Why Bother to File A Complaint Against the School District

Why bother to take the district on and put up with the frustration and headache that goes along with the process? Because in the long run, it makes a difference. It puts the school employees, the school, the district, and the board on notice that they had better mind their p's and q's. Because it creates a paper trail, a trail that will be on file and follow the employee where ever they go and that will be reviewed by their peers every time they come up for promotion or an employee evaluation. A trail that will be there when the next parent or child needs help. A paper trail that eventually is going to back the district into a corner of which they will not be able to get out of. They will not be able to claim they didn't know, or they had no idea that there was a weak link in the chain and while it may not help your child today, it will help the children who come tomorrow. Another thing is that above all things, the school system is geared to survive. They survive by protecting each other, they survive by limiting the amount of information they give to parents they survive by being close knit and by telling parents only the things they need to know. The parent that advocates for their child is a threat to the way they have been dealing with children and parents and because they pose a threat, the school and the district is going to have to pay closer attention to how they deal with you and your child. And last but not least if we don't band together, join forces and tell our schools that the way they treat our children is unacceptable, it will never change. I can't stress how important it is to take the time to file a complaint with the district if the situation warrants it and there is a policy or employee that needs to be looked at. Filing a complaint in writing creates a paper trail into the employees file and according to the Asst. District Superintendent, is often the only way they know when an employee is not doing there job well when their employee record comes under review. Also, as my mother pointed out, the teachers and admin people certainly have no problem issuing citations, suspensions, and expulsions to our children for inappropriate behavior which become part of their records so why shouldn't we call them on theirs? For tips and ideas on how to effectively communicate with the school, The Special Ed Advocate has some very informative tips and ideas on how to write a letter. IT'S HERE!!! Special Education Rights and Responsibilities is a 13 chapter manual that addresses every questions imaginable for parents seeking special ed and section 504 rights and services for their children. At the end of each chapter you will find sample letters so you will know how to ask, in writing for services and hearings! Click here to check out this manual! If you are having problems viewing the manual or would like a copy of the manual, I have made a zip file of all the chapters in text form.

What are we? ADVOCATES OR TROUBLEMAKERS?

Now that statement varies depeding entirely upon who you are speaking to at the time. When you are speaking to families we have helped: we are more than just advocates. We are some one who has been there and gone through it and survived. Someone who can relate to every ounce of energy it takes, just to make it through another day. Most definitely there are those who think we are trouble makers the minute we walk into a building. Thinking we are there to find fault in the way they are teaching our children. I mean, after all, they are the professionals. If you define troublemakers as a person who advocates for a child who can not speak for it's self as a trouble maker,

SO BE IT.

When you find a child that needs to have it's lessons read to them and you do something about it. Then they call you a troublemaker. SO BE IT. The really odd part about all of this trouble making business is; they should have already been doing those things in the first place. My friend, That is Advocacy. NOW WHO IS THE TROUBLEMAKER.? Thank you and Hugs to Steve Metz for sending this to me.

next: My 2 Cents on Medication