In the beginning I knew nothing. I was a mom, what did I know about special education needs, disability quotients or IDEA law ?
I stumbled across something called "parent advocates" during a visit to a local support group meeting. The school district certainly did
not give me this information. The Parent/Education Advocate is one of those "in the trenches" occupations. I and many parents like
myself need help from advocates to know what to ask for in IEP meetings
I faced that first IEP for my son without an advocate or any other support. I trusted the school for everything - information about my
son, what he needed and how the school could help. I wanted specifics. But, there were no baseline measurements as to where he
was functioning. Instead, this document that was to determine my son's educational future said things like "Terry is unorganized," "Terry is unmotivated," and "Terry lacks social skills."
It would have been useful to know how often Terry was unorganized. Was it 20 % of the school day? 50%? The entire day? Exactly how
often did he lose his math homework? Were there ever times when he was organized and motivated? Did there appear to be any pattern to
this behavior?
Those first IEP meetings were horrible. Rather than addressing classroom issues, the teachers and other education professionals
blamed me for having no discipline in the home, and spending insufficient quality homework help-time with my son. They ignored me
when I described that I had learning disabilities myself. All of this was very frustrating.
The school seemed to be focused on avoiding any responsibility for my child's education. For example, although my son had a math-
related learning disability, they never would add a math goal to the IEP. Instead, they insisted my son go to summer school each year
when he repeatedly failed math. Rather than teaching my son, they simply passed him along so someone else would have to take care of
him.
What goals were included were terribly vague. "Terry will become organized." How? The IEP never said who would help him do this or
how he was to become organized…and by when…and he was given only 30 minutes per week to accomplish this.
This was before the 1997 IDEA changes, when Congress rewrote part of IDEA and emphasized that the Parent is the number one member of the
IEP team-"parent" is actually listed first in the citation!
But even after the new rules were in effect, I still needed an advocate. The school still stalled and avoided responsibility. My
concerns and questions at IEP meetings were always met with "We need to keep moving." The same mass production mentality that was failing
my son in the classroom was failing in these meetings as well. "Our teachers have pulled themselves away from their students to be here
with you now for this meeting, which is getting way too long."
I didn't know what was supposed to happen, but I knew that this couldn't be right. I hired an advocate and an attorney for my son.
Advocates understand IEP lingo and objective measurement time frames. The advocates attempted to obtain a workable IEP for my son
that had measures and accountability included.
After a few years of this I began to learn about IDEA and what should be included in a good IEP. Three publications that were very
helpful for me were: "Better IEP's," by Barbara Bateman, "Negotiating the Special Education Maze" by Winifred
Anderson and Wrightslaw.com, wirtten by Peter and Pamela Wright.
Now I understood what to ask for in order to help my son, but advocacy requires more than just a basic understanding of the law.
My emotional angst concerning my child would always cloud my perspective. The parent advocate, with a less emotional, more
objective perspective, continued to be helpful.
Many times it seemed the school did not know the IEP laws-they just suggested a few vague things and expected me to accept them which I
did in the beginning. These were kind teachers and counselors who liked my child very much. It seems that both parents and schools
need to have help to create an IEP based on the needs of the child.
Good school/parent cooperation is the best thing that can happen for a child with special needs. Unfortunately, this is often a dream and
not reality. Instead, parents and teachers are pitted against one another by policies designed for the benefit of the district and not
the student.
In the end everything became so negative and adversarial. The school refused to be more specific and offer tutors or small classes. When
my child's IOWA scores declined and my child was doing worse with Special Education-the school told me that I could always go to due
process if I wasn't happy!!
I heard this everywhere I went…
You even hear State Board of Education Commissioners say this, and US Congressmen and OCR government attorneys…I know, I've been there
and "done that".
I was forced to get an attorney. Do you know how hard it is to find an attorney who wants to practice Special Education Law? At the time
there were only 2 in my state. The school district by law must tell parents where they can get legal help if necessary-but what a joke
that was…
My choices were:
Thursday Night Bar Group--a group of rotating lawyers who could give you bits of advice, The state's "Legal Center" -but when I called I found they were not
representing my child's group of disabilities that year. So I was forced to meet with one of the two attorneys-thank God I lived in the same city…
After a year the bill came to $15,000 and this was a very conscientious attorney who actually had a fairly low hourly fee.
School districts have teams of attorneys on retainers. Think about this, if it cost me $15,000, what did it cost the school district?
Taxpayers ARE the schools. We pay for the attorneys who fight against our children!!
In the end there often is only a parent who gets beat down and must give up-many of us turn to homeschooling or private schools. One of
us last saw her wedding ring at the local pawn shop when she borrowed money to pay for a due process meeting with the attorney.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Social Learning: Is This The Responsibility of School Districts?
This is what is missing from my son's IEP. The district has never addressed his social skills. They finally gave him a Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales at the end of 7th grade. His score in the interpersonal skills was that of a four year old. Even after they saw this, they didn't mention doing anything for him and acted as though it was no big deal.
Social Learning: Is This The Responsibility of School Districts?
Rebecca K. Spar
Cole Schotz Docket
Summer 2007
As more and more children are diagnosed with disabling conditions like autism, which often include significant deficiencies in social skills, parents are increasingly insisting that their school districts address their child’s social skill deficiencies. Failing to respond appropriately proved expensive for one California school district. In 2005 the Manhattan Beach Unified School District and the California Department of Education agreed to pay more than $6.7 million to a family, based in part on the district’s failure to provide appropriate social skills instruction and modeling to a fourth grader with autism.
Federal courts in this jurisdiction have consistently recognized that the concept of education is broad and formal education may begin by working on basic social skills. These decisions for the most part, though, involved children with significant cognitive issues who were not attending general classes or expected to master the core content academic curriculum.
School districts have been more reluctant to get involved when the student is bright, receives passing or even honors grades, but has significant social skills deficiencies. As districts see the consequences of the isolation, rejection and even harassment of these students by their peers, there is increasing awareness of how students’ social skill deficiencies impact upon students’ overall emotional and social well-being and educational performance and on the well-being of the school system as a whole. There is also an increasing recognition that all students need flexible thinking, problem solving, teamwork and other social skills abilities if they are to succeed in employment and in their personal future lives.
The First Circuit Court of Appeals recently spoke to this issue in a case involving a bright, well-behaved honors student diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, a condition on the autism spectrum but where the student typically has strong cognitive skills but very significant social impairments. In this case, the student was withdrawn, could not connect with her peers or her teachers, was inflexible, unable to handle change and misread social cues. Even after the student became so upset that she tried to commit suicide, the school district refused to provide her with any special education services, saying her educational performance was not adversely affected by her social impairment as she received good grades. The District Court and Court of Appeals both disagreed, holding that educational performance can include social skill deficiencies which adversely impact upon the student’s continuing participation in general classes. The courts also held that social-skills and pragmatic instruction could be the special education needed by the student to access the general curriculum.
Social skills services can include direct teaching of social skills individually or in groups, modeling and facilitating social skill development through assigning peer “buddy” or nondisabled peers to attend class or extracurricular activities with the student. It may also include social skills coaching and training of the teaching staff and aides in how to facilitate social skill development. It is up to the child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team, including the parents, to decide whether social skills are an area of need and how they should be addressed and to include the appropriate services in the child’s IEP.
Social Learning: Is This The Responsibility of School Districts?
Rebecca K. Spar
Cole Schotz Docket
Summer 2007
As more and more children are diagnosed with disabling conditions like autism, which often include significant deficiencies in social skills, parents are increasingly insisting that their school districts address their child’s social skill deficiencies. Failing to respond appropriately proved expensive for one California school district. In 2005 the Manhattan Beach Unified School District and the California Department of Education agreed to pay more than $6.7 million to a family, based in part on the district’s failure to provide appropriate social skills instruction and modeling to a fourth grader with autism.
Federal courts in this jurisdiction have consistently recognized that the concept of education is broad and formal education may begin by working on basic social skills. These decisions for the most part, though, involved children with significant cognitive issues who were not attending general classes or expected to master the core content academic curriculum.
School districts have been more reluctant to get involved when the student is bright, receives passing or even honors grades, but has significant social skills deficiencies. As districts see the consequences of the isolation, rejection and even harassment of these students by their peers, there is increasing awareness of how students’ social skill deficiencies impact upon students’ overall emotional and social well-being and educational performance and on the well-being of the school system as a whole. There is also an increasing recognition that all students need flexible thinking, problem solving, teamwork and other social skills abilities if they are to succeed in employment and in their personal future lives.
The First Circuit Court of Appeals recently spoke to this issue in a case involving a bright, well-behaved honors student diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, a condition on the autism spectrum but where the student typically has strong cognitive skills but very significant social impairments. In this case, the student was withdrawn, could not connect with her peers or her teachers, was inflexible, unable to handle change and misread social cues. Even after the student became so upset that she tried to commit suicide, the school district refused to provide her with any special education services, saying her educational performance was not adversely affected by her social impairment as she received good grades. The District Court and Court of Appeals both disagreed, holding that educational performance can include social skill deficiencies which adversely impact upon the student’s continuing participation in general classes. The courts also held that social-skills and pragmatic instruction could be the special education needed by the student to access the general curriculum.
Social skills services can include direct teaching of social skills individually or in groups, modeling and facilitating social skill development through assigning peer “buddy” or nondisabled peers to attend class or extracurricular activities with the student. It may also include social skills coaching and training of the teaching staff and aides in how to facilitate social skill development. It is up to the child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team, including the parents, to decide whether social skills are an area of need and how they should be addressed and to include the appropriate services in the child’s IEP.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Autism vs Vaccinations
Comments
lsautism2 - 9:12 AM
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PLively, So because you work with children with autism, you know more than a parent who lives with autism 24/7? That is what your post implied. The two are no where equal. People extremely close to parents of children with autism don't even understand fully what we go through. No one can understand unless they have been there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
lsautism - 8:38 AM
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Actually I wasn't referring to your post, but the post before yours. I am sorry that you took such offense to mine. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/government-concedes-vacci_b_88323.html After years of insisting there is no evidence to link vaccines with the onset of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the US government has quietly conceded a vaccine-autism case in the Court of Federal Claims. The unprecedented concession was filed on November 9, and sealed to protect the plaintiff's identify. It was obtained through individuals unrelated to the case. The claim, one of 4,900 autism cases currently pending in Federal "Vaccine Court," was conceded by US Assistant Attorney General Peter Keisler and other Justice Department officials, on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services, the "defendant" in all Vaccine Court cases.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
jaylomom - 12:03 AM
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My son also who will be nine in Feb. has Autism and I have believed from the get go it was because of the shots. I remember after that shot my son would sit there and shake and that is when he started showing signs. By age two he quite talking, but I am very lucky to say he is doing much better now. He still has Autism and will the rest of his life. If I had to do all over again I would not allowed my sons to be given the "shot".
