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A fathers cry for his son Re: failure of a Delaware

charter school promise


Posted on May 4, 2014 by kilroysdelaware
The Game Of Puppets
Prologue: of bright skies, future words, and agendas
This is a true story based on lies. Its a true story in terms of events, but I have
change the names of people and places for legal reasons . But that will not diminish
the fact that events in it are true.

As an only child, my son Jon was a blessing to his mother and I. His infant and
toddler years were rather uneventful, a minor ear condition here, a major stomach flu
there. We noticed a lot of energy with Jon at an early age. He was very playful and
always smiling. He liked to draw and play with superhero toys and dress up like his
favorite characters. He loved to play outside, and his smile could (and still does) melt
a thousand winter days. For preschool, we sent him to a church-based curriculum
and he did very well academically for a child of his age. We noticed he had more
energy than others, and that caused some social problems for him, but nothing too
major.

For Kindergarten, we sent him to The Tiny School in the County Of Kent. He made
lots of friends there, and life was good for him. His teacher there would comment on
how he could interrupt a lot and he would always be moving. By the end of the year,
we noticed Jon would get easily upset with others. Another teacher there, Miss
Lyssa, tried to help and parents and teachers agreed on a plan for Jon with a reward
incentive based on colored string. This helped Jon at first, but it wasnt a long-term
solution. As parents with an only child, we were concerned, and we would ask his
pediatrician if he could see anything. He told us Jon was a typical child, a bit
energetic, but nothing to worry about. We had decided to take Jon to The Tiny School
for the sole purpose and hope of getting him into that charter school in the County Of
Kent. We had heard so many great things about that charter school. We paid a rather
large sum of money to have Jon go to The Tiny School, which was rather difficult for
us at the time, but the reward and promise of getting him into such a great and
prestigious school was worth it. When Jon was picked to go to that charter school in
the County Of Kent, we were ecstatic.

Before Jon finished at The Tiny School, we had an orientation at that charter school
in the County Of Kent. The building was surrounded by academics, and the principal
at the charter school, by the name of Lady Ellen, said that was the reason why they
stood out from all the other schools in the area. The academic people that
surrounded them were there to help at any time and if your child had academic
problems they could jump in and support. Parental involvement was a requirement to
have your child go to the school. We met his teacher, Miss Cersi, that same evening.
She had years of vast experience and knowledge, and I truly felt my son would do
well at such a great school. The future was bright for Jon.

Let us flash forward thirty-seven months and look back. The previous three years for
Jon were like a roller coaster ride, that eventually went off the track and crashed, and
my sons spirit died for a long time. Pure, unbridled chaos would not even begin to
describe my familys experience. It was like each trimester at this school was another
journey through Dantes Nine Circles Of Hell. By the time Jon left that charter school
in the County Of Kent, I would see things I never imagined in my wildest dreams. For
you see, I even had the opportunity to work there during a part of my sons tenure
there. And I saw oh so much. Imagine a place, if you will, where everything is bright
and shiny on the outside. And everyone talks about what a fantastic place it is. But
then the glow wears off, and you see the cracks in the foundations, and everything
becomes grey and dark and ugly to the soul.

This is a story of my sons journey through this very particular hell, and what
emerged at the end of this was a family forever changed. None of us would ever be
the same again. Thanks to Sir Kilroy, he has given me the opportunity to tell Jons
story. I will be telling it in pieces, as it is long. I tell Jons story in the hope that other
parents will read it and understand what is really happening not only at that charter
school in the County Of Kent, but so many of the other wonderful charters in the
Kingdom Of Del. Words like idea, choice, hypocrite, revenge, individual, loud,
common, plan, cell, manifestation, free, find, child, phone, determination, tic, theory,
education, lottery, public, neurobiological, supression, license, core, suspension,
purposeful, education, obnoxious and cookie all have great weight in the story.
Sometimes the combinations of some of these words are the true crux of the story.
Even a number as random as 504 can have a major ramification for all involved. We
will see comments on chapters where someone may deny everything. But I would
never tell a true story without knowing the dangers of telling lies. During the telling of
this story, some will believe my son to be at fault, some will blame the parents, some
will say the parents are overprotective and refused to listen to reason, and some will
see things for how they were. My hope is that by the end, everyone will see through
the smoke and mirrors and truly understand what is going on with our children in so
many similar situations playing out every day, even now, in the Kingdom of Del. If
not, I may need to move onto Book 2.

