Tikkabik

So with Robert's problems receding into the distance, we can focus our attention on Emmeline. Last week I got an e-mail from her teacher advising me that they would be transitioning her into a general education classroom.

This is good news -- Emmeline has spent most of this academic year in her school's "resource center," which is where they put the behaviorally challenged kids on IEPs. It's been good to have the smaller class size, the teacher with special education training and the different approach, but it's also been very frustrating, as we haven't been clearly told how and when Emme would transition to a mainstream class. That's what her IEP says will happen, it was just a question of when.

So while I'm happy to hear that she's ready for the transition, I'm disappointed with the school (as usual) because the teacher has explained that Emmeline will be transitioned to a different academic class than the one she's been assigned to all year. This is the class she's gotten to know during special classes, recess and lunch.

When I questioned the placement to the different class, the response I essentially got back was, "Well, I think it's a better match."

To which I said, "That's fine and dandy, but any change you make to her academic placement can't be done arbitrarily -- we have to have a TEAM meeting, according to the terms of Emmeline's IEP, not to mention federal law (IDEA)."

I'm also confused that they decided to do this at the end of April -- two months before the academic year is done. It seems like bad timing.

I really can't get my head around this -- it's such a rookie move on their part to just arbitrarily tell me they're switching her placement, rather than calling a meeting. It's patently, obviously and offensively stupid and ignorant -- IDEA has been in place for almost 10 years, and it is unequivocal on this point: No change can be made to a child's placement without written notice.

This is really basic stuff, folks -- you'd no more expect a special ed department to do this than you would expect a cop to serve a minor alcohol.

So, at my behest, the teacher has tentatively scheduled a meeting on April 25 to go over the transition plan. We plan to have representation and support on our behalf, because God knows every time we've tried to do something like this in the past, we've ended up getting gang-banged by a room of 10 or 15 people from the Mashpee schools, and I don't expect this to be any different.

At this point, trusting them to do the right thing would just be an amateur, stupid move. I don't trust them as far as I can throw them, pure and simple. The amount of sheer arrogance, stupidity and ignorance on the part of the Mashpee Public School system's special ed department is absolutely astounding.