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLively - 12:02 AM
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I would surely vaccinate subsequent children. Why would I put my children at risk for illness or even death when there are vaccines to prevent these illnesses? Sorry but the Federal Court didn't rule that vaccines cause Autism. The court simply found that there might be a possible relationship. That's a huge stretch from that to a causal relationship. Reread my comments. There is no judgement passed. I'm simply stating that not vaccinating a child puts other children at risk. Please, make no assumptions about how blessed I am or that I haven't had to make the decision they made. I take care of children with Autism. You have no clue when you pass judgement on me about my choices, my decisions and my experiences. And, you are clueless about what I'll live with the rest of my life. Pot/kettle/black The only disservice we can do for families of Autistic children is support the idea that vaccines cause Autism. It's a hell of a lot more compassionate to work together to find a cure. Focusing on vaccines as the culprit is a distraction from the task of helping Autistic children and their families.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
lsautism - 9/24/2008
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If your first child was a beautiful, typical child until the vaccines and then disappeared within himself, would you vaccinate the children that came after him? The United States Federal Court just ruled in favor of a family and their ruling was that vaccines caused their daughter's autism. Do I know if autism is caused by vaccines? No, I don't. Would I expect the Davis family to vaccinate their second child? Not in a million years. It is easy to sit back and pass judgement when you don't have to walk in another families shoes. How blessed you are to not have to make the decision that they had to make. But, please don't make judgements on something that you have never experienced and won't have to live with for the rest of your life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLively - 9/24/2008
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The possibility of vaccines as a cause of Autism has been studied over and over. The one thing which DOESN'T cause Autism is vaccinating a child. But, not vaccinating a child puts that child and those around her at risk. If parents want to put their own children at risk for vaccine preventable illnesses that's one thing. To put other children at risk is unacceptable. For example, Haemophilus Influenza type B causes invasive infection which results in blood infections and/or, meningitis. It killed many children, and gave others brain damage or hearing loss. Funny though, I haven't seen a case of invasive Haemophilus B since routine immunization with the HIB vaccine was initiated in the early 1990s. The prevention of disease by vaccines is actual, not theoretical. The causal relationship between vaccines and autism is theoretical and, fortunately, has been disproven. Regards, Paul H. Lively, D.O, F.A.A.P
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
iolan - 9/24/2008
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If parents reject vaccinations, their child or children should not be allowed in public schools or any other place where large crowds are. Also if their child comes down with the disease and there are complications resulting in long hospitalization, they should have to bear the cost themselves. And if it is serious enough to endanger the life of the child, they should face criminal charges. Phillip L. Crown 821 E. Broadway IOLA, KS 66749
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo - As a baby, Tristan Davis showed all the signs of being a normal, healthy child. His parents say he met all the major milestones of a developing baby, including walking and talking.
However, for the past six years, Aimee and Joel Davis say their oldest son has not uttered a single word.
"We always describe it as a dimmer switch," Aimee said. "It was just like slowly, slowly he was fading away. And then by the age of 2, he was gone."
Tristan, who turns 8 next month, has a severe case of autism. The brain disorder affects his ability to communicate and causes wild mood swings. While playing in the backyard, Tristan has a tendency to dart off and climb fences, forcing Joel to chase him down in neighbors' yards. Inside the house, he is under constant surveillance.
What Happened?
"I definitely believe in my heart the vaccinations triggered his autism."
So what caused such a rapid, dramatic change in their son? It is a question that vexes thousands of parents who have children with autism, a disorder now diagnosed at a rate of one out every 150 children.
Looking back, Tristan's parents say the turning point was a round of vaccines he received as a toddler. Aimee said her son immediately became sick and battled through a month of various illnesses. Joel's brother and sister had also suffered adverse reactions to vaccinations, so the family assumed it could be something in the genes.
But when the parents later received the autism diagnosis from a doctor, they suspected something else.
"The timing was too coincidental to ignore and I definitely believe in my heart the vaccinations triggered his autism," Aimee said.
Not Alone
Related Links
Thousands of Unvaccinated Children Enter Schools
The Davis couple is far from alone. It is a belief shared by a growing number of parents around the country. Doctors say they are getting more questions about vaccine safety. The fear of a possible link to autism and other health problems is causing parents not to immunize their children.
For instance, the Davis' younger son, Cole, started kindergarten this year without getting his vaccine shots. The 5-year-old is still allowed in the classroom with other students because the family filed for an exemption with the Lee's Summit School District. The paperwork states the vaccines go against their religious beliefs.
"Why play that 'what if' game?" Joel said. "We're going to take it on a day-to-day basis and do what's best for our child."
Mandated Vaccinations
Courtesy: National Vaccine Information Center
Related Links
NVIC State Exemptions
Tell Us What You Think
Updated vaccination records for students are mandated by law before they enter into school districts. However, in 48 of 50 states -- including Missouri and Kansas -- parents can get a legal exemption for medical or religious reasons. Eighteen of those states have added a third exemption, which allows parents to opt their children out for philosophical or personal beliefs.
Click on the map to see a larger version showing which exemptions are allowed in what states.
In many of the states with the philosophical option, experts say the exemption rates have jumped to 2 or 3 percent of the student population. Typically, the rate is 1 percent or less. Kansas and Missouri have seen a slight increase in exemption requests during the past few years, but are still hovering around the 1 percent threshold. The exact figures can be difficult to track because they rely on survey from school districts and do not include home-school children.
In Missouri, there has been a push over the past five years to add a philosophical exemption for parents, but the idea has yet to win legislative approval.
Questions and Concerns
Should Kansas and Missouri let parents exempt their children from vaccinations for philosophical reasons?
Yes (72.7%)
No (24.2%)
Not Sure (3.0%)
Pediatricians like Dr. Scott Dattel are getting more questions than ever from parents concerned about vaccine safety. Dattel said many of the fears are fueled by rumors circulating on the Internet. However, Dattel insists there is no proof of a connection to autism, a claim that is backed by piles of medical research.
A study released in early September showed no link between the measles vaccine and autism. Those findings debunked a 1998 British study, which originally linked the so-called MMR vaccine with a subgroup of autistic children.
"Vaccines are given to kids. Autism happens to kids. I don't think there is a true link. It just does happen," Dattel said.
Taking a Risk
Dr. Scott Dattel
"These vaccines actually protect against diseases that can kill."
So what is the harm of children skipping their shots? Health experts point to this year's measles outbreak -- the nation's largest in more than a decade -- as an example. A Center for Disease Control report found the majority of the 135 people infected did not receive the measles vaccine for personal reasons.
Doctors say it has been so long since some diseases were prevalent, parents are underestimating the potential dangers.
"These vaccines actually protect against diseases that can kill," Dattel said.
Thad Wilson heads the Mid America Immunization Coalition, a group comprised of medical and educational leaders who are trying to boost vaccination rates. He said it is good for parents to ask questions and educate themselves about vaccines. But he worries personal convictions could begin to interfere with public health. Wilson said the development of vaccines ranks in the top four public health advances of the 20th century.
"I've seen a child die of measles. I've seen someone who had polio and I know the devastation caused by it," Wilson said. "If everyone is allowed to do what they want, we'll end up back where we were in the 1920s with large outbreaks."
Looking Forward
Aimee and Joel Davis are not ruling out vaccines for Cole in the future. For now, it is a risk the Lee's Summit couple is willing to take.
"Who knows? But it sure would be nice to have some answers instead of that big question mark we've had hanging over us for the past six years," Joel said.
In Missouri, there's been a recent push to add a philosophical exemption, but it has yet to win legislative approval.
lsautism2 - 9:12 AM
0 Votes
Report User
PLively, So because you work with children with autism, you know more than a parent who lives with autism 24/7? That is what your post implied. The two are no where equal. People extremely close to parents of children with autism don't even understand fully what we go through. No one can understand unless they have been there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
lsautism - 8:38 AM
0 Votes
Report User
Actually I wasn't referring to your post, but the post before yours. I am sorry that you took such offense to mine. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/government-concedes-vacci_b_88323.html After years of insisting there is no evidence to link vaccines with the onset of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the US government has quietly conceded a vaccine-autism case in the Court of Federal Claims. The unprecedented concession was filed on November 9, and sealed to protect the plaintiff's identify. It was obtained through individuals unrelated to the case. The claim, one of 4,900 autism cases currently pending in Federal "Vaccine Court," was conceded by US Assistant Attorney General Peter Keisler and other Justice Department officials, on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services, the "defendant" in all Vaccine Court cases.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
jaylomom - 12:03 AM
0 Votes
Report User
My son also who will be nine in Feb. has Autism and I have believed from the get go it was because of the shots. I remember after that shot my son would sit there and shake and that is when he started showing signs. By age two he quite talking, but I am very lucky to say he is doing much better now. He still has Autism and will the rest of his life. If I had to do all over again I would not allowed my sons to be given the "shot".
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLively - 12:02 AM
0 Votes
Report User
I would surely vaccinate subsequent children. Why would I put my children at risk for illness or even death when there are vaccines to prevent these illnesses? Sorry but the Federal Court didn't rule that vaccines cause Autism. The court simply found that there might be a possible relationship. That's a huge stretch from that to a causal relationship. Reread my comments. There is no judgement passed. I'm simply stating that not vaccinating a child puts other children at risk. Please, make no assumptions about how blessed I am or that I haven't had to make the decision they made. I take care of children with Autism. You have no clue when you pass judgement on me about my choices, my decisions and my experiences. And, you are clueless about what I'll live with the rest of my life. Pot/kettle/black The only disservice we can do for families of Autistic children is support the idea that vaccines cause Autism. It's a hell of a lot more compassionate to work together to find a cure. Focusing on vaccines as the culprit is a distraction from the task of helping Autistic children and their families.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
lsautism - 9/24/2008
0 Votes
Report User
If your first child was a beautiful, typical child until the vaccines and then disappeared within himself, would you vaccinate the children that came after him? The United States Federal Court just ruled in favor of a family and their ruling was that vaccines caused their daughter's autism. Do I know if autism is caused by vaccines? No, I don't. Would I expect the Davis family to vaccinate their second child? Not in a million years. It is easy to sit back and pass judgement when you don't have to walk in another families shoes. How blessed you are to not have to make the decision that they had to make. But, please don't make judgements on something that you have never experienced and won't have to live with for the rest of your life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLively - 9/24/2008
0 Votes
Report User
The possibility of vaccines as a cause of Autism has been studied over and over. The one thing which DOESN'T cause Autism is vaccinating a child. But, not vaccinating a child puts that child and those around her at risk. If parents want to put their own children at risk for vaccine preventable illnesses that's one thing. To put other children at risk is unacceptable. For example, Haemophilus Influenza type B causes invasive infection which results in blood infections and/or, meningitis. It killed many children, and gave others brain damage or hearing loss. Funny though, I haven't seen a case of invasive Haemophilus B since routine immunization with the HIB vaccine was initiated in the early 1990s. The prevention of disease by vaccines is actual, not theoretical. The causal relationship between vaccines and autism is theoretical and, fortunately, has been disproven. Regards, Paul H. Lively, D.O, F.A.A.P
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
iolan - 9/24/2008
0 Votes
Report User
If parents reject vaccinations, their child or children should not be allowed in public schools or any other place where large crowds are. Also if their child comes down with the disease and there are complications resulting in long hospitalization, they should have to bear the cost themselves. And if it is serious enough to endanger the life of the child, they should face criminal charges. Phillip L. Crown 821 E. Broadway IOLA, KS 66749
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo - As a baby, Tristan Davis showed all the signs of being a normal, healthy child. His parents say he met all the major milestones of a developing baby, including walking and talking.
