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debianator
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
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17 Jan 2018, 4:06 pm

Hello All,

So, Andrew is already in 8th grade, (even though he can't pass a 5th grade test.)

I know that Prince William County, City of Manassas has completely handled Andrew's case wrong but I am not a lawyer so I can't prove anything. His ABA therapist thinks it may be too late to make up the education he may have already missed and it would be very hard to get a prosecution since it would be hard to prove the intellectual vs. cognitive disorder factors in Andrew's case.

I am not going to act like I know what she meant, I just know that I am mad at myself for not doing something different as soon as my gut told me something is wrong with the PWC COM education system.

Even now, I simply asked them what testing service they would suggest and they want a meeting, why can't they just answer my question, they know I am a single parent and don't have time to take off for a useless one hour meeting.

:evil: :x :evil:



ASDMommyASDKid
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17 Jan 2018, 6:42 pm

They may be trying to make it as hard for you as possible and hope you give up. There may be (free) advocacy groups in your state/area. I would look to see if you can find any. If you can't find one through the magic of Google, if you have autism advocacy groups or even something like ARC (which is a mental health group) they may tell you where to point.

You should not require a meeting just to advise you where to go for testing, but it is common to be able to get educational diagnosis testing at the district level, and maybe that is what they want the meeting for? I would clarify exactly what they want to discuss at the meeting and ask if any of it can be done "ahead of time" via email or phone.

The other option before going the nuclear lawyer route is to get what they call an advocate. An advocate can attend meetings (I think you would still have to go with the advocate) and advise you on what the procedure is and what you should expect to get and help you get it. (We just pulled my son out and home schooled him when we saw it was not going to work out -- so I don't have 1st hand knowledge of doing this, personally) You want obviously to do a good job vetting such a person, just like you would a lawyer.

Another option is to go to your state's educational department (It may be divided into regions) and ask what procedure your school district should be following.



debianator
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
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17 Jan 2018, 10:51 pm

Thanks for the suggestions, I need to start another notebook so I can write these down.

Yeah, I don’t like being pessimistic but the more I learn about the system, the tighter their lips get. Really sad.



CloudClimber
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17 Jan 2018, 10:58 pm

Lawyers typically give you a little free advice - what they think about the case and what actions they may take. It won't hurt to contact a couple. I also agree with finding an advocate and group. If you search long enough, you will find what you need or someone to help you.



debianator
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
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18 Jan 2018, 2:06 pm

Yeah, I just got off the phone with the city, same old thing so I asked them to send whatever document they were referring to and that I wasn’t willing to have a meeting without representation so I really need an advocate.



Chronos
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18 Jan 2018, 6:45 pm

debianator wrote:
Hello All,

So, Andrew is already in 8th grade, (even though he can't pass a 5th grade test.)

I know that Prince William County, City of Manassas has completely handled Andrew's case wrong but I am not a lawyer so I can't prove anything. His ABA therapist thinks it may be too late to make up the education he may have already missed and it would be very hard to get a prosecution since it would be hard to prove the intellectual vs. cognitive disorder factors in Andrew's case.

I am not going to act like I know what she meant, I just know that I am mad at myself for not doing something different as soon as my gut told me something is wrong with the PWC COM education system.

Even now, I simply asked them what testing service they would suggest and they want a meeting, why can't they just answer my question, they know I am a single parent and don't have time to take off for a useless one hour meeting.

:evil: :x :evil:


Yes. Don't hesitate to get a lawyer. A lot of times just having a lawyer present is enough to get the school to comply properly with disability laws.



debianator
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
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18 Jan 2018, 8:44 pm

The problem is going to be finding one that has clout. The one we had when my wife was alive was a joke, the FAST hearing board use to laugh at him during meetings, he was a caricature if an urban cowboy type and worked off of emotional energy and not logical thinking, he was really embarrassing.

I may start looking for an advocate and maybe see if I can get some free consultations from a lawyer or two. His ABA therapist seems the most knowledgeable. But her case load would make our heads spin.


Chronos wrote:
debianator wrote:
Hello All,

So, Andrew is already in 8th grade, (even though he can't pass a 5th grade test.)

I know that Prince William County, City of Manassas has completely handled Andrew's case wrong but I am not a lawyer so I can't prove anything. His ABA therapist thinks it may be too late to make up the education he may have already missed and it would be very hard to get a prosecution since it would be hard to prove the intellectual vs. cognitive disorder factors in Andrew's case.

I am not going to act like I know what she meant, I just know that I am mad at myself for not doing something different as soon as my gut told me something is wrong with the PWC COM education system.

