Another Brick in the Wall?

Another Brick in the Wall?
Powered by Blogger.

The Dangerous Situation That Pushed Us To HomeSchool Our Kids and My Answer To Karla Bollesen's Nice, Please Come Back Letter!


I got a very nice, homey letter from Karla Bollesen, Director of Special Education services letting me know the district was going to end the IEP evaluation process as we decided to un-enroll the kids from the Rochester Public Schools - Independent School District #535,

Once again, it was the parents who initiated the stopping of the IEP process when Karl Bakken, #2 under Mrs. Bollesen asked very rudely if we wanted it killed.
I told him in a very deliberate and stern voice, "Shut it all down", as I didn't want any future involvement with the school district beyond the minimum required reporting requirements by state law for homeschoolers.  

Attitudes foremost remain the same, and that is well most likely, our kids will never return to this local school system.

Both me and my wife are tapping into technological resources and putting our kids in a educational environment, unlike common core, that isn't stressing out the teachers or the kids.
We are making learning fun, and they are loving it.

And with our severely disabled child, the local school district did choose to openly ignore the McKinney-Vento Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

An incident where Carl Black, a Supervisor for Transportation of Rochester Schools, above Mona, a tier 2 person  (Supervisor maybe?) at the school's transportation # refused to drop of my child at the Baldwin Building downtown as I had to be at the medical appointment for my daughter to re-establish care to get a medical summary we had agreed to provide for our daughter's IEP evaluation process.

(We have dealt with a Cindy who works at transportation, also a tier 2 supervisor, and have never had any problems with getting transportation or a re-direct as how the transportation element is supposed to be applied via the Vento Act. She is professional to a tee; the Mona person, not so much!)

I had to call the Superintendent's office at the Baldwin, extremely frustrated and shaking as Mr. Black had basically threatened to take my kid to our home address. Then after 5 minutes take him back to the Phoenix Academy, were there would be no one to supervise him, and he would be left there alone.

This puts his life and safety in danger automatically.

He then threatened me over the phone stating that we, the parents would have to find our own way out to the Phoenix Academy to pick him up, knowing we currently do not have a vehicle and both of us have a bad leg that is part of our disabled status.

Luckily, the secretary called me back even though I was threatened once again that they can't do this ever again.

I did appreciate the gesture, but under the Vento Act, they had to and just chose not to.

And in larger and smaller districts like the MSD of Lawrence and Minneapolis Public Schools, such requests were no big deal as these school districts understand these unique situation happen and in my honest opinion, the districts, in regards to disabled children, "have their shit together!" 

The two drivers that always pick up and drop off my son were silent as they dropped off Jamie.
They know what politics are going on behind the scene and most likely didn't want to be any part of what people were doing deliberately to cause extra stress and agitation.  They both looked down like they wanted to say sorry, but they couldn't, and I wouldn't risk their jobs anyways for the war those above them were waging against parents who care.

No consideration for the McKinney-Vento Act, no considerations for my disabled son's safety or the vocal agreement at his IEP evaluation agreement that sometimes the vans dropping him off would have to be re-directed due to other family members' medical issues and a tight window for meeting the other kids off their buses and the hotel shuttles, 9 am to 2:30 pm. 

That was the day of Thursday, November the 14th. I pulled the kids out of school on the 15th, the following Friday, the next day as I had had enough, and I was tired of the mind games and school leadership using my kids as a pawns against me and my wife.

I couldn't be 2 places at one time. I have to push my disabled wife that has a wheelchair and is forced to use it during cold weather thanks to an accident years ago were she missed a step in a darkened corridor and crushed her entire ankle.  Her leg is full of screws and pins, about 250K in surgeries, therapy, medical equipment and doctor visits.

I then had to be at this appointment re-establishing care for my daughter as we both go to our kids' appointments so nothing is left out, and so I got the medical summary for the IEP evaluation.

Did Mr. Black expect my 9 year old daughter to push my wife's wheelchair around hilly downtown Rochester by herself perhaps?  Can he give me a physics-based answer how one can be two places at one time?

This is the unfair harassment we dealt with constantly. 

They are so tight-assed and rigid about conformity that a simple request to re-direct a van, saving the school and transportation van company money couldn't happen, even though it was a shorter distance and school leadership said "re-directing a van should be no problem" at previous meetings.
 
Driving a pinch under a mile and a half 14-16 blocks versus 38 blocks, a little over 3 miles.

I appreciate the kind gesture, but unless I get something in writing that the harassment-based crap will stop, and people will start following the various laws and acts in place, it will be a cold day in Hell before we ever go back to that nightmare.

I cannot as a parent who loves my children and who cares about their well being, purposely out them in the care of someone who doesn't care about their safety as much as or more than me.

So in closing, thank you, Mrs. Bollesen for the very professional, yet once again, a letter that lacked facts, and I respectively decline your invitation to come back to the Rochester School Corporation.

Our kids love the engaging, encouraging, and loose learning environment that you cannot come even close to offering them.  "Common Core" and "No Child Left Behind" (All Children Left Behind) guarantees you'll never be able to, unfortunately.

Thanks, good day, and I have said all that is needed to be said on this subject...  
 
Enhanced by Zemanta

0 comments:

Post a Comment