I have no fear of telling this story. Intimidation rarely works on me, and I base the
tales in this story on documented fact. Documented by that charter school in the
County of Kent, and in the most wonderful creation in the entire world: email. When
one truly learns how to navigate around the net of webs, puzzle pieces begin to come
together and new patterns emerge. Human emotion is a very huge part of Jons story
though, so I will do my best to show how emotion can become fact. Some may read
this and know how the story ends, or how they think the story ends. Some may know
some facts and have formed a bias based on having just pieces of the puzzle. Some
may have heard lies and believe that to be the gospel truth. Some will most assuredly
think I am writing this to expose. And they would be right. Too often in society,
things are seen and we do nothing about it and just accept it for how it is. I ask all to
keep an open mind. I have no political agenda. I am just a parent who came out of a
dark tunnel with my eyes opened to a new reality, but one that has always been there
and is unseen for many. Welcome to Jons journey.
Jons loving father
To be continued

Message from Kilroy, Jons dad is the real deal and this is his story. Ive asked him to
be cryptic with names and places. His story is not an attack on charter schools but a
reflection of his experience, his sons experience and the negative impact of
the experiences of this one charter school. I know many parents of special needs
children and the fears and concerns they have. I am giving Jons father space here to
tell his story and help other parents. As for you young parents with children starting
school special needs are not, never attend a parent conference without a note pad
and pencil. Document all phone calls and school communications with times, places
and people. When there is a problem saying, some lady I talked to on the phone or a
few weeks ago will allow the system to eat you alive and scapegoat. The pen is the
most powerful tool you need. Children and parents of charter schools are not
guest they are owners and beware of the corporate smiles at the front desk. As far
as traditional public schools, the world public is the clue!

Part 2 : A fathers cry for his son Re: failure of a
Delaware charter school promise #netde #edude
Posted on May 6, 2014 by kilroysdelaware
The Game Of Puppets
Chapter 1: of hand movement, chewing sweaters, a disturbing conference, and a very
odd thing found on a school computer

A Game Of Puppets Fact #1: Choice Theory, as created by William Glasser, states
that we all choose how to behave at any time, and cannot control anyones behavior
but our own. Choice Theory is the central philosophy of that charter school in the
County Of Kent.

A Game Of Puppets Fact #2: In 2004, the United States federal government passed
into law the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Part of the law included Child
Find, which mandated that public schools must identify, locate and evaluate children
suspected of having a disability. Any school that receives federal funding is
considered a public school. Charter schools receive federal funding.
Jon began first grade at that charter school in the County Of Kent. He was very
excited. He had a whole new school with tons of kids to become friends with, he
could ride a bus, and he even knew several kids from The Tiny School. In fact, all of
his friends that applied to his new school got to go there. Those are excellent odds
for an admissions process based on a lottery! Jons parents were equally excited.
This was what they had worked so hard for and paid all that money to The Tiny
School for. Jon got to go to the best school in the area.

Jons teacher, Miss Cersi, had a class with about 20 students. She had an assistant,
named Miss Deutsch who had a voice as sweet as candy. Miss Cersi had been
teaching for many, many years, and surely someone with vast years of experience
would be able to utilize all that knowledge in best helping children.

