Am I Communicating Effectively?

Have you ever felt like you were saying everything and getting nowhere? Do you sometimes get overwhelmed with acronyms and school speech? Or have you ever felt like you were backed into a corner?  Communicating effectively with school professionals is very important.  You are your child’s voice!  Your opinions are important.  You do not have to agree with everything the school suggests with regard to your child.  But how do you communicate your wishes in a way that continues to foster and promote a good working relationship with the school personnel?

Start with understanding how the school prefers to communicate with parents.  Does the school have a website, newsletter, online portal, or phone message system?  That is a good indication that the method for distributing information is the same way the school prefers to receive communication.  Having a paper trail is always important.  Document and keep everything.  I would suggest a binder and electronic folders for emails to stay organized.  If you have a spoken conversation, or meeting simply jot down and date the notes of what was discussed, etc. and keep that too.  Email communication is quick and easy, but keep in mind that the message may be misinterpreted.  It’s always a good measure to follow up with face to face communication to make sure everyone involved is on the same page.

Knowing who to communicate with is also key.  Get to know the job roles of the school staff.  Introduce yourself and find out who to speak to regarding specific issues.  Stay in touch with the staff and personnel.  Although this may seem obvious, it is important that you have established a home and school open door of communication.  If your child has had a rough morning, send a quick note to let the teacher know.  Sometimes, being prepared for a potential problem can help extinguish it quickly and give your child the best opportunity to turn her day around. Always stay constructive.  You do not have to agree with the approach the school takes, but try and work from the assumption that the school is trying to support your child.  Share information you feel comfortable with sharing.  Give feedback when you think things are going well.  Everyone needs a little encouragement from time to time.  Offer ideas of what you do to help support your child at home that could benefit the school personnel as well.  You know how to extinguish a melt down quickly, explain what works at home.  Be an active presence at school.  It’s ok if you are a working parent and cannot be at the school all the time, but try and be present at school events, etc.


What do you do when communication goes wrong?

When emotions run hot, it can be difficult to communicate your child’s needs to the school staff, but finding ways to have a good working relationship between home and school is important and one of the best ways to make sure your child gets the most from school.  Start with giving yourself some time to respond.  A cooling off period may be necessary so you do not speak with emotion but come from a place of fact and reason.  Request a conference or meeting to speak with the school personnel about the issue.  Try to not escalate an issue prematurely.  Always start speaking with the direct person and see what kind of resolution you and that staff member come to before taking it up the ranks.  Schools should include parents in the planning and reviewing of their child’s needs.  Fostering a good relationship between home and school support is necessary.  Finally, do not lose focus on what you are doing.  At the end of the day, no matter what has taken place, you are the voice of your child.  You are a parent who loves your child and wants your child to be given the best opportunity at a fulfilling life. This road may be filled with bumps and detours but make sure it is filled with love and smiles along the way too.  Breathe, and remind yourself what you are advocating for—your child! 

The better you are able to effectively communicate about your child, the greater the chances you will leave ARD meetings with peace and knowledge of all parties working toward helping your child. 
 

You are your child’s voice and best teacher!

The Ramage Law Group has authoritative solutions for special needs children!

The Ramage Law Group—A Victory!

Your child has a right to a Free Appropriate Public Education and Sharon will fight for your child’s rights!

Today, we celebrate the victory for a student who should have been served appropriately through Houston Independent School District.  The ruling determined not only was the placement at HISD not appropriate, but that the student’s private placement was in fact appropriate!  As a result of the Hearing Officer’s ruling, the school district will be paying for the student’s private education.

THE CASE

The Ramage Law Group represented a student in a due process hearing against Houston Independent School District.  The student was identified with Autism, but also exhibited severe ADHD and deficits in math, reading, and written expression.  The school noted in all of the student’s IEP’s that he could not be successful in a full inclusion setting due to his need for intense instruction in a small group setting.  HISD never addressed the student’s ADHD or written expression deficits.  At end of 5^th grade, the parent applied through a lottery to have her son placed in a district magnet school and received acceptance prior to his transition ARD.  The District’s magnet school application contained no admission requirements and did not mention any limitations in programming based on special education.  The student’s IEP for 6^th grade required resource services in math and reading but did not address written expression or the student’s behavioral and organization needs based on his Autism and ADHD.

The magnet school never provided resource instruction for the student and did not call an ARD meeting to justify any change in placement or services.  At the student’s annual ARD meeting, the school completely eliminated the student’s pull-out services and promised to provide in-class support, an approach that had never been successful.  In other words, the school changed the student’s IEP to what they were doing, which was nothing at all!  The mother then hired a private tutor to continue to help her son while she began fighting the district.  The school actually started sending homework for the private tutor to teach the student at home instead of the public school! The magnet school suggested placing the student in Saturday tutoring which had over 100 kids in the tutoring session even though all of the student’s previous IEP’s clearly stated the student requires small group instruction.

Even though the school promised to provide in-class support, the teacher only worked with the student in math about one time per month.  The student began failing, so the magnet school placed him on a growth plan.  At a follow-up ARD, the school further took away his special education services and eliminated most of his monthly support (because they were not providing it anyway).  At this point, his mother gave the school written notice that she was withdrawing the student from the magnet school and enrolling him in a private placement where his needs would be appropriately met.  She also clearly articulated in writing that she would be seeking reimbursement from the district for not appropriately educating her son.

At the point that the student entered the private school he had only advanced about 1 year academically over a 3 year period. By the time the student left HISD, his autism related behaviors worsened.  He was stemming, he had increased anxiety, and was deteriorating in all academic areas. 

After enrolling in private school, the student began to flourish!  Although he is 2-3 years below grade level, his teachers at the private school are exposing him to grade level curriculum while they are providing remediation in all academic areas.  He is in a classroom setting with a 1:9 teacher ratio, his anxiety has decreased, and he loves school!

The Hearing Officer determined

HISD’s placement was not appropriate.

The private placement was appropriate.

The student requires additional time in the private school.

The Hearing Officer ordered the school district to reimburse the parent for private placement costs through the end of the 2015-16 school year and to provide an additional year of private school as compensatory education – a remedy to make up for the damage caused by the school’s failures.  

“My blessing came from a recommendation to consult with Sharon Ramage for legal advice. From the initial conversation, I was immediately confident that I had retained the right lawyer for my case. Mrs. Ramage answered all of my questions and led me through the legal course of my rights and the responsibilities of the school district. As we got closer to the trial, I was very concerned that over the course of nearly a year, Mrs. Ramage would not remember all of the pertinent information I'd shared with her. During the trial, I was amazed at how she recited the facts of my case as if they had happened to her and her child. I was completely blown away by her knowledge of the laws for students with disabilities, her style, her savvy and her complete control of the court setting. She's nothing short of genius. She's brilliant! I could not be more thrilled with the "monumental victory" that we claim today, based on Mrs. Sharon Ramage leading the charge with my case."

 – R.M.

Today, a child will continue to flourish in an environment conducive to learning and addressing his needs.  Today, a mother will rest easy knowing that she truly fought for her son even when no one else would listen.  Today, a child’s future no longer hangs in the balance and he has access to the necessary tools to succeed in school.  Today, we celebrate a victory not only for this family, but for all families of special education students.  The Ramage Law Group has authoritative solutions for special needs children!