However, for the past six years, Aimee and Joel Davis say their oldest son has not uttered a single word.
"We always describe it as a dimmer switch," Aimee said. "It was just like slowly, slowly he was fading away. And then by the age of 2, he was gone."
Tristan, who turns 8 next month, has a severe case of autism. The brain disorder affects his ability to communicate and causes wild mood swings. While playing in the backyard, Tristan has a tendency to dart off and climb fences, forcing Joel to chase him down in neighbors' yards. Inside the house, he is under constant surveillance.
What Happened?
"I definitely believe in my heart the vaccinations triggered his autism."
So what caused such a rapid, dramatic change in their son? It is a question that vexes thousands of parents who have children with autism, a disorder now diagnosed at a rate of one out every 150 children.
Looking back, Tristan's parents say the turning point was a round of vaccines he received as a toddler. Aimee said her son immediately became sick and battled through a month of various illnesses. Joel's brother and sister had also suffered adverse reactions to vaccinations, so the family assumed it could be something in the genes.
But when the parents later received the autism diagnosis from a doctor, they suspected something else.
"The timing was too coincidental to ignore and I definitely believe in my heart the vaccinations triggered his autism," Aimee said.
Not Alone
Related Links
Thousands of Unvaccinated Children Enter Schools
The Davis couple is far from alone. It is a belief shared by a growing number of parents around the country. Doctors say they are getting more questions about vaccine safety. The fear of a possible link to autism and other health problems is causing parents not to immunize their children.
For instance, the Davis' younger son, Cole, started kindergarten this year without getting his vaccine shots. The 5-year-old is still allowed in the classroom with other students because the family filed for an exemption with the Lee's Summit School District. The paperwork states the vaccines go against their religious beliefs.
"Why play that 'what if' game?" Joel said. "We're going to take it on a day-to-day basis and do what's best for our child."
Mandated Vaccinations
Courtesy: National Vaccine Information Center
Related Links
NVIC State Exemptions
Tell Us What You Think
Updated vaccination records for students are mandated by law before they enter into school districts. However, in 48 of 50 states -- including Missouri and Kansas -- parents can get a legal exemption for medical or religious reasons. Eighteen of those states have added a third exemption, which allows parents to opt their children out for philosophical or personal beliefs.
Click on the map to see a larger version showing which exemptions are allowed in what states.
In many of the states with the philosophical option, experts say the exemption rates have jumped to 2 or 3 percent of the student population. Typically, the rate is 1 percent or less. Kansas and Missouri have seen a slight increase in exemption requests during the past few years, but are still hovering around the 1 percent threshold. The exact figures can be difficult to track because they rely on survey from school districts and do not include home-school children.
In Missouri, there has been a push over the past five years to add a philosophical exemption for parents, but the idea has yet to win legislative approval.
Questions and Concerns
Should Kansas and Missouri let parents exempt their children from vaccinations for philosophical reasons?
Yes (72.7%)
No (24.2%)
Not Sure (3.0%)
Pediatricians like Dr. Scott Dattel are getting more questions than ever from parents concerned about vaccine safety. Dattel said many of the fears are fueled by rumors circulating on the Internet. However, Dattel insists there is no proof of a connection to autism, a claim that is backed by piles of medical research.
A study released in early September showed no link between the measles vaccine and autism. Those findings debunked a 1998 British study, which originally linked the so-called MMR vaccine with a subgroup of autistic children.
"Vaccines are given to kids. Autism happens to kids. I don't think there is a true link. It just does happen," Dattel said.
Taking a Risk
Dr. Scott Dattel
"These vaccines actually protect against diseases that can kill."
So what is the harm of children skipping their shots? Health experts point to this year's measles outbreak -- the nation's largest in more than a decade -- as an example. A Center for Disease Control report found the majority of the 135 people infected did not receive the measles vaccine for personal reasons.
Doctors say it has been so long since some diseases were prevalent, parents are underestimating the potential dangers.
"These vaccines actually protect against diseases that can kill," Dattel said.
Thad Wilson heads the Mid America Immunization Coalition, a group comprised of medical and educational leaders who are trying to boost vaccination rates. He said it is good for parents to ask questions and educate themselves about vaccines. But he worries personal convictions could begin to interfere with public health. Wilson said the development of vaccines ranks in the top four public health advances of the 20th century.
"I've seen a child die of measles. I've seen someone who had polio and I know the devastation caused by it," Wilson said. "If everyone is allowed to do what they want, we'll end up back where we were in the 1920s with large outbreaks."
Looking Forward
Aimee and Joel Davis are not ruling out vaccines for Cole in the future. For now, it is a risk the Lee's Summit couple is willing to take.
"Who knows? But it sure would be nice to have some answers instead of that big question mark we've had hanging over us for the past six years," Joel said.
In Missouri, there's been a recent push to add a philosophical exemption, but it has yet to win legislative approval.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Why You Must Not Be Blind When It Comes To Your Child's Education
I was talking to a friend today and some things came to mind. Many people
want to know why I fight with the school district and the State. I have
earned quite a reputation as a crazy mom. There are many people that are
happy with the education that their children are getting and wonder why I am
not. Well, let me explain it to you.
I have known that my son has autism since he was three years old. I lived
in a very small town in Illinois and the district felt that he "wasn't
right" and put him into school. They didn't know what the problem was, but
they were determined to find out and give the best that they had.
This was a town of 1,200 people. Their resources were very limited. I
didn't even know that my child had an issue. I was blind. Something that
would affect my judgment for the next ten years.
These wonderful people put my son into a classroom of six students and two
teachers. They gave him OT and ST. They worked on his social skills. They
worked on any issue that came up. Not because they had to. He didn't even
have an IEP yet. They did it because they saw a child that needed help to
be successful in life. They treated him like a human being that needed
guidance and support. He was not another drain on their budget. They had
practically no budget. It didn't matter. HE mattered.
When my son was five we moved back to Kansas City. This is where my husband
and I were raised. We carefully called and interviewed every school
district on both sides of the state line. We wanted to make sure that Jake
would get the best that Kansas City had to offer.
After several phone calls and interviews we chose Lee's Summit. I went and
told the personnel here that the district in Illinois felt that Jake wasn't
ready for regular kindergarten. They felt that he needed 1 on 1 or small
group instruction for at least one more year. It stated it in his IEP.
Lee's Summit assured me that they were a big district that could handle all
of his needs and issues and that the best thing for Jake was going to
kindergarten. Once again, I was blind.
Jake went to Prairie View from kindergarten through sixth grade. He had
some amazing teachers there. They were kind, supportive, and made
accommodations that his IEP didn't call for. We had no issues there. I
truly felt that we had picked the best school district that we could have.
I volunteered in his classroom every week for at least 2-3 hours. I helped
with the school carnival. I helped with health fair. I wrote to the Kansas
City Star and told them what an amazing job they were doing with my son.
I didn't know much about autism and I felt like the district was doing all
that Jake needed. Little did I know that when he got into high school my
only hope for him would be living in a group home. That is where we are
now.
WHY? Because the district never addressed his autism. They didn't address
his dysgraphia. They didn't address his social issues. They didn't address
his written language issues. Why didn't they? I didn't demand it. In
seventh grade the only goal he had on his IEP was to be able to write a
paragraph. This is a child with autism, dysgraphia, and a written language
deficit.
I thought that you had to believe in the experts and trust them. That
blindness has caused the loss of my son's independence. If I had educated
myself and fought for him, he would have a different future. His future was
stolen and I stood back and let it happen.
I gave the school district a five year old with potential. They have given
back a child that will never leave home. I let them do this to my child.
My silence and acceptance granted them permission to destroy my son's
future. He could have been an independent tax paying citizen. Now he will
be a burden on tax payers. Not to worry, Lee's Summit. You have no group
homes here, so he won't burden your city.
Your children still have a chance. Your children still have a future. I
pray that none of you ever have to read the following and have it apply to
your child. But, if you continue to sit back and do nothing, you will face
the same situation that I face today. I let the State of Missouri and the
Lee's Summit School District steal my son's future. I will live with that
until the day that I die because Jake will be living with me until the day I
die. What will happen to him after that, only God knows. I pray that you
never have to go to bed at night and think about that.
Education/Training (Required)
Post secondary Goal(s)
Jacob' goal is to attend post-secondary training or a 2 year college with a
focus on computer game designing.
Transition Services
School
Assist Jacob in information-gathering process: post secondary institutions,
programs of study, prerequisites, registration process, methods for
exploring grants, loans, etc. Encourage to enroll in coursework needed to
pursue computer technology. Academic support as needed.
Student
Recommended that Jacob apply to Vocational Rehabilitation by junior year to
see what kind of assistance may be available if he qualifies. Utilize
assistance from counselor, caseload manager, and outlines provided by the
school when picking courses in line with his goal of comp. game design.
(This is has this whole mess started. These are the people that chose this
engineering class. It turns out that this class is civil engineering
class.)
Parent
Assist Jacob in exploring the possibility of applying to Vocational
Rehabilitation beginning his junior year. Also assist him in choosing
appropriate coursework to meet his transition goals. Assist Jacob in
visiting a post secondary school, completing registration, and deterring
financial aid needs.
Outside Agency (specify agency) Vocational Rehabilitation
Conference with Jacob and his family on possible post secondary services if
he qualifies. Career Assessment at Joe Herndon will be made available to
Jacob.
Employment (Required)
Post Secondary Goal(s)
Jacob's goal is to be employed in the field of computer game designing.
Transition Services
School
Assist Jacob in researching employment statistics in the field of computer
game design and related fields. Provide instruction in completing job
applications and role playing interview communication skills. Support
provided in academic areas as needed.
Student
Jacob will practice filling out job applications and will participate in
role-playing communication interview skills. Continue to consider
employment statistics that he has researched. May wish to consider part-time
employment after age 16 outside of the school setting.