The first week of school went off great. Jon received glowing praise from Miss Cersi
in the school notebook that was used to pass messages, concerns, and assignments
between parents and teachers. Jon made new friends and the promise became
reality. And then the reports started coming in: Jon cant keep his hands to
himself. Jon interrupts. Jon cant sit still. Jon doesnt get along well with others. In
an email to Jons parents, Miss Cersi wrote that Jon he is a fun kid and has a lot of
energy but unfortunately he has been having trouble directing that energy into
constructive behaviors and conducting himself in a safe manner. He seems to
constantly be putting his hands on other people in the class (when waiting on line to
walk to the gym, during and between activities, etc.) If Jon cant follow my rules and
expectations which simply resolve around maintaining a safe, fun, and constructive
learning environment then I cant allow him to participate. The parents requested a
conference with the teacher to go over these concerns. Miss Cersi told Jons parents
that Jon was a great kid, but she was concerned about his behavior. She asked
Jons parents if they could do something about it.

Jons physical education teacher, Mr. Namor, had many problems with him. He
explained that Jon had great difficulty with his motor coordination and would not
participate or listen. He conveyed this to Miss Cersi as well. The two of them were
unable to come up with a plan but telling his parents would probably fix it.

By the time that charter school in the County Of Kent had their first trimester end, the
parents were invited to a conference where the children could show the parents their
grades and examples of their schoolwork. Of course, with children in 1st grade not
being able to accurately lead this type of conference, the teacher did most of the
work. Jons grades were average, but MIss Cersi had grave concerns about Jons
behavior. She advised Jons parents that his behavior could be seen as bullying to
other students. Jon became very nervous when Miss Cersi talked about this. He
began biting his nails and chewing his sweater, and Miss Cersi kept putting Jons
hands down when he would do this. She explained to Jon and his parents that he
could be arrested for these types of behaviors when he is older. Jon became even
more upset and began to cry. Jons mother was very upset and his father was in a
state of shock. Jon was six years old and didnt understand what he was doing.
Miss Cersi explained that she was concerned and told Jons parents he may have
ADHD and his parents should check on this immediately.

During Jons yearly physical, his mother asked his doctor if Jon exhibited signs of
ADHD. He didnt think Jon had this, but he also stated six years old is a very young
age to have someone diagnosed as having ADHD. He added that if a child at that age
was diagnosed with ADHD it would be dangerous to medicate them as so many of
their brain functions are still in development.

Jons parents sensed that their child was different, but the behaviors Jon was having
at school were vastly different from what the parents saw at home. They didnt see
this child in constant motion, swinging his arms constantly and rolling on the floor
and touching other children. Jons parents saw a typical six year old with energy,
sure, but none of the things Miss Cersi saw. Jons parents continually spoke to him
about his behaviors in school. Jon would say that he didnt know why he couldnt
pay attention. He stated Miss Cersi was mean and yelled at him all the time. He
constantly said other students were teasing him and he would tell the teacher and
she wouldnt do anything about it.

Jon spent a lot of time in the school office. The receptionists knew him very well.
Jons father saw him there on a few occasions when he would just stop in the school
randomly for a surprise visit to his son. Jons father would see him sitting there,
drawing or staring into space. No work was brought to the office for him to work on.
Sometimes, he even got to bring his lunch there or stay there during recess. When
Jons father would ask why he was there, it was usually because Jon couldnt keep
his hands to himself. While going to lunch, which was not even in the same building,
Jon would frequently swing his hands, and accidentally hit other children with his
lunchbox. And when Lady Ellen or Lady Kathryn werent there, Miss Snow, the
school nurse, even got to attend to discipline problems with Jon. She began to tell
Jons father as well that she thinks Jon had ADHD and that we need to do something.
Several more events occurred during Jons first school year. One time, Jons
schoolroom was very cold, so Jon wore a sweater. For some reason, Jon kept
chewing on his sleeves, so Miss Cersi told Jon he had to take off his sweater so he
wouldnt chew on it. Jon was cold the rest of the day, but as long as it didnt distract
Miss Cersi, things would be okay.

