Do you have a mentally retared child living at home?
@luckygyrl1005 (5)
United States
October 16, 2006 5:27pm CST
My daughter is 16 and mentally retarded. We are having problems with her school providing proper education for her. The teacher also locked her in the hallway with a bookshelf blocking her exit, and closed her up in the bathroom. Has anyone else had any simiular problems?
3 responses
@fritz27 (1136)
• United States
17 Oct 06
please tell me this isn't so?
i work with special needs students and i can't ever imagine anyone doing such a thing to any student, let alone someone defenseless.
you need to document everything, and i mean everything. then with your husband or someone else, have a meeting with the teacher, principal, school board administrator and get this handled. your daughter needs an advocate now. you should check to see what the state laws are regarding education for special needs students. if you are in pennsylvania, it'll be good. i'd even contact the police and a lawyer. that's child abuse plain and simple. if your daughter was put in the hallway, who was overseeing her to make sure she was safe? what was blocked? the door so she couldn't get back into the classroom? if so, that teacher put the other students at risk. if there was a fire, how would they get out? a bathroom certainly isn't safe for a child to be closed in. as a parent i would make this teachers life a miserable hell. i don't want to hear she is overwhelmed or short handed, as a professional, she should have contacted her supervisors and made them aware of the situation. burn out rate for special ed teachers is about 10 years, where is she on that level.
you have me all wound up and i leave for school in 15 minutes. i'll look forward to hearing from you. i might not give the best advise, but you need to get this taken care of now before something bad happens to your daugher or someone else in that class room.
@fritz27 (1136)
• United States
18 Oct 06
i read the other post above mine that you stated this teacher doesn't have a special ed license?
your school board is violation. no regular ed teacher can teach a special ed class. just like a special ed teacher can not teach regular ed classes.
i see you are on track, which is great. i'd also call the other parents in the classroom to let them know what happened to your daughter.
@luckygyrl1005 (5)
• United States
17 Oct 06
Thanks for all of your wonderful advice. I have contacted an attorney, and have started filing all the necessary paperwork. I have contacted TEA and asked for an advocate. My main concern is for my daughter, and her safety. I work at the school now, and can pop in and check on her. In fact, I was the one who found her in the hallway, I removed the bookshelf, and went and reported the abuse to the principal, who only gave her a verbal warning! Thats when I decided to take further action. I am actually considering writing a book for parents with disabled children in school, to let them know their rights as a parent. (I'm already a published author, so it shouldn't be too hard) I just want to make a difference, and help other people who don't know their rights.
@bhchy1 (6047)
• United States
17 Oct 06
If that is trueyou have the right to file a lawsuit against the school..I would start with contacting your State's Disability Law office (every state has one they are federally funded) and Writing a letter of complaint to the State Dept of Education with copies sent to the Superintendent of your school district, your local councleman and the school board...I have a child with Autism and I learned to get anything resolved was to start at the top... Basically they are not providing her the ducation protected by the IDEA!
@Polarbear (397)
• Sweden
17 Oct 06
isnt a little over the top to sue. thats typical for americans why dont talk to the school and solve the problem
@bhchy1 (6047)
• United States
18 Oct 06
I take it you have never had your child denied an education because they have a disability. My child didn't go to school for a year and half as the school refused to take her back..I had to go court to get them to not only put her back in school but get compensetory damages to make up for the schooling she missed (a tutor..not money..that's not what it was about) I lost my job as I had to stay home with her (she was only 7) and I could not find daycare for a child with Autism. So yeah do we get "sue" happy at times...you had better believe it!