Parent
Assist Jacob in assimilating researched employment information. Assist with
consideration of part-time employment if family feels that would be a growth
experience after age 16.
Outside Agency
A Vocational Rehabilitation counselor will conference with Jacob and parents
on possible services in the area of employment if he qualifies.
Independent Living
Post Secondary Goals
Jacob plans to live with his parents while receiving post-secondary
education/training. His long-term goal is to live semi-independently in a
group home as an adult.
Transition Services
School
Jacob will be encouraged to enroll in course work that will help facilitate
independent, living, such as Family and Consumer Science classes. Personal
Finance, auto and home care, etc.
Student
Jacob will enroll and participate in courses to assist with instruction in
independent living skills.
Parent
Parents will assist Jacob in choosing appropriate classes for transitional
skills and will support him in hands-on types of assignments that may be
done at home to help in the transference of information. Family may wish to
access services through the Regional Center for sem-independent living as
well.
Outside Agency
May privately assist parents in the area of semi-independent living needs.
want to know why I fight with the school district and the State. I have
earned quite a reputation as a crazy mom. There are many people that are
happy with the education that their children are getting and wonder why I am
not. Well, let me explain it to you.
I have known that my son has autism since he was three years old. I lived
in a very small town in Illinois and the district felt that he "wasn't
right" and put him into school. They didn't know what the problem was, but
they were determined to find out and give the best that they had.
This was a town of 1,200 people. Their resources were very limited. I
didn't even know that my child had an issue. I was blind. Something that
would affect my judgment for the next ten years.
These wonderful people put my son into a classroom of six students and two
teachers. They gave him OT and ST. They worked on his social skills. They
worked on any issue that came up. Not because they had to. He didn't even
have an IEP yet. They did it because they saw a child that needed help to
be successful in life. They treated him like a human being that needed
guidance and support. He was not another drain on their budget. They had
practically no budget. It didn't matter. HE mattered.
When my son was five we moved back to Kansas City. This is where my husband
and I were raised. We carefully called and interviewed every school
district on both sides of the state line. We wanted to make sure that Jake
would get the best that Kansas City had to offer.
After several phone calls and interviews we chose Lee's Summit. I went and
told the personnel here that the district in Illinois felt that Jake wasn't
ready for regular kindergarten. They felt that he needed 1 on 1 or small
group instruction for at least one more year. It stated it in his IEP.
Lee's Summit assured me that they were a big district that could handle all
of his needs and issues and that the best thing for Jake was going to
kindergarten. Once again, I was blind.
Jake went to Prairie View from kindergarten through sixth grade. He had
some amazing teachers there. They were kind, supportive, and made
accommodations that his IEP didn't call for. We had no issues there. I
truly felt that we had picked the best school district that we could have.
I volunteered in his classroom every week for at least 2-3 hours. I helped
with the school carnival. I helped with health fair. I wrote to the Kansas
City Star and told them what an amazing job they were doing with my son.
I didn't know much about autism and I felt like the district was doing all
that Jake needed. Little did I know that when he got into high school my
only hope for him would be living in a group home. That is where we are
now.
WHY? Because the district never addressed his autism. They didn't address
his dysgraphia. They didn't address his social issues. They didn't address
his written language issues. Why didn't they? I didn't demand it. In
seventh grade the only goal he had on his IEP was to be able to write a
paragraph. This is a child with autism, dysgraphia, and a written language
deficit.
I thought that you had to believe in the experts and trust them. That
blindness has caused the loss of my son's independence. If I had educated
myself and fought for him, he would have a different future. His future was
stolen and I stood back and let it happen.
I gave the school district a five year old with potential. They have given
back a child that will never leave home. I let them do this to my child.
My silence and acceptance granted them permission to destroy my son's
future. He could have been an independent tax paying citizen. Now he will
be a burden on tax payers. Not to worry, Lee's Summit. You have no group
homes here, so he won't burden your city.
Your children still have a chance. Your children still have a future. I
pray that none of you ever have to read the following and have it apply to
your child. But, if you continue to sit back and do nothing, you will face
the same situation that I face today. I let the State of Missouri and the
Lee's Summit School District steal my son's future. I will live with that
until the day that I die because Jake will be living with me until the day I
die. What will happen to him after that, only God knows. I pray that you
never have to go to bed at night and think about that.
Education/Training (Required)
Post secondary Goal(s)
Jacob' goal is to attend post-secondary training or a 2 year college with a
focus on computer game designing.
Transition Services
School
Assist Jacob in information-gathering process: post secondary institutions,
programs of study, prerequisites, registration process, methods for
exploring grants, loans, etc. Encourage to enroll in coursework needed to
pursue computer technology. Academic support as needed.
Student
Recommended that Jacob apply to Vocational Rehabilitation by junior year to
see what kind of assistance may be available if he qualifies. Utilize
assistance from counselor, caseload manager, and outlines provided by the
school when picking courses in line with his goal of comp. game design.
(This is has this whole mess started. These are the people that chose this
engineering class. It turns out that this class is civil engineering
class.)
Parent
Assist Jacob in exploring the possibility of applying to Vocational
Rehabilitation beginning his junior year. Also assist him in choosing
appropriate coursework to meet his transition goals. Assist Jacob in
visiting a post secondary school, completing registration, and deterring
financial aid needs.
Outside Agency (specify agency) Vocational Rehabilitation
Conference with Jacob and his family on possible post secondary services if
he qualifies. Career Assessment at Joe Herndon will be made available to
Jacob.
Employment (Required)
Post Secondary Goal(s)
Jacob's goal is to be employed in the field of computer game designing.
Transition Services
School
Assist Jacob in researching employment statistics in the field of computer
game design and related fields. Provide instruction in completing job
applications and role playing interview communication skills. Support
provided in academic areas as needed.
Student
Jacob will practice filling out job applications and will participate in
role-playing communication interview skills. Continue to consider
employment statistics that he has researched. May wish to consider part-time
employment after age 16 outside of the school setting.
Parent
Assist Jacob in assimilating researched employment information. Assist with
consideration of part-time employment if family feels that would be a growth
experience after age 16.
Outside Agency
A Vocational Rehabilitation counselor will conference with Jacob and parents
on possible services in the area of employment if he qualifies.
Independent Living
Post Secondary Goals
Jacob plans to live with his parents while receiving post-secondary
education/training. His long-term goal is to live semi-independently in a
group home as an adult.
Transition Services
School
Jacob will be encouraged to enroll in course work that will help facilitate
independent, living, such as Family and Consumer Science classes. Personal
Finance, auto and home care, etc.
Student
Jacob will enroll and participate in courses to assist with instruction in
independent living skills.
Parent
Parents will assist Jacob in choosing appropriate classes for transitional
skills and will support him in hands-on types of assignments that may be
done at home to help in the transference of information. Family may wish to
access services through the Regional Center for sem-independent living as
well.
Outside Agency
May privately assist parents in the area of semi-independent living needs.
Friday, August 29, 2008
OSEP URGES STATES TO BETTER IDENTIFY DISTRICTS' IDEA NONCOMPLIANCE
OSEP URGES STATES TO BETTER IDENTIFY DISTRICTS' IDEA NONCOMPLIANCE
http://www.specialedconnection.com
BALTIMORE --
States must be more diligent in looking for signs of IDEA noncompliance and reporting every such problem -- no matter how small -- to OSEP as part of their State Performance Plan/Annual
Performance Report, department officials told attendees at the National Accountability Conference, held Aug. 24-26.
The officials' remarks came during a discussion of Indicator B-15, which seeks to
measure a state's ability to identify and correct noncompliance by LEAs in the Part B program. A similar indicator, C-9, measures states' ability to identify and correct noncompliance in the Part C
program for infants and toddlers.
There are at least two ways in which states can step up their efforts to identify noncompliance by LEAs, according to Greg Corr, associate director of OSEP's Monitoring and State Improvement Planning Division. First, states must review all due process hearing decisions for evidence that LEAs are not complying with the IDEA, Corr said. Second, states should monitor data coming in from LEAs and treat evidence of noncompliance from that source in the same way they would treat evidence discovered through any other route, such as a self-assessment, an on-site visit,
or a desk review of records, Corr said.
MORE DISTRICTS TAKE AUTISM COORDINATION INTO THEIR OWN HANDS
More school districts are seeking to hire their own full-time autism experts -- a departure from the traditional approach of hiring outside consultants to temporarily work with districts. The roles and backgrounds of autism specialists vary from place to place. But many educators agree every district needs a local go-to person -- or people -- when it comes to educating students with autism and
organizing training opportunities for staff.
"Schools are absolutely overwhelmed" with autism cases, said Mary Ann Winter-Messiers, coordinator of Project Preparing Autism Specialists for Schools at the University of Oregon. "School districts are desperate to have people who know what they are doing." The need to have a local
coordinator who organizes staff training in autism services for new and veteran teachers grows more dire as the number of students with autism keeps climbing.
According to the Education Department, 166,424 children ages 6 to 21 had autism in 2004, compared with 224,594 in 2006. There also is a sense of desperation among educators because
students with autism have a wide range of needs and abilities. This range makes teacher training and program development time-consuming and expensive.
** For access to the full articles above, sign up for a FREE Special
Ed Connection® trial subscription!
Go to http://www.specialedconnection.com/SEC/freetry.htm , complete
the registration form and click on SUBMIT.
http://www.specialedconnection.com
BALTIMORE --
States must be more diligent in looking for signs of IDEA noncompliance and reporting every such problem -- no matter how small -- to OSEP as part of their State Performance Plan/Annual
Performance Report, department officials told attendees at the National Accountability Conference, held Aug. 24-26.
The officials' remarks came during a discussion of Indicator B-15, which seeks to
measure a state's ability to identify and correct noncompliance by LEAs in the Part B program. A similar indicator, C-9, measures states' ability to identify and correct noncompliance in the Part C
program for infants and toddlers.
There are at least two ways in which states can step up their efforts to identify noncompliance by LEAs, according to Greg Corr, associate director of OSEP's Monitoring and State Improvement Planning Division. First, states must review all due process hearing decisions for evidence that LEAs are not complying with the IDEA, Corr said. Second, states should monitor data coming in from LEAs and treat evidence of noncompliance from that source in the same way they would treat evidence discovered through any other route, such as a self-assessment, an on-site visit,
or a desk review of records, Corr said.
MORE DISTRICTS TAKE AUTISM COORDINATION INTO THEIR OWN HANDS
More school districts are seeking to hire their own full-time autism experts -- a departure from the traditional approach of hiring outside consultants to temporarily work with districts. The roles and backgrounds of autism specialists vary from place to place. But many educators agree every district needs a local go-to person -- or people -- when it comes to educating students with autism and
organizing training opportunities for staff.