Jons father visited the school on many occasions. He wanted to see what was going
on there. He spoke with Miss Cersi about how cold the room was. She explained to
Jons father how the building was old and they were having problems with the
heating. Jon advised Miss Cersi if Jon is cold he needs to be allowed to wear his
sweater. Miss Cersi began crying about how much Jons father cares and how you
wont believe how many parents dont care what happens with their child in school.
After several more conversations with Miss Cersi about her insistence that Jon be
diagnosed with ADHD and medicated, Jons parents had a conversation with the new
principal, Lady Kathryn. Lady Ellen became the new head of school for that charter
school in the County Of Kent, which included both the elementary school in the area
surrounded by academics and their high school a few blocks away. Lady Kathryn
was a very patient woman. She listened and seemed to want to do something about
our concerns. Jons parents insisted that Jon be transferred from Miss Cersis class
into the other first grade class, which was taught by Miss Quarterloader. Lady
Kathryn explained that this had never been done before. After Miss Cersi continued
to force Jons parents to acclimate what she wanted, Lady Kathryn agree it would be
best for all involved to be moved to Miss Quarterloaders classroom.

Jons parents found Miss Quarterloaders class to be a better fit for Jon. He
continued to have some of the same problems, but the duration and severity of them
seemed to diminish. One amusing situation happened one day when Jon was in his
computer class. The computer teacher, Miss Softstick, instructed the students to
find an image of a pencil on the computer. Somehow, Jon found a picture of a penis
on the computer and decided to show a girl the picture. His friend was horrified and
told Miss Softstick what Jon had done. Miss Softstick called Jons parents and
explained this bad thing Jon had done. Jons parents were very concerned that there
was a penis to be found on a computer for elementary school children. Jons school
did not like hearing these types of things from Jons parents. They were very upset
about this disturbing development. Regardless of the environment, Jon was
responsible for his behavior at all time as per choice theory. If only Jon had
remembered to spell the word pencil right

Jon had exhibited a pattern of behaviors at that charter school in the County Of
Kent. He would chew things, be it his sweater or his fingernails. He would roll
around on the floor and couldnt stay in his seat. He would swing his arms and
constantly hit or touch other children, especially in a line. When confronted by
teachers or administration, Jon would say he didnt do anything. They would tell
Jons parents that he lies all the time.

Jon ended his first year at that charter school in the County Of Kent. At the end of
the year picnic, Jons father spoke with Miss Cersi and she said the most important
thing is that Jon be successful at that charter school in the County of Kent. His
parents were concerned about Jons future there, but they had heard so many bad
things about the other schools in the area that did not have a charter. Catholic
school was very expensive and a private school would have been out of the
question. They knew Jon had a difficult year, but it ended better due to the
classroom switch. They hoped and prayed he would receive a good teacher for his
second year.

Truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance
that surround it, it shines clear. Mahatma Ghandi
Jons loving father
To be continued

Part 3 : A fathers cry for his son Re: failure of a
Delaware charter school promise #netde #edude
Posted on May 9, 2014 by kilroysdelaware
Chapter 2: of new faces, a third wheel, cycles, and faces with little import then but
huge impacts later
A Game of Puppets Fact #3: That charter school in the County of Kent paid free rent
for their elementary school until they had to give up the building. Their high school
program ended at the end of that school year and the elementary school went to the
high school building.

Game Of Puppets Fact #4: Most pediatricians, psychologists, psychiatrists and
neurologists feel young students should be given recess and punitive action should
never include taking that time away.

Right before another school year started, multiple events happened that changed
Jons home world. Both parents were starting new jobs. In fact, Jons father was
working two jobs, seven days a week. Jon also fractured his wrist while roller
skating, and he still had a cast when school started. Jons behavior was also
impacting long friendships with other families resulting in those friendships having
to end. The last event was his grandmothers declining health. This had an impact on
Jon, and he would frequently become upset about this.

