Dear Advocate:  I am often called by the school district to pick up my son with special needs from school because he misbehaves.  I work and leaving my job in the middle of the day to pick him up is very difficult.  What should I do? 

 Signed, Concerned & Weary

 

Dear Concerned & Weary: I hear this same issue come up time and time again and I really empathize with you!  It's one thing if the school calls you once or twice to pick up your son, but if they are calling you daily, weekly and/or monthly, that is not acceptable.  When you get that phone call from the school, there are two key questions to ask.  First, is your son being suspended?  And second, has your son been injured or harmed?  If the answer is no to both questions, then you are not required to rush over and pick up your son. 

 

It's important to recognize that your son is not able to access his education if he is repeatedly leaving early.  Not only does this potentially reinforce your son's inappropriate behaviors (let's face it, he wouldn't be the first child who would rather be at home than at school!) but the statutory requirement the school has to your son to provide the necessary services and supports which would allow him to access his education aren't being met and this is a disservice to your son. 

 

When behavioral concerns are present and interfering with a student's ability to receive educational benefit, which generally refers to making progress on the IEP goals (Note: Keep in mind IEP goals should reflect the needs of the student - if they don't, they need to be changed.), the district should conduct a behavioral assessment in order to determine appropriate services and supports.  If the district doesn't initiate this, then you should submit a written request for assessment. Make sure to include what the  behaviors are, what you have heard from the teachers/school about your son's behaviors, how often you are being called to pick up your son because of this and the toll this is taking on your son (emotionally, academically, socially, etc). 

 

Once the assessment is complete, the IEP team meets to discuss the results and recommendations and makes a determination as to how to proceed.  Typically this will consist of implementing a behavior plan through training appropriate school staff.  If a behavior plan fails to be effective, it's often the result of an inaccurate and/or incomplete plan (possibly due to a flawed assessment) or lack of adequate staff training on how to implement the plan.  Regardless of the reason, should the inappropriate behaviors persist, the IEP team needs to revisit the plan and determine what changes need to be made.  The sooner your son's behaviors are being effectively addressed at school, the sooner he will be able to receive educational benefit!