"Schools are absolutely overwhelmed" with autism cases, said Mary Ann Winter-Messiers, coordinator of Project Preparing Autism Specialists for Schools at the University of Oregon. "School districts are desperate to have people who know what they are doing." The need to have a local
coordinator who organizes staff training in autism services for new and veteran teachers grows more dire as the number of students with autism keeps climbing.
According to the Education Department, 166,424 children ages 6 to 21 had autism in 2004, compared with 224,594 in 2006. There also is a sense of desperation among educators because
students with autism have a wide range of needs and abilities. This range makes teacher training and program development time-consuming and expensive.
** For access to the full articles above, sign up for a FREE Special
Ed Connection® trial subscription!
Go to http://www.specialedconnection.com/SEC/freetry.htm , complete
the registration form and click on SUBMIT.
My Letter To OSEP
What is OSEP's plan for monitoring the state of Missouri? It is impossible to win a due process case in Missouri and the districts and DESE know it. Therefore, parents are forced to move to another state or have their children receive second class educations.
I will provide you with some information and I urge you to investigate. Missouri is never going to hold their districts accountable. I can send you story after story of Missouri families that are struggling to see their children reach their full potential. More and more are just pulling their children out of school and teaching them at home. At least they will no longer be emotional and psychologically damaged once they are removed from the districts.
By David Hunn
Missouri has demanded too little of its schools and reprimanded their
shortcomings too slowly, according to a new federal report.
A team from the U.S. Department of Education has found dozens of problems with
the state's supervision of its schools, from simple differences in terminology
to major violations of the federal law known as No Child Left Behind.
The U.S. government is now asking Missouri's education department to review the
status of every school and every district in the state that has failed to meet
scoring targets on standardized tests for more than two years in a row — about
200 schools and 167 districts.
"Missouri has a challenge," said Zollie Stevenson, chief of federal Student
Achievement and School Accountability Programs, and leader of the team that
reviewed Missouri. "The state needs to be more proactive — actually going out
and monitoring."
Some think the federal teams are coming down harder on states than they have in
the past. The Missouri report is one of several recent instances where states
have been cited for letting districts slide.
Now Missouri districts face sanctions this school year that they didn't expect.
Some, such as Parkway, Ritenour and Fort Zumwalt, have relatively minor
penalties — creating school improvement plans or offering some students
transfers to higher-performing schools within their districts.
But the schools that fell short most often may be forced to fire teachers and
principals, reopen as charter schools, or even close altogether.
State administrators do not know exactly how many will be affected. They say as
few as 20 could see unexpected penalties, but they're not yet sure which ones.
No Child Left Behind started a clock ticking in 2002, with the alarm set to go
off in 2014 when all schoolchildren are supposed to be proficient in reading
and math. Along the way are annual benchmarks for schools to meet and sanctions
when they don't.
"It appears Missouri reinterpreted the statute to provide for more time for
those decisions to be made," Stevenson said.
The federal team was so concerned that it even reserved the right to fine the
state — as much as $500,000 this year.
State leaders — like many educators across the country — say No Child Left
Behind has been confusing and the guidelines murky.
But they say they've already begun fixing these problems.
WORST-CASE STATE
Every three years, the U.S. Department of Education checks to make sure each state is monitoring its schools correctly. Not only does this keep schools on track with the law, but it also allows the government to keep tabs on the $14
billion it gives schools to help low-income students.
Since the law took effect in 2002, U.S. teams have reprimanded nearly every state, according to past federal reports. In 2005, Illinois was cited for verifying test results too slowly, and not identifying failing schools until the middle of the school year — too late for parents to take advantage of remedies offered under the law. In 2006, Wyoming didn't ensure all failing
schools developed improvement plans; South Carolina incorrectly calculated district test scores. In 2007, Rhode Island was reprimanded for having inconsistent standards for children learning to speak English.
But the errors caught in Missouri were more serious, experts say.
"This is really a worst-case state," said Phyllis McClure, a consultant in Washington who has helped monitor states on points of education law since the late 1960s.
She was stunned Missouri hadn't been monitoring district progress more closely. The state had not asked to see district letters that should have been sent to parents, explaining that their children could be eligible for tutoring or transfers from failing schools, the report said. Nor had Missouri required evidence that districts were giving the right amount of federal money to each school. And while Missouri had monitored schools for test-score progress, it hadn't held districts accountable for low scores.
And when schools failed tests, Missouri hadn't forced them down the federal improvement path that begins with tutoring and transfers and leads to "restructuring," where schools must shut down and start over with new leaders and staff.
"The whole point of this requirement, these stages of corrective action, was not to let these schools slide for so long before they got help," McClure said.
"Why have they been letting that go on for five years?" she asked.
A CONFUSING LAW
Becky Kemna, Missouri's new coordinator of school improvement, said No Child Left Behind greatly increased requirements for schools.
Not only must their entire student bodies now meet yearly testing goals, but each group of students — black, white, Asian, low-income, special-education and those learning English as a second language — are held to the same standards.
And those standards increase each year.
It has been difficult, Kemna said, for state employees to interpret all of the new rules. Federal guidelines initially encouraged interpretation. Now this report, she said, has shown her the federal government doesn't tolerate as much
flexibility as first thought.
Kemna said the state must send its responses to the U.S. Department of Education by the middle of this month. State officials fixed many of the problems cited before the federal team even left, she said, but others will take more effort.
The state will now ask to see letters before districts send them to parents. It will compile yearly lists of districts that missed state testing goals and must be penalized.
School administrators grumble that No Child Left Behind demands the impossible.
A 2007 survey shows state employees across the country say they simply don't have enough people to monitor every school district.
Schools, however, have no choice but to work toward the goals they're given.
At the Patrick Henry Downtown Academy in St. Louis, a new principal pores over test results, seeing which individual questions tripped up students in key subject areas. Just 4 percent of Henry students passed the English test; only 1 percent passed math. The principal hopes to find out why.
In Webster Groves, the school district sent parents a letter last month saying the district had barely missed the state's annual progress goals, and would have to develop a plan for improvement. Administrators there have already broadened expensive, one-on-one math and reading lessons for students who need to boost test scores.
The Normandy School District had four schools cited this year for low test scores, adding to two it already had on the list. "I think the state was catching up," said Sheila Williams, the district's executive director of school programs.
"All these designations, I don't want to say they don't mean anything to us, but we're striving to get all these kids proficient, regardless," she said.
— David Hunn
From My Districts Website
R-7 SCHOOL DISTRICT STUDENTS PERFORM
WELL ABOVE AVERAGE ON MISSOURI
ASSESSMENT PROGRAM TESTS FOR 2008
Success again accompanied by confusing designation
Lee's Summit R-7 School District students again excelled on the annual Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests, which measure academic achievement in various grades and subject levels. According to information released today by the state, R-7 students scored significantly above the state average in both communication arts and math at every grade level. This is based on the percent of students scoring in the MAP test's top two levels of advanced and proficient. Students also took MAP tests in science last spring, and these results will be released during September.
This achievement follows a recent series of successes for Lee's Summit R-7. During July, the R-7 School District was named seventh best school district in the nation in Money magazine's ranking of districts throughout the United States (small cities listing). Last winter, Lee's Summit R-7 was one of just a handful of Missouri school districts to receive the state's Distinction In Performance Award all seven years it has been offered by earning a perfect score each year.
While the R-7 School District continues to experience annual improvement in academic achievement and is recognized as one of the best public school districts in the nation, the challenge to meet the proficiency targets of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act still exist. The R-7 School District is among 280 Missouri school districts (out of 524 districts in the state) designated as "District Improvement Level 1 or 2" based on the NCLB Act's Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) goals.
Although the goals of No Child Left Behind, including accountability for student achievement, are worthwhile, the law's punitive nature fails to recognize a district's overall progress toward meeting the objective of success for each child. A district's failure to meet NCLB proficiency targets in as few as one of nine sub-groups in either communication arts or math results in a designation of failure for the district as a whole in its effort to meet federal Annual Yearly Progress goals.
In 2008, the R-7 School District overall student population met and significantly exceeded No Child Left Behind AYP proficiency goals in both subjects tested. In addition, the district met NCLB goals in six of nine sub-groups in communication arts and in eight of nine sub-groups in mathematics. Sub-groups scoring below the standard in communication arts were black students and students qualifying for the free and/or reduced lunch program. Students in the special-education sub-group did not meet the standard for both communication arts and math. None of the Kansas City metropolitan-area school districts on the Missouri side met AYP proficiency standards in all sub-groups in either communication arts or mathematics, meaning that all area districts were designated as "District Level Improvement Level 1 or 2" this year.
Data from the MAP testing program is analyzed each year by R-7 educators and is one of many important tools used to help school staff members focus on continually improving to ensure success for each child.
Newspaper Articles From Local Newspapers
According to the Lee's Summit group, there are more than 210 students diagnosed with autism in the district. They believe that the teachers in the district should be trained in autism. "A lot of these kids with autism are in special education, so their teacher would be trained in autism," Tucker said. "But my son is not in special ed, he's in regular ed. So he has seven teachers everyday that don't have a clue and they're going to educate my son." Tucker said there have been times when her son became sick or had "meltdowns" because of the different expectations of teachers.
Jerry Keimig, R-7 director of special services, said that it is not possible to train every teacher in the district. "We provide the most comprehensive autism training than any other school district that I'm aware of," Keimig said. "It's not feasible to train every teacher for every disorder. There are 50 to 60 different medical or emotional diagnoses." (I'm pretty sure that
the other 49 to 59 don't affect 1 in 94 boys. The district's program only trains special education teachers. Not paras or regular ed teachers. They also let folks from other districts come in and they charge a fee for that. We have asked that they video tape the workshop and make it available to regular ed teachers. We have asked that they train one teacher at each grade level and have her teach our kids. They could afford an administrative building that was $8.6 million dollars and an aquatic center that cost $12 million, but they can't afford to help our kids.)
Article that appeared in the Pitch at http://www.pitch.com
Today, out of the 17,000 students who attend Lee's Summit's 17 elementary schools, three middle schools and five high schools, 98 kids meet the educational definition of autism ("A developmental disability which may occur concurrently with other disabilities ... behaviorally defined to include disturbances in four areas: developmental rates or sequences; responses to sensory stimuli; speech, language cognitive capacities, nonverbal communication; and capacities to relate to people,
events, objects, and which adversely affect educational performance," according to the Missouri Autism Resource Guide by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Missouri Department of Mental Health). More than 250 other students fall somewhere on the autism spectrum, with a variety of psychological conditions characterized
by abnormal social interaction or communication.
The district doesn't have specific classes for children with autism because the symptoms differ from one student to the next. General special-education classes range from groups of 10 students to a one-on-one, teacher-student setting, though many special-needs students are in regular classrooms.
