Attendance Review hearing

[duchessisa]

I am up against a wall. I am hoping for some sound advice from the experts here. Yes that means you. Those of us effected by CD are more an expert of day to day living and coping than the medical world IMHO. Here is my trouble, please give advice.

My oldest is a very sensitive CD kid. She is in 8th grade now and has consistntly pulled a Gpa of 3.0 or better. Her attendance has always been poor. She misses 20 to 30 days or partial days a year. Partly because she has orthdontist appointments, partly because she has a low immune system and gluten sensitivity. This year she has had Strep throat, scarlet fever, allergy brought on sinus infection, a oral virus, and the flu or some type of virus that had her queasy with severe D. She has had a Doctor note for every illness except the last virus/ flu. Because she catches everything and takes a really long time to heal or get well I have taken her to the doctor time and agian asking why. They af course have no intrest in getting to the bottom of the problem as a whole and would rather give her antibiotics for the problem that presents--presently. Blood work that I have insisted on shows her thyroid is fine, her sugar levels are within normal, etc.
Mean while her school is pulling me in front of the attendance review board. This school doesn't mess around. When my sister divorced and had trouble getting her kids to school for two months they were nasty with her. The board consists of a judge, a CPS rep., two county sheriffs, the principal, school psycologist, nurse, and board. Intimidating, huh?!?
My daughter has NEVER been in trouble for ANYTHING, not even talking in class. Now they are assigning her Saturday school and challenging my reasons for her absences. I only have a few days to get geared up for this meeting. I am seriously on the defensive. Help? What should I bring? I am going to get a copy of her doctor appointments and notes but what else? She has a Doctors note stating that she "has a medical condition which may adversely effect her attendance. Her mother will determine if she is physically able to atttend class." I thought I had my bases covered with that note. I need some direction and any advice will be apreciated. The hearing is February 26th. Thanks

[cardine45]

I only have a minute, but there is a form you can fill out for these types of things. (I think it's called a 501 form or something) I had one for other issues in high school, and mine was done with my dean, a teacher, my parents, and the school counselor. It basically gave me permission to miss school when I felt it was necessary (my dean felt I was mature enough to choose as long as I didn't take advantage). I'm sure someone else here can help out with more details as I've seen comments about it on this board before. I think the school should have offered this, but it doesn't sound like they believe there is an issue. I 110% agree with you that doctors should be doing preventative care rather than only treating symptoms.

[The Edifying Conscience]

[duchessisa]

When my daughter Juleah was 4 she was diagnosed with CD. In second grade (age 6) she began having severe CD symptoms again. She missed A LOT of school that year before we found out she also has a lactose intolerance and suffers from GERD. At that point the School and I worked out a 504 plan that helped her to catch up on days that she missed by reducing her make up work and awarding attendance so that she would have a specific goal she was working for by staying at school once she arrived. It worked Miracles. When she moved from elementary school to middle school ( a change of school districts also) I felt there where new issues to deal with and attendance rewards were out dated. I spoke with the counselor and updated her 504 to include access to the cafeteria microwave, and unspoken rights to the bathroom during class, as well as a PE modification to help her on bad Gerd days. This was fine last year but this year the school claims NO RECORD OF A 504! Not even in her transfer papers! That is part of why I am so defensive. My daughter tries so hard to not be recognised as different. She has never used her access to the cafeterria microwave, tells her PE teacher she doesn't feel well instead of saying " I need a modified task today because of my medical condition" , and rarely, I mean very RARELY slips out of class for the bathroom. She is embarrassed that her classmates might ask why she gets special treatment. I think her avoidance has caused her not to be taken seriously by her school leaders and teachers. What do you do with a 13 year old who just wants to blend in? It's frustrating.

[aklap]

Hi Duchess,

ACK!! What a crappy situation. Do you have copies of the original 504 plan? Can you get a signed document from the previous school's official stating that such a document did exist at one time? Does the counselor [that you updated her 504 with] remember you going thru the update process?

I hope it gets resolved properly.

Good luck! Please keep us updated.
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[jeant]

I second TEC's suggestion to bring an attorney. My friend's son has a disability that required a lot of surgeries when he was younger as well as a lot of exceptions while at school. She showed up at the first meeting with the involved school officials with an attorney and in all the years that followed she has never had a problem. If they are going to try to push you and your daughter around, you need to push back, and there's nothing like an attorney to show them you aren't going to put up with their accusations.

[ostrich]

[The Edifying Conscience]

[ostrich]

Assuming you can't find an attourney to help you out:

1. Again, stand your ground.
2. Bring everything with you: doctor's notes, 504 plans, notes from teachers/the principal, emails, phone transcripts if you have to. Anything that says she's OK to miss school because she's sick will be useful.

TEC's idea of scheduling outside appointments to keep her attendance up is interesting. On one hand yes, it does indicate that you're serious about her attendance (and might be a compromise you have to make).

