Let’s see how it goes
Most news outlets are currently covering stories regarding the shortage of staff in education. One area hit especially hard is Special Education teachers. This week, a news station out of Buffalo, New York had a segment on how parents should wait to bring educational concerns to the school. (Heading back to school). One superintendent was quoted as saying,
“If we were able to apply every one of those regulations to every one of our students after a pandemic, you would see a tremendous uptick in special education referrals,” he said. "And those referrals are really only for children who are educationally handicapped."
I would like to assume positive intent, but as an educator and parent, statements such as these are problematic. As I am sympathetic to the strain on schools, the idea to have parents wait for another 10 weeks to see how things go is appalling. We cannot continue to oversimplify the needs of our students.
There continues to be a willingness to move away from a student-centered approach with an adult-centered one being the priority.
Take a moment and consider the following:
In some cases, students were struggling prior to the pandemic and now are being asked to wait another ten weeks to “see how it goes.”
In some cases, it takes schools almost five weeks (or more) to implement interventions for students. So will waiting ten weeks help these students?
Parents have the right to request special education at any time. If a district refuses then they must put in writing why they are refusing.
Haven’t we been patient long enough?
I cannot stress enough that families need to follow their gut. If you are concerned about their educational success, then push forward and do not settle for a “let’s wait and see” mentality. If you are not happy with the response you receive from the school, then seek out the services of an educational consultant or advocate, even if to ask questions and/or get another set of eyes on the situation. Here are some great resources on the topic:
How to know if your child needs extra help
#standreadytosupport