"As a subpopulation, autism is growing pretty fast. I hear all the time from parents who move here because of our special-education programs," Keimig tells The Pitch. "I think you'd certainly find people who believe it's not all it's cracked up to be, but lots of people here are very, very pleased."
Keimig has a laugh that comes suddenly and loudly, like a burst of machine-gun fire. His detractors tend to compare him to a used-car salesman.
His supporters want him to teach all Missouri administrators how to deal with their autistic students.
As proof of his program's success, Keimig cites two examples: special-ed students' high test scores on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test, administered by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the district's program for training teachers on how to educate special-needs students.
The district's special-needs students performed well on reading comprehension exams in the last round of MAP tests in August 2007. Overall, however, their scores fell far short of the "Adequate Yearly Progress" goals set by the No Child Left Behind Act. (The same was true for students for whom English was a second language.) As a result, the entire district was given a failing grade.
District Superintendent David McGehee made sure that parents knew which students were at fault. "The scores of students in these two subgroups are the sole reason our district was designated in this category," he wrote in an August 17, 2007, letter to district parents.
Keimig touts Lee's Summit's teacher training program: two four-day sessions a year to refresh teachers on recognizing autistic behaviors and dealing with autistic students. But these sessions aren't mandatory, and there are no special incentives for teachers to attend. Of the district's 1,264 teachers, fewer than 80 attended the most recent sessions; half of those who did, Stacy Martin says, came from schools outside the Lee's Summit district.
But, Martin adds, teachers from neighboring states and school districts often pay $1,400 per person to attend the Lee's Summit training sessions. And Lee's Summit is so well-respected within the Missouri education system that Heidi Atkins Lieberman, commissioner of special education for the state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, has invited Keimig to speak at a conference of state administrators in August. He's scheduled to present a special session
for superintendents on effective teaching methods for autistic students.
The Missouri Department of Education does not keep records detailing the progress of autistic students. Instead, it tracks the performance of special-education students as a whole.
In choosing Keimig to lead the special session in August, Lieberman says, she relied on informed friends. "I asked people who were very knowledgeable about autism education, and they all said Jerry would be great," Lieberman says. "I don't think I'm really at liberty to identify anyone I talked to."
The announcement of Keimig's special session infuriated some members of the Lee's Summit Autism Support Group, a collection of parents that includes Joyce Lindsey.
"If he's going to be there, we are picketing that conference," Lindsey says. "There's no way that he should be in that position."
In Missouri, if a parent decides that a school district isn't meeting its obligations, the parent has several options for complaining to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The most common method is filing a "due process" lawsuit against the school, which is then moderated by hearing officers assigned by DESE. That's costly for parents of special-ed students, who are already spending extra money on therapies and doctors. And the lawsuits are almost impossible to win, says one Kansas City lawyer who has a history of dealing with such suits.
"I don't even want to take them anymore because it's so hard to get anywhere," Kim Westhusing says. "The challenge is, you have to determine whether the child is receiving what the state refers to as 'free and appropriate education.' And the standard, as written, is 'Did the child receive some educational benefits?' OK, now what does that mean? What an educational benefit is depends on who you talk to. A student could go through a whole year of school, only learns to tie his shoes, and they could say that's an educational benefit. You almost have to show that their program has harmed a child."
DESE regulations for due process specify that a case be chaired by three hearing officers — one chosen by the school, one by the parent and one assigned by DESE. The regulations mandate that the hearing officers be chosen from a list of approximately 70 officers designated by DESE. Almost everyone on that list is a school administrator, a teacher or a lawyer retained by a Missouri school district.
Only two have backgrounds as advocates for special-needs children.
"When my hearing chair is a school district attorney, the school's representative is a school administrator, and the one I get is a parent advocate — and on the whole list, only two are parent advocates — what chance do I have?" Shaumeyer says. "The odds were stacked against me, and I was out of money, so we ended up settling."
According to Wanda Allen, a secretary with the DESE's Division of Special Education, the people listed as hearing officers are qualified people who apply to DESE for the position every 18 months. But it's been years since anyone new was considered for the positions. "Last year, we just updated the list of people we already had," Allen says.
The Division of Special Education does not track statistics comparing how many due-process complaints are filed against a particular school or district or the results of those complaints.
Keimig's name is on the list of hearing officers. He believes that DESE has set up a fair system. "The thing I like about the formalized complaint process is that you have people looking at it who are not tied up in the emotional aspect, because obviously the parents feel strongly about it, as they should," he says.
Rather than filing a due-process suit, Tucker complained to DESE's Office of Civil Rights in 2005, when she believed that Jake's teachers were not following his IEP as mandated by state law for special-needs children. The civil rights office determined that the district had violated the law but imposed no penalties after determining that damage to his education had been minimal.
Tucker's Autism Support Group now includes approximately 40 members who meet once a month to discuss their children's progress and the effectiveness of the district's special-education programs.
She decided to run for the school board, she says, because the growing number of parents with autistic children needed some representation.
At the first debate, on March 28, Tucker was the only candidate who wasn't an incumbent. She arrived at the Lee's Summit Performing Arts Building unsure of what to expect, then spent the night scrambling to collect her thoughts as the candidates were questioned.
After incumbent Jack Wiley suggested that he understood her feelings about her son because his wife taught special ed and they'd baby-sat autistic children, Tucker replied in her closing, "Saying that is like me going to a male gynecologist and him trying to tell me he understands what labor pains are. Unless he's ever had them, he doesn't know."
For the next night's forum at Lee's Summit West High School, Tucker was prepared. With the members of her support group in the audience, Tucker argued with the three incumbents. During closing statements, Jon Plaas, a board member seeking his third term, labeled the district's disabled children as a special-interest group.
"I have a great deal of empathy for Ms. Tucker and her situation," Plaas said, according to the Lee's Summit Journal. "If we set aside a board seat for this special-interest group with 300 students, then we have another six special-interest groups (that want a board seat), pretty soon we have seven seats set aside and 2,100 kids covered. What about the other 15,000 students? And, by the way, what about the other stakeholders — the parents, taxpayers, teachers, administrators?"
In her closing, Tucker shot back: "I don't want you to give me a board seat, Mr. Plaas. I just want the people to vote me into it."
Tucker almost unseated Plaas, coming within 386 votes of her closest competitor's 5,065. (All of the board members ran against one another for the top three positions.)
Martin, the district's autism education specialist, says the close election results aren't cause to believe that other parents are as upset as Tucker.
"I can't say why anyone voted the way they did," Martin says. "Some may have voted for her because of her issue, but some might've done it because she was the last name on the ballot, and some may have done it because she's a female."
I will provide you with some information and I urge you to investigate. Missouri is never going to hold their districts accountable. I can send you story after story of Missouri families that are struggling to see their children reach their full potential. More and more are just pulling their children out of school and teaching them at home. At least they will no longer be emotional and psychologically damaged once they are removed from the districts.
By David Hunn
Missouri has demanded too little of its schools and reprimanded their
shortcomings too slowly, according to a new federal report.
A team from the U.S. Department of Education has found dozens of problems with
the state's supervision of its schools, from simple differences in terminology
to major violations of the federal law known as No Child Left Behind.
The U.S. government is now asking Missouri's education department to review the
status of every school and every district in the state that has failed to meet
scoring targets on standardized tests for more than two years in a row — about
200 schools and 167 districts.
"Missouri has a challenge," said Zollie Stevenson, chief of federal Student
Achievement and School Accountability Programs, and leader of the team that
reviewed Missouri. "The state needs to be more proactive — actually going out
and monitoring."
Some think the federal teams are coming down harder on states than they have in
the past. The Missouri report is one of several recent instances where states
have been cited for letting districts slide.
Now Missouri districts face sanctions this school year that they didn't expect.
Some, such as Parkway, Ritenour and Fort Zumwalt, have relatively minor
penalties — creating school improvement plans or offering some students
transfers to higher-performing schools within their districts.
But the schools that fell short most often may be forced to fire teachers and
principals, reopen as charter schools, or even close altogether.
State administrators do not know exactly how many will be affected. They say as
few as 20 could see unexpected penalties, but they're not yet sure which ones.
No Child Left Behind started a clock ticking in 2002, with the alarm set to go
off in 2014 when all schoolchildren are supposed to be proficient in reading
and math. Along the way are annual benchmarks for schools to meet and sanctions
when they don't.
"It appears Missouri reinterpreted the statute to provide for more time for
those decisions to be made," Stevenson said.
The federal team was so concerned that it even reserved the right to fine the
state — as much as $500,000 this year.
State leaders — like many educators across the country — say No Child Left
Behind has been confusing and the guidelines murky.
But they say they've already begun fixing these problems.
WORST-CASE STATE
Every three years, the U.S. Department of Education checks to make sure each state is monitoring its schools correctly. Not only does this keep schools on track with the law, but it also allows the government to keep tabs on the $14
billion it gives schools to help low-income students.
Since the law took effect in 2002, U.S. teams have reprimanded nearly every state, according to past federal reports. In 2005, Illinois was cited for verifying test results too slowly, and not identifying failing schools until the middle of the school year — too late for parents to take advantage of remedies offered under the law. In 2006, Wyoming didn't ensure all failing
schools developed improvement plans; South Carolina incorrectly calculated district test scores. In 2007, Rhode Island was reprimanded for having inconsistent standards for children learning to speak English.
But the errors caught in Missouri were more serious, experts say.
"This is really a worst-case state," said Phyllis McClure, a consultant in Washington who has helped monitor states on points of education law since the late 1960s.
She was stunned Missouri hadn't been monitoring district progress more closely. The state had not asked to see district letters that should have been sent to parents, explaining that their children could be eligible for tutoring or transfers from failing schools, the report said. Nor had Missouri required evidence that districts were giving the right amount of federal money to each school. And while Missouri had monitored schools for test-score progress, it hadn't held districts accountable for low scores.
And when schools failed tests, Missouri hadn't forced them down the federal improvement path that begins with tutoring and transfers and leads to "restructuring," where schools must shut down and start over with new leaders and staff.
"The whole point of this requirement, these stages of corrective action, was not to let these schools slide for so long before they got help," McClure said.
"Why have they been letting that go on for five years?" she asked.
A CONFUSING LAW
Becky Kemna, Missouri's new coordinator of school improvement, said No Child Left Behind greatly increased requirements for schools.
Not only must their entire student bodies now meet yearly testing goals, but each group of students — black, white, Asian, low-income, special-education and those learning English as a second language — are held to the same standards.
And those standards increase each year.
It has been difficult, Kemna said, for state employees to interpret all of the new rules. Federal guidelines initially encouraged interpretation. Now this report, she said, has shown her the federal government doesn't tolerate as much
flexibility as first thought.
Kemna said the state must send its responses to the U.S. Department of Education by the middle of this month. State officials fixed many of the problems cited before the federal team even left, she said, but others will take more effort.