2nd grade began at that charter school in the County of Kent with major staff
changes. This school did things a little bit different for their elementary/middle
school. After first grade, students were grouped together for the remaining grades.
2nd and 3rd grade were in the classroom, as was 4th and 5th, and 6th and 7th. The
explanation was given that students in the upper part of the grade would be able to
help the students in the lower part. So students didnt repeat the same information
each year, different curriculums would be taught each year. The only exception to
this was Math, and they would go to that by grade. For some reason, three out of the
four 2nd-3rd grade classes had new teachers. Jon received a new teacher, but a
familiar face. She used to serve as the schools librarian. This was her first year of
teaching. Miss Summertop was younger than Miss Cersi. Jon had never had any
major problems with Miss Summertop the previous year when she was a librarian.
Jons problems in school didnt disappear in 2nd grade. In fact, they grew worse. As
well, the relationship between the school and the parents deteriorated even further.
Jon had few friends, but the ones he had he cherished more than any in the world.
One of the problems that can occur when a trio become friends is one can tend to get
left out. This creates jealousy and anxiety very quickly. And when one of the children
emerges as a leader of sorts, this can create a hostile situation between the other
two. This situation happened very fast that year with Jon and two friends. One boy
was the leader, and Jon and the other had to constantly vie for his attention. This
became most apparent at recess, and conflict ensued many times.

There were about eighty children on the playground, and supervision was limited.
Teachers generally ate their lunch while children were at recess, so
paraprofessionals and other instructional aides would watch all these children.
Usually, there were about four adults watching eighty children. The playground was
spread out, with lots of areas to have to look out for. It was very easy for a conflict to
begin, and by the time an adult got there, it would be too late to stop it from
beginning. As Jons father witnessed many times while visiting, the child who made
the most noise usually received the scolding or time away from others. As Jon was
usually this child, many situations arose where he was being blamed for situations.
This isnt to say Jon wasnt to blame, but the blame was not shared many times. This
would result in events occurring and no matter what happened, Jon would get the
brunt of the blame. As a result, Jon would not be allowed to go to recess.

These types of situations would result in Jon trying to get out that frustration on
other children. At one point, Jon picked on another child, and he was sent to the
office. His father arrived and was told Jon pushed the childs face into the ground.
Jon denied it. Jons father decided to bring Jon to a priest to see if confession would
do well for the soul. This did nothing. For the next hour, Jon continued to deny doing
anything to the other child. Finally, crying and upset, he confessed. When asked why
he lied about it, Jon said he thought the school would kick him out if he said he did it.
Jons father called the other students parents and Jon apologized to him.

Miss Summertop was not as communicative with Jons parents, but she had a softer
approach when she did. The planner was still in place as a communication tool, but
Miss Summertop would not use it. She would send out a weekly email showing what
the children did that week and what was coming up. But even that was inconsistent
at times. She had an assistant in the classroom, Miss Max. Miss Max was not as
patient as Miss Summertop, and when Miss Summertop wasnt in the classroom, Jon
seemed to have more problems. The planner would have notes such as Jon had a
difficult time today. He was removed from the classroom multiple times only to
continue disrupting the class. Other notes would indicate Jon was making
vomiting noises, throwing erasers in class, or Jon didnt turn his planner in
today. He had average grades at the end of the first trimester.

Things began to escalate when the second trimester began. Both the math teacher,
Miss Volume and Miss Summertop would write complaints in the planner. Jons
mother began to ask what methods of choice theory were being used. Answers were
rarely given that fit the actual mold of choice theory. Emails would not be replied to.
When they were, Jons mother would receive responses like I am trying to work with
him and you to the best of my ability right now. I will ask you to please keep in mind
that this situation is new to me, as the classroom environment is different than my
experience in the Library. Jons mother would respond with Please feel free to
communicate with me ongoing regarding a plan to help Jon to focus and slow down,
as youve stated is his ongoing challenge. Jon usually only needs to feel connected
to a person to be able to mentally feel his importance and acceptance.

Jon felt like he didnt really have any friends at the school. He felt like he was always
in trouble, and he would say he wanted to be good. A look of sadness became a more
frequent look on Jons face. His parents were trying to understand. They didnt feel
the school was doing the right thing. But they didnt know how to correct it. They
werent teachers or administrators. They were parents, trying their best to make sure
they raised Jon right. Something was missing, but they didnt know what it was. They
started to wonder if they should have Jon tested for ADHD, but they werent seeing
all of these behaviors at home. It was usually in other settings, with different noises
and distractions. Who could help?

