Heartbreaking

This is my second year teaching in a non-public school.  Essentially, the special ed students who do not survive in the public schools get sent to ours. Not necessarily the "bad" kids, but the kids that just can't seem to make it with the rest of them. We have a lot to offer that your typical public school doesn't which makes our school so special. What is sad is that some kids, in order to be included in a school such as mine, must go through litigation and due process. This is a horrible stress on parents.  Two of the six students on my caseload are currently going through the litigation process.  This is the second year for them, which was approved because they began to make remarkable progress last year, but late in the year.  Kids such as these often need to be comfortable in their environment before beginning to learn.  They also need the time to realize they are no longer in a setting where no one cares.  "R" and "M" are students who are new to our school. "R" is diagnosed with autism and "M" has Fragile X.  Neither one are behavioral issues which is why the school system is fighting so hard to keep them.  Their solution is to make the students Certificate Bound, meaning they will never earn a H.S. Diploma.  You're probably asking, do you really think any of those kids will earn a H.S. diploma? and the answer to that is, YES! Many of them do with the program we offer.  Regardless, last year we sat through endless meetings with "R" and "M"s home schools to talk about why our program is more appropriate for them.  Their home schools don't really care.  Although both schools had essentially told parents their children had plateaued and would never make progress, this is no longer the case. In the environment we provide for them, they are making progress, which is wonderful! 

While sitting in their IEP meetings last year, draft documents were written up to be approved by the other school system.  After our drafts we approved, we were ready to go.  First quarter was over Friday and we were finally presented with hard copies from the public schools.  After reviewing them it was found several edits were made - and not by me.  The professionals, if you even want to call them that, took areas where BOTH of these students really struggle and did things like upped the percentage in which the goals need to be achieved to numbers these guys will probably never meet.  What I mean by that is, say "M" needs to learn how to spell 2nd grade words.  I wrote the goal at 75% achievement, actually making it successful and something he could achieve.  His home school changed the percentage to 90% making it so that it was something he may possibly NEVER achieve. In doing this, when he fails to meet the goal, it appears to them that he belongs in their self-contained environment as opposed to the environment we can provide for him.  

When watching interactions between all parties involved during meetings about these two specific children it is clear their needs are no longer the priority. It is clear that both of these schools fighting against us have forgotten who's best interest we are fighting for.  It is clear they are forcing issues upon parents that are technically illegal.  (In this I mean, forcing parents to change their children to certificate bound when that decision is not made until their junior year of HS - and that's the LAW!) It makes things extremely frustrating when someone like me who cares up, down and all around about the well-being of these children and how their needs are best met. These are just some of the frustrations of working against the public school system.