The state will now ask to see letters before districts send them to parents. It will compile yearly lists of districts that missed state testing goals and must be penalized.
School administrators grumble that No Child Left Behind demands the impossible.
A 2007 survey shows state employees across the country say they simply don't have enough people to monitor every school district.
Schools, however, have no choice but to work toward the goals they're given.
At the Patrick Henry Downtown Academy in St. Louis, a new principal pores over test results, seeing which individual questions tripped up students in key subject areas. Just 4 percent of Henry students passed the English test; only 1 percent passed math. The principal hopes to find out why.
In Webster Groves, the school district sent parents a letter last month saying the district had barely missed the state's annual progress goals, and would have to develop a plan for improvement. Administrators there have already broadened expensive, one-on-one math and reading lessons for students who need to boost test scores.
The Normandy School District had four schools cited this year for low test scores, adding to two it already had on the list. "I think the state was catching up," said Sheila Williams, the district's executive director of school programs.
"All these designations, I don't want to say they don't mean anything to us, but we're striving to get all these kids proficient, regardless," she said.
— David Hunn
From My Districts Website
R-7 SCHOOL DISTRICT STUDENTS PERFORM
WELL ABOVE AVERAGE ON MISSOURI
ASSESSMENT PROGRAM TESTS FOR 2008
Success again accompanied by confusing designation
Lee's Summit R-7 School District students again excelled on the annual Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests, which measure academic achievement in various grades and subject levels. According to information released today by the state, R-7 students scored significantly above the state average in both communication arts and math at every grade level. This is based on the percent of students scoring in the MAP test's top two levels of advanced and proficient. Students also took MAP tests in science last spring, and these results will be released during September.
This achievement follows a recent series of successes for Lee's Summit R-7. During July, the R-7 School District was named seventh best school district in the nation in Money magazine's ranking of districts throughout the United States (small cities listing). Last winter, Lee's Summit R-7 was one of just a handful of Missouri school districts to receive the state's Distinction In Performance Award all seven years it has been offered by earning a perfect score each year.
While the R-7 School District continues to experience annual improvement in academic achievement and is recognized as one of the best public school districts in the nation, the challenge to meet the proficiency targets of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act still exist. The R-7 School District is among 280 Missouri school districts (out of 524 districts in the state) designated as "District Improvement Level 1 or 2" based on the NCLB Act's Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) goals.
Although the goals of No Child Left Behind, including accountability for student achievement, are worthwhile, the law's punitive nature fails to recognize a district's overall progress toward meeting the objective of success for each child. A district's failure to meet NCLB proficiency targets in as few as one of nine sub-groups in either communication arts or math results in a designation of failure for the district as a whole in its effort to meet federal Annual Yearly Progress goals.
In 2008, the R-7 School District overall student population met and significantly exceeded No Child Left Behind AYP proficiency goals in both subjects tested. In addition, the district met NCLB goals in six of nine sub-groups in communication arts and in eight of nine sub-groups in mathematics. Sub-groups scoring below the standard in communication arts were black students and students qualifying for the free and/or reduced lunch program. Students in the special-education sub-group did not meet the standard for both communication arts and math. None of the Kansas City metropolitan-area school districts on the Missouri side met AYP proficiency standards in all sub-groups in either communication arts or mathematics, meaning that all area districts were designated as "District Level Improvement Level 1 or 2" this year.
Data from the MAP testing program is analyzed each year by R-7 educators and is one of many important tools used to help school staff members focus on continually improving to ensure success for each child.
Newspaper Articles From Local Newspapers
According to the Lee's Summit group, there are more than 210 students diagnosed with autism in the district. They believe that the teachers in the district should be trained in autism. "A lot of these kids with autism are in special education, so their teacher would be trained in autism," Tucker said. "But my son is not in special ed, he's in regular ed. So he has seven teachers everyday that don't have a clue and they're going to educate my son." Tucker said there have been times when her son became sick or had "meltdowns" because of the different expectations of teachers.
Jerry Keimig, R-7 director of special services, said that it is not possible to train every teacher in the district. "We provide the most comprehensive autism training than any other school district that I'm aware of," Keimig said. "It's not feasible to train every teacher for every disorder. There are 50 to 60 different medical or emotional diagnoses." (I'm pretty sure that
the other 49 to 59 don't affect 1 in 94 boys. The district's program only trains special education teachers. Not paras or regular ed teachers. They also let folks from other districts come in and they charge a fee for that. We have asked that they video tape the workshop and make it available to regular ed teachers. We have asked that they train one teacher at each grade level and have her teach our kids. They could afford an administrative building that was $8.6 million dollars and an aquatic center that cost $12 million, but they can't afford to help our kids.)
Article that appeared in the Pitch at http://www.pitch.com
Today, out of the 17,000 students who attend Lee's Summit's 17 elementary schools, three middle schools and five high schools, 98 kids meet the educational definition of autism ("A developmental disability which may occur concurrently with other disabilities ... behaviorally defined to include disturbances in four areas: developmental rates or sequences; responses to sensory stimuli; speech, language cognitive capacities, nonverbal communication; and capacities to relate to people,
events, objects, and which adversely affect educational performance," according to the Missouri Autism Resource Guide by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Missouri Department of Mental Health). More than 250 other students fall somewhere on the autism spectrum, with a variety of psychological conditions characterized
by abnormal social interaction or communication.
The district doesn't have specific classes for children with autism because the symptoms differ from one student to the next. General special-education classes range from groups of 10 students to a one-on-one, teacher-student setting, though many special-needs students are in regular classrooms.
"As a subpopulation, autism is growing pretty fast. I hear all the time from parents who move here because of our special-education programs," Keimig tells The Pitch. "I think you'd certainly find people who believe it's not all it's cracked up to be, but lots of people here are very, very pleased."
Keimig has a laugh that comes suddenly and loudly, like a burst of machine-gun fire. His detractors tend to compare him to a used-car salesman.
His supporters want him to teach all Missouri administrators how to deal with their autistic students.
As proof of his program's success, Keimig cites two examples: special-ed students' high test scores on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test, administered by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the district's program for training teachers on how to educate special-needs students.
The district's special-needs students performed well on reading comprehension exams in the last round of MAP tests in August 2007. Overall, however, their scores fell far short of the "Adequate Yearly Progress" goals set by the No Child Left Behind Act. (The same was true for students for whom English was a second language.) As a result, the entire district was given a failing grade.
District Superintendent David McGehee made sure that parents knew which students were at fault. "The scores of students in these two subgroups are the sole reason our district was designated in this category," he wrote in an August 17, 2007, letter to district parents.
Keimig touts Lee's Summit's teacher training program: two four-day sessions a year to refresh teachers on recognizing autistic behaviors and dealing with autistic students. But these sessions aren't mandatory, and there are no special incentives for teachers to attend. Of the district's 1,264 teachers, fewer than 80 attended the most recent sessions; half of those who did, Stacy Martin says, came from schools outside the Lee's Summit district.
But, Martin adds, teachers from neighboring states and school districts often pay $1,400 per person to attend the Lee's Summit training sessions. And Lee's Summit is so well-respected within the Missouri education system that Heidi Atkins Lieberman, commissioner of special education for the state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, has invited Keimig to speak at a conference of state administrators in August. He's scheduled to present a special session
for superintendents on effective teaching methods for autistic students.
The Missouri Department of Education does not keep records detailing the progress of autistic students. Instead, it tracks the performance of special-education students as a whole.
In choosing Keimig to lead the special session in August, Lieberman says, she relied on informed friends. "I asked people who were very knowledgeable about autism education, and they all said Jerry would be great," Lieberman says. "I don't think I'm really at liberty to identify anyone I talked to."
The announcement of Keimig's special session infuriated some members of the Lee's Summit Autism Support Group, a collection of parents that includes Joyce Lindsey.
"If he's going to be there, we are picketing that conference," Lindsey says. "There's no way that he should be in that position."
In Missouri, if a parent decides that a school district isn't meeting its obligations, the parent has several options for complaining to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The most common method is filing a "due process" lawsuit against the school, which is then moderated by hearing officers assigned by DESE. That's costly for parents of special-ed students, who are already spending extra money on therapies and doctors. And the lawsuits are almost impossible to win, says one Kansas City lawyer who has a history of dealing with such suits.
"I don't even want to take them anymore because it's so hard to get anywhere," Kim Westhusing says. "The challenge is, you have to determine whether the child is receiving what the state refers to as 'free and appropriate education.' And the standard, as written, is 'Did the child receive some educational benefits?' OK, now what does that mean? What an educational benefit is depends on who you talk to. A student could go through a whole year of school, only learns to tie his shoes, and they could say that's an educational benefit. You almost have to show that their program has harmed a child."
DESE regulations for due process specify that a case be chaired by three hearing officers — one chosen by the school, one by the parent and one assigned by DESE. The regulations mandate that the hearing officers be chosen from a list of approximately 70 officers designated by DESE. Almost everyone on that list is a school administrator, a teacher or a lawyer retained by a Missouri school district.
Only two have backgrounds as advocates for special-needs children.
"When my hearing chair is a school district attorney, the school's representative is a school administrator, and the one I get is a parent advocate — and on the whole list, only two are parent advocates — what chance do I have?" Shaumeyer says. "The odds were stacked against me, and I was out of money, so we ended up settling."
According to Wanda Allen, a secretary with the DESE's Division of Special Education, the people listed as hearing officers are qualified people who apply to DESE for the position every 18 months. But it's been years since anyone new was considered for the positions. "Last year, we just updated the list of people we already had," Allen says.
The Division of Special Education does not track statistics comparing how many due-process complaints are filed against a particular school or district or the results of those complaints.
Keimig's name is on the list of hearing officers. He believes that DESE has set up a fair system. "The thing I like about the formalized complaint process is that you have people looking at it who are not tied up in the emotional aspect, because obviously the parents feel strongly about it, as they should," he says.
Rather than filing a due-process suit, Tucker complained to DESE's Office of Civil Rights in 2005, when she believed that Jake's teachers were not following his IEP as mandated by state law for special-needs children. The civil rights office determined that the district had violated the law but imposed no penalties after determining that damage to his education had been minimal.
Tucker's Autism Support Group now includes approximately 40 members who meet once a month to discuss their children's progress and the effectiveness of the district's special-education programs.
She decided to run for the school board, she says, because the growing number of parents with autistic children needed some representation.
At the first debate, on March 28, Tucker was the only candidate who wasn't an incumbent. She arrived at the Lee's Summit Performing Arts Building unsure of what to expect, then spent the night scrambling to collect her thoughts as the candidates were questioned.