Even now, I simply asked them what testing service they would suggest and they want a meeting, why can't they just answer my question, they know I am a single parent and don't have time to take off for a useless one hour meeting.

:evil: :x :evil:


Yes. Don't hesitate to get a lawyer. A lot of times just having a lawyer present is enough to get the school to comply properly with disability laws.



Chronos
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18 Jan 2018, 10:20 pm

debianator wrote:
The problem is going to be finding one that has clout. The one we had when my wife was alive was a joke, the FAST hearing board use to laugh at him during meetings, he was a caricature if an urban cowboy type and worked off of emotional energy and not logical thinking, he was really embarrassing.

I may start looking for an advocate and maybe see if I can get some free consultations from a lawyer or two. His ABA therapist seems the most knowledgeable. But her case load would make our heads spin.


Chronos wrote:
debianator wrote:
Hello All,

So, Andrew is already in 8th grade, (even though he can't pass a 5th grade test.)

I know that Prince William County, City of Manassas has completely handled Andrew's case wrong but I am not a lawyer so I can't prove anything. His ABA therapist thinks it may be too late to make up the education he may have already missed and it would be very hard to get a prosecution since it would be hard to prove the intellectual vs. cognitive disorder factors in Andrew's case.

I am not going to act like I know what she meant, I just know that I am mad at myself for not doing something different as soon as my gut told me something is wrong with the PWC COM education system.

Even now, I simply asked them what testing service they would suggest and they want a meeting, why can't they just answer my question, they know I am a single parent and don't have time to take off for a useless one hour meeting.

:evil: :x :evil:


Yes. Don't hesitate to get a lawyer. A lot of times just having a lawyer present is enough to get the school to comply properly with disability laws.


There are, unfortunately, a lot of bad lawyers. As far as advocates go, sometimes the best ones are from organizations that were formed by parents of children with accommodation needs.



Veggie Farmer
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05 Feb 2018, 6:38 pm

I’ll put my teacher hat back on for a little while...

If you’re in a large school district, I’d say you’re much better off with an advocate than a lawyer. I know how my district reacted to parents who lawyered up. The Powers That Be just rolled their eyes, shuffled the paperwork over to the legal department to handle, and the parents were treated as trouble-makers. I’d imagine a small district wouldn’t have so many lawyers sitting around waiting for something to do, so they may take a legal threat more seriously. Advocates scare administrations because they’re highly motivated, know the laws extremely well, can sit with you in conferences and directly address your concerns, and know exactly who to call if admin still won’t do the right thing. (95% of the teachers will be silently cheering you on, because they truly want to do the best they can for kids and hate the current system too.) If you can, have the principal participate in meetings instead of an assistant principal, and you’ll stand a better chance of follow-through.

I wish you success in kicking district butt!


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B19
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05 Feb 2018, 8:13 pm

It might be worth talking this over with AS advocates like Grasp.org or ASAN?



debianator
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: 17 Dec 2017
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Location: Virginia

05 Feb 2018, 9:50 pm

Veggie Farmer wrote:
I’ll put my teacher hat back on for a little while...

If you’re in a large school district, I’d say you’re much better off with an advocate than a lawyer. I know how my district reacted to parents who lawyered up. The Powers That Be just rolled their eyes, shuffled the paperwork over to the legal department to handle, and the parents were treated as trouble-makers. I’d imagine a small district wouldn’t have so many lawyers sitting around waiting for something to do, so they may take a legal threat more seriously. Advocates scare administrations because they’re highly motivated, know the laws extremely well, can sit with you in conferences and directly address your concerns, and know exactly who to call if admin still won’t do the right thing. (95% of the teachers will be silently cheering you on, because they truly want to do the best they can for kids and hate the current system too.) If you can, have the principal participate in meetings instead of an assistant principal, and you’ll stand a better chance of follow-through.

I wish you success in kicking district butt!


Well, you nailed the lawyer situation to the “T”, the lawyer we had a bunch of years ago was actually laughed at in a F.A.S.T. meeting.

Advocate it is, your help is priceless, thanks a million.



debianator
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: 17 Dec 2017
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Location: Virginia

05 Feb 2018, 9:52 pm

B19 wrote:
It might be worth talking this over with AS advocates like Grasp.org or ASAN?


Thanks for the suggestions, between your post and the previous suggestions, I will definitely be going the advocate route.

I can’t thank you all enough :heart:



Veggie Farmer
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05 Feb 2018, 10:03 pm

I’m glad I could be helpful. Let us know how things go!


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