OTOH, if she's always sick and still manages to keep her grades up, I'd hate to force more school on her. It seems like they're focusing more on her simply showing up (checking off a box), not learning. I understand they legally have to enforce that. However, like to mentioned with your sister, there are other circumstances for children missing school. The key is that she's there when she's healthy, and her grades are still OK.
_________________
Ostrich :>--O==={

Time falls away, but these small hours
These little wonders still remain

[jeant]

Duchess, do you know whether the school is actually challenging whether or not her CD should be covered under 504? Getting as much information about the root of the problem prior to the meeting could help you better prepare for it. If you could get the missing 504 problem fixed before the meeting, that could help too (if that's possible; I don't know much about the 504 process).

[The Edifying Conscience]

[jeant]

[duchessisa]

FYI Yes we live a LONG way from both her school to the south east of us more than 30 miles and the orthodontist just under 20 miles west of us. Unfortunately it is the only ortho under her insurance and he has another practice up north of us. Appointments are limited especially when you consider both her father and I work. An appointment at 8 am still means school no sooner than 10:30 and then I miss work entirely. An appointment at 4 means she misses the last hour of school- that is our preferred appointment slot.

[lbd]

I can only give you some view point from the school end of things. I am a high school teacher and there is nothing more disruptive to education than frequent absences. I deal with over 150 students during each school year. Of those, about 10% have 504 plans, IEPs, and a myriad of other modifications. Several students get suspended - they get to have makeup work sent home. Others are on hometeaching for illness, etc. They also need work sent to them. When a student is absent, they have to make up work which means that I cannot hand back graded papers and tests to the other students (trust me, many students will cheat, though not your daughter).

It also means I meet the student before or after school to make up tests, reteach material that I covered with the rest of the class, show them how to do worksheets, etc. On top of having to catch up, the student is now lost with the present material because one lesson builds on another.

While it doesn't seem unreasonable to accomodate one student this way, multiply that by 15 and that starts to add up to a lot of time for one teacher. Many things affect a student's performance, but I would put poor attendance as number one. In addition to those students who have a valid reason to be absent, there are parents who let children stay home at the drop of a hat, for a sniffle or headache, or will even take vacations during school days!!! Some parents use siblings to babysit under-school-age children so the parents do not miss work.

I actually have to applaud your school district for taking a tough stance on attendance. I wish mine did. If you have a valid case, I am sure they will take that into account. We have no problem with students who have valid reasons - it is those that abuse the system that ruin it for the rest.

I just wanted to present the school's side. School systems are always bashed these days. We joke at the lunch table between gulps of food (our 23 minute lunch period during which we also have to make it to the bathroom or risk having to wait until the end of the school day) that every person should be made to serve 3 months at a school to see what it is really like. We hear every excuse under the sun and that jades the system against those like your daughter who may actually need the help. Good luck - present your case to your school board and I think you will do fine (and make those appts after school if you can).

Laurie

[duchessisa]

Thank you Laurie, I appreciate the point of view from the other end. While I still believe this school district is doing its best to intimidate me. I also ahve been surfing the web and checking in here often to get much needed support and fresh views. I realize my daughter is unique to her school in that she doesn't suffer only CD but also GERD and a Dairy intoerance. Any one of these is more than likely quite manageable--all three make for unique challenges. The school representatives can't know, and they won't have a clue untill I lay it out for them. So rather than showing up with my claws out I plan to show up well armed with documentation from Doctors proving that she has a real knack for catching every germ and bacteria as well as her chronic health problems. If black and white can't make our case I will be surprised. I just want to be recieved as a mom with a brilliant child who is doing her best to overcome limitations, rather than that deadbeat who doesn't care about education or basic structures the district sets for their students.
The problem for me is that the school has been less than helpful in the build up of this situation. They claim they LOST her 504. Then they say they never had oneon record. They call her into an eye exam so the nurse can check her vision and give her a private cell number in case anything comes up or if she just wants to talk. Come on. Juleah has no signs of abuse or abusive home life. I wanted to flip out over that one but decided for the sake of kids who need that intervention I would just keep my thoughts to myself. I have sent info packets to the school nurse and spoken to the nurse and attendance officer with what I thought was a favorable understanding. Then one day my husband gets a call at work saying "they (all eleven people) are waiting, when will we be there?" We had been having trouble with teens knocking our mailbox off its post and because we live in a small country town we often missed the limited Post Office hours to pick up our mail. So we missed the certified letter the school had sent about our required attendance. Why didn't they call us before that, ask questions before they decide a review board is needed. I want to believe this has been blown into more than it's reality but I don't feel the school has been in the mind to find a resolution that respects Juleah's needs. I am skeptical of attending without legal aid. I am contemplating cost versus benefit.