After incumbent Jack Wiley suggested that he understood her feelings about her son because his wife taught special ed and they'd baby-sat autistic children, Tucker replied in her closing, "Saying that is like me going to a male gynecologist and him trying to tell me he understands what labor pains are. Unless he's ever had them, he doesn't know."
For the next night's forum at Lee's Summit West High School, Tucker was prepared. With the members of her support group in the audience, Tucker argued with the three incumbents. During closing statements, Jon Plaas, a board member seeking his third term, labeled the district's disabled children as a special-interest group.
"I have a great deal of empathy for Ms. Tucker and her situation," Plaas said, according to the Lee's Summit Journal. "If we set aside a board seat for this special-interest group with 300 students, then we have another six special-interest groups (that want a board seat), pretty soon we have seven seats set aside and 2,100 kids covered. What about the other 15,000 students? And, by the way, what about the other stakeholders — the parents, taxpayers, teachers, administrators?"
In her closing, Tucker shot back: "I don't want you to give me a board seat, Mr. Plaas. I just want the people to vote me into it."
Tucker almost unseated Plaas, coming within 386 votes of her closest competitor's 5,065. (All of the board members ran against one another for the top three positions.)
Martin, the district's autism education specialist, says the close election results aren't cause to believe that other parents are as upset as Tucker.
"I can't say why anyone voted the way they did," Martin says. "Some may have voted for her because of her issue, but some might've done it because she was the last name on the ballot, and some may have done it because she's a female."
My Meeting For My Son's IEP
Let's just say that it was not good. I sent the following request:
Under Assistive Technology you state that Jake has been resistive to carrying the Quick Pad to classes. He did not believe that it worked. It was kept in his 7th hour class and that teacher had to figure out how to use it each time that it was taken out of the closet that it was kept in. Therefore, Jake believed that it did not work. I stated this at the IEP meeting and wish to have that in the present level instead of saying that Jake was resistive to using it. Finally, that same teacher let Jake use a class computer, which I had suggested in middle school, and told Jake that "I have figured out a loophole around your mom's rules." That is unacceptable to me. This same teacher admitted in the IEP meeting that she had said this. Jake came home and told me that I was making things harder for him because that is the impression that he received from this teacher. My advocacy for Jake should never be discussed with Jake without my permission and should never be used as an excuse to find loopholes.
They refuse to remove it. They did change it a little to state that "Mom believes that student believes that it didn't work." But, they would not take out that he was resistive to carrying it.
I told them that I know what he thought and I know what happened. I told them that it was not acceptable to me. They told me that I am the expert on Jake at home and they are the experts on Jake at school. Those same experts didn't know which class to put him in and put him in a class that was inappropriate.
They did change the following:
Under strengths it states that Mrs. Tucker shared that she does not feel that Jacob has any strengths. That is taken totally out of context and is completely inaccurate. I was asked what strengths I felt Jake had for his future. I said that he didn't have any strengths that would lead to him living an independent "normal" life. I did state that Jake is great at math and reading. But, he was not given the tools to live within society because the district did not address his social issues when he started in the district at the age of 5. I want that statement removed.
We spent a long time discussing the following:
On the Modifications and Accommodations page I specifically stated that I was not in agreement to As Needed being used. That is defined as to be determined by the special education and/or regular education staff and that is leaving an important party out of the decisions. I do not believe that it is appropriate to use that term on this IEP.
This was not discussed at all.
Finally, we discussed a social skills class and my psychiatrist and I believe that it is totally inappropriate for Jake. He requires one-on-one instruction from a person that is HIGHLY trained in his disability. It is necessary for the person that is giving Jake services to COMPLETELY understand his disability so that they can understand the difference between one sided conversations and real conversations. Jake has made no progress in this area and has very little time left to make some progress.
We also had a discussion on Jake taking tests in a small group setting. In elementary school it was preferable. He did much better in that environment. In middle school they refused to do 90% of the time. Even though it stated in his IEP that they were supposed to. Today they said that historically Jake had been resistive to taking tests in a small group setting and would shutdown when forced to do so. I said that historically Jake had never shutdown when taking tests in small groups and that if he did now it was because the district had failed to do their job in middle school and this was the consequences. Then I got another speech about how I don't know him at school and they are the experts.
We discussed evaluations. I sent them a list of evaluations that an expert sent to me. They said that they were not obligated to use my list and that they would not purchase a test that they didn't have. I said that I understood that, but Jake is 15 years old and has a major written language issue that the district has never diagnosed or addressed. They felt that it was addressed in the PLOP. I don't believe that it is.
This is how they feel that it is addressed:
Class participation, staying on task, understanding and following instructions, completing and turning in work on time, organization, self-advocating for make-up work, taking notes, expressing himself through lengthy forms of written expression, test-taking skills, understanding the emotions of peers and teachers, and general social skills.
Jacob continues to need improvement with the following skills: following written directions, self-advocacy, writing/ editing and writing complexity, organization, study skills, pragmatic language and social skills.
Woodcock Johnson III (Given by Psychologist)
Reading fluency tested out in the high average range (Which must be 110 or higher) and in the 86th percentile when compared to his age peers.
Writing fluency tested out much lower and only in the 10th percentile with a standard score equivalent of 80.
There is over a 30 point difference between these scores. Written language continues to be an issue for Jake and he would benefit from having that addressed in his IEP as well.
These are the tests that the expert said to ask for:
I would request a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation in all areas of functioning (there are 7). I would also request that the district autism person be present to help plan the evaluation.
Vision-
Hearing-
health/motor- request a Sensory Processing Profile
cognitive- request a Leiter-R non-verbal test of intelligence- they would only do Adaptive Behavior is IQ is 70 or below- have them do the Leiter-R first- then determine if Adaptive Behavior is needed
achievement- request comprehensive achievement testing in all areas of academics- such as the Woodcock-Johnson Revised
speech/language- you need them to do at least 3 good tests- how did he score on the CASL?- it is a good test- could also do the CELF-IV(Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals), TOWL-2 (Test of Written Language), and TOPL-2 (Test of Pragmatic Language- only the newest versioh is good- ADOS would be good here also)
social/emotional- request the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Scale) and a Social Skills Rating Scale- not a BASC.
I would also request a comprehensive Assistive Technology evaluation for reading and written language.
Under Assistive Technology you state that Jake has been resistive to carrying the Quick Pad to classes. He did not believe that it worked. It was kept in his 7th hour class and that teacher had to figure out how to use it each time that it was taken out of the closet that it was kept in. Therefore, Jake believed that it did not work. I stated this at the IEP meeting and wish to have that in the present level instead of saying that Jake was resistive to using it. Finally, that same teacher let Jake use a class computer, which I had suggested in middle school, and told Jake that "I have figured out a loophole around your mom's rules." That is unacceptable to me. This same teacher admitted in the IEP meeting that she had said this. Jake came home and told me that I was making things harder for him because that is the impression that he received from this teacher. My advocacy for Jake should never be discussed with Jake without my permission and should never be used as an excuse to find loopholes.
They refuse to remove it. They did change it a little to state that "Mom believes that student believes that it didn't work." But, they would not take out that he was resistive to carrying it.
I told them that I know what he thought and I know what happened. I told them that it was not acceptable to me. They told me that I am the expert on Jake at home and they are the experts on Jake at school. Those same experts didn't know which class to put him in and put him in a class that was inappropriate.
They did change the following:
Under strengths it states that Mrs. Tucker shared that she does not feel that Jacob has any strengths. That is taken totally out of context and is completely inaccurate. I was asked what strengths I felt Jake had for his future. I said that he didn't have any strengths that would lead to him living an independent "normal" life. I did state that Jake is great at math and reading. But, he was not given the tools to live within society because the district did not address his social issues when he started in the district at the age of 5. I want that statement removed.
We spent a long time discussing the following:
On the Modifications and Accommodations page I specifically stated that I was not in agreement to As Needed being used. That is defined as to be determined by the special education and/or regular education staff and that is leaving an important party out of the decisions. I do not believe that it is appropriate to use that term on this IEP.
This was not discussed at all.
Finally, we discussed a social skills class and my psychiatrist and I believe that it is totally inappropriate for Jake. He requires one-on-one instruction from a person that is HIGHLY trained in his disability. It is necessary for the person that is giving Jake services to COMPLETELY understand his disability so that they can understand the difference between one sided conversations and real conversations. Jake has made no progress in this area and has very little time left to make some progress.
We also had a discussion on Jake taking tests in a small group setting. In elementary school it was preferable. He did much better in that environment. In middle school they refused to do 90% of the time. Even though it stated in his IEP that they were supposed to. Today they said that historically Jake had been resistive to taking tests in a small group setting and would shutdown when forced to do so. I said that historically Jake had never shutdown when taking tests in small groups and that if he did now it was because the district had failed to do their job in middle school and this was the consequences. Then I got another speech about how I don't know him at school and they are the experts.
We discussed evaluations. I sent them a list of evaluations that an expert sent to me. They said that they were not obligated to use my list and that they would not purchase a test that they didn't have. I said that I understood that, but Jake is 15 years old and has a major written language issue that the district has never diagnosed or addressed. They felt that it was addressed in the PLOP. I don't believe that it is.
This is how they feel that it is addressed:
Class participation, staying on task, understanding and following instructions, completing and turning in work on time, organization, self-advocating for make-up work, taking notes, expressing himself through lengthy forms of written expression, test-taking skills, understanding the emotions of peers and teachers, and general social skills.
Jacob continues to need improvement with the following skills: following written directions, self-advocacy, writing/ editing and writing complexity, organization, study skills, pragmatic language and social skills.
Woodcock Johnson III (Given by Psychologist)
Reading fluency tested out in the high average range (Which must be 110 or higher) and in the 86th percentile when compared to his age peers.
Writing fluency tested out much lower and only in the 10th percentile with a standard score equivalent of 80.
There is over a 30 point difference between these scores. Written language continues to be an issue for Jake and he would benefit from having that addressed in his IEP as well.
These are the tests that the expert said to ask for:
I would request a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation in all areas of functioning (there are 7). I would also request that the district autism person be present to help plan the evaluation.
Vision-
Hearing-
health/motor- request a Sensory Processing Profile
cognitive- request a Leiter-R non-verbal test of intelligence- they would only do Adaptive Behavior is IQ is 70 or below- have them do the Leiter-R first- then determine if Adaptive Behavior is needed
achievement- request comprehensive achievement testing in all areas of academics- such as the Woodcock-Johnson Revised
speech/language- you need them to do at least 3 good tests- how did he score on the CASL?- it is a good test- could also do the CELF-IV(Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals), TOWL-2 (Test of Written Language), and TOPL-2 (Test of Pragmatic Language- only the newest versioh is good- ADOS would be good here also)
social/emotional- request the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Scale) and a Social Skills Rating Scale- not a BASC.
I would also request a comprehensive Assistive Technology evaluation for reading and written language.
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