want to accommodate all children’s needs, this is often not the case. Although some schools out there are exceptional in terms of their special education offerings, most schools are restricted by time, budget, and school culture and attitudes. This means that you will have to work hard to make sure that you and your child are taken seriously.
What kinds of program restrictions can I expect to encounter?
Special education services are expensive and time consuming so many schools develop a generic program for all children with a specific disability. If your child is diagnosed with dyslexia, for example, she may automatically be placed in a generic program for kids with dyslexia, regardless of what her individual needs really are. Other restrictions to adequate special education services include a school’s unwillingness to do something they’ve never done before, a shortage of important staff members, or even a fear of setting a precedent the school is wary about fulfilling in the future.
Why do the people I talk to at my child’s school make me feel like I’m being unreasonable?
Some schools foster an unhelpful view of children’s learning problems. This can make your feel as though you are the one in the wrong for even suggesting that your child be accommodated per her legal right. For example, some school psychologists suggest that children’s problems stem from their experiences in a dysfunctional home or that certain children simply aren’t motivated to learn. Schools may also treat children inappropriately by suspending or expelling a child for behavioral problems that stem from his or her disability. As infuriating as these beliefs and actions may be, they prevail because the serve a purpose. Such attitudes keep the school from having to take responsibility for weak programs or teachers, or from having to teach your child at all. As you advocate for your child, you will also have to be a diplomat, proposing solutions that help your child without making the school employees feel inept or unprepared.
How can I make sure my child is getting everything she is legally entitled to?
For more information about your child’s eligibility for Benefits4Life contact 4MyChild.
