Should I have my child’s classroom placement changed?
It is a long and arduous process trying to enlist all the individuals that are needed to diagnose, test, meet, and come up with a plan when a child is special needs. With that said, when everything is in place, and everyone provides the therapy and help that is needed is agreed upon, the situation runs like a well-oiled machine. However, when things do not play out as they should, the situation can become frustrating, anxiety-ridden as well as what seems to be hopeless.
I can’t tell you how many times, families have contacted me for varying problems on varying levels. However, the one problem that seems to be a common thread is that their child has been placed within a classroom setting that is not considered to be the least restrictive environment or anywhere close to that.
If after all the doctor visits, the diagnosis, testing (from the physician as well as the school), and meetings, your child is placed in a classroom that you, as the parent, feel is not appropriate then you need to be proactive in ensuring that a change takes place immediately. Early intervention is the key but more so the intervention needs to include the right decisions made for your particular child.
For instance, if the child is receiving all the support services listed on his/her IEP but your child is placed in an inappropriate classroom, then only part of that child’s day will be helpful.
The child’s IEP is like a puzzle. There are many different facets and when they all come together correctly, they work in unison for the goal of improving and teaching the child so they can move forward with skills that have been mastered.
An example:
I had a mother contact me about her son. It was one week into the beginning of school, so she was very proactive and caught things quickly before they had a chance to become a whirlwind. Although her child had an IEP with many support services to target different areas, the classroom placement was all wrong.
The teacher sent home a picture of the child, with his head down on the desk, sleeping. Her son was so bored in this class that he fell asleep. She contacted the teacher right away and asked what the scenario was behind the photo. The teacher explained that the class was working on a project and her son had completed it before anyone else. Because of his boredom and the teacher not giving him another task, the child fell asleep.
Honestly, I could not believe that the teacher even sent this photo home because it validated that she was unable to discern if the child actually belonged in her class. Basically, it made the teacher look questionable.
The mom contacted the CSE Chairperson to call a meeting as she wanted the child to be moved out of this inclusion classroom and put into a mainstream classroom. She was accommodated with a meeting and at the meeting she brought up her thoughts and concerns as to why her son should be moved to a class that was more appropriate for him. We received one answer and that was from the principal.
The CSE agreed that he could be moved but the response from the principal took me by surprise. She said, “We can move him but it will take a while. I will have to see where to place him as all the classes do not have room and are filled to capacity.” This was a stall tactic and very upsetting to the mom.
My question then became this: “If a family just moved into the neighborhood and came to the school to register their child, would you tell them that the child could not start school for a while because all your classes are filled to capacity and you do not know where you will place that child?” The response to my question was met with a blind stare from the principal along with no response from the CSE Chair or anyone else for that matter.
We ended the meeting with ”I’ll be in touch and will let you know when we plan on changing the classroom placement.” This response was from the CSE Chair.
Not only was this response upsetting but the school was not following the law and placing the child in a least restrictive environment whereby he could learn and benefit from an appropriate education. This was unacceptable.
For the following 3 days, I emailed the CSE chair 2 times a day. Once, first thing in the morning and once at the end of the school day inquiring about the status of changing the child’s placement
My thought process was twofold.
One - I was always kept top of mind.
Two - She would get tired of seeing an email from me in her inbox and address the situation quickly. Well, it worked. The child’s placement was changed into an appropriate mainstream classroom yet all of his support services stayed the same with a combination of pull-out and push-in services.
What I tried to explain during the meeting was the fact that the child was bored because he was at a higher functioning level than the other children in the class. Although you always want your child to be with a variety of children and levels, they should always be in a class with some children that are on a higher level than your own child.
The higher-functioning children serve as role models so the other children can learn from them. This learning is not structured but organic. They learn from the other children’s social skills, learning styles, listening to directions, completing a task, etc. The children who may be on a lower level of functioning can look to your child and use them as a model. This way it is a wonderful and productive way for children to try, address, and master different skills with not only the assistance of the teaching staff and support staff but with their peers as well.
Many children feel as though they are judged by the staff but feel less intimidated when being helped and working with their peers. Many, many times children will succeed further and quicker when looking to their peers for assistance. They are able to not only understand their struggles but also see the struggles of others.
The moral to this story is ALWAYS place your child in an environment with children that are on their level but the class must also have children that are on a higher functioning level than themselves as well as a lower level. It gives the child a goal and when they are able to grab that brass ring (the goal), the accomplishment and self-esteem raised from that, skyrockets.
If you feel at any time your child’s classroom placement is incorrect, speak up immediately
Don’t let the school tell you to give it some time. The more time you wait for the change to happen, the less likely it will. If your child is communicative, then ask them questions about their day all the time in order to get a sense of what the environment is like. If they are unable to communicate with you in regards to this, start a communication log with the school and invite them to write you a quick note as to what your child did, how they did, and whether or not your child is proactive in forging friendships with those children.
A child not having any “friend” in their class could indicate that they do not feel comfortable with anyone. This could be for a multitude of reasons - you need to try to pinpoint why. All children should feel that they have a “buddy” in their class. This lessens the feeling of isolation.
Your child spends a great deal of time within the classroom where they are placed. Not everything is perfect with regard to school, but placement needs to be!
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