Intervention would sometimes occur from the administration, and notes would be
seen in the planner for the next couple days indicating Jon had a great day or Jon
was focused today. But then the planner would be empty for days, sometimes
weeks. And then it would be filled with more examples of bad behavior, an
intervention, good days, and then nothing. This cycle went on for months. Jon would
continue to spend a lot of time out of the classroom, whether it was in the hallway or
the office. And again, like the previous year, he was given no classwork to work on.
The end of the second trimester was coming, and events and discoveries would
occur that changed the scene, and lines were drawn in the sand.

While all this was going on, Jons father stopped working two jobs. But he did want
to continue working, just not as much. His primary job was from Saturday to Monday.
He applied for a substitute teacher job at that charter school in the County of Kent,
and he had an interview with the high school principal, Lady Hammerspeak. Jons
father indicated that he always had a possible interest in teaching, and this could be
a way to see if it would be a good fit. Miss Hammerspeak suggested he observe some
classes to see if he would want to continue. Jons father did that. After a day of
observing, Jons father found the high school to be completely different than the
elementary school. The students were given a lot more freedom. Teachers werent
yelling, and students seemed to have a closer community than that of the elementary
school. No sooner did Jons father start substitute teaching there than a decision
was made to close the high school. Students began to leave, and even a couple
paraprofessionals. This created a void that Jon filled. He became a paraprofessional
for Miss Jackalopes class four days a week.

Miss Jackalope reminded Jons father of many teachers he had growing up. Strict,
firm, and a very strong desire to teach. His job was to help students that had
accommodations. One day, he met with Miss Storm, a special services teacher, and
he helped her to update an Excel spreadsheet with the students accommodations.
Most of the students, about 25-30 were listed as 504 and there were about 2-5 with
something called in IEP. All of these students had classwork given to them with
colored sheets of paper, and there would be brief notes about them such as only
has to do half the homework or needs laptop for written work or needs to test
away from the classroom. In Miss Jackalopes class, Jons father would try to help
these types of students when they were stuck or seemed to be drifting away from
instruction. During tests, he would take these students to another classroom.

Every once in a while, Jons father would be called to substitute in other classrooms.
It could be English, Gym, or even Science. He subbed for a paraprofessional one day
in a science class. The science teacher, Miss Perspective, was very energetic with
her teaching style. It was as if she was driven by a motor. Jons father came to the
school one day and everyone was talking about some newspaper article about Miss
Perspective. She had lost her psychology license over something and there was a bit
of controversy. This didnt have any impact on his father. The high school was
closing, and chances were good that teacher would be gone. So he didnt put much
thought into it and forgot about it.

By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes William
Shakespeare

The Game Of Puppets Correction #1: Both Jon and his mother advised Jons father
that Jon didnt type in pencil when he found a picture of a penis on the school
computer, it was pennies. (See Chapter 1)

Jons loving father
To be continued

Part 4 : A fathers cry for his son Re: failure of a
Delaware charter school promise #netde #edude
Posted on May 14, 2014 by kilroysdelaware
Chapter 3: of the walkout, the railroad, a puzzle piece, and a The Game Of Puppets
Fact #5: Children who have special education services in public schools have special
protections with the discipline process at their school.

The Game Of Puppets Fact #6: The parts of our brain that help us with multisensory
integration and how to process them are the mid-brain and brain stem. These areas
of our brain help us to process attention, coordination, our ability to stir us into
action, and our unconscious or involuntary functions. After our sense pass through,
they go to the other areas of our brain that handle other higher cognitive abilities,
emotions and memory.

The dreaded parent teacher conference for the second trimester at that charter
school in the County of Kent was here. Jon, his mother and father, and Miss
Summertop converged in her classroom. The grades were given, and Jons mom and
dad were shocked. It was showing that Jon was doing very poorly in pretty much
every class he was in. Even what that charter school in the County of Kent called
specials like Gym, Music, and Art. No advance notice had been given to Jons
parents about his falling grades for three months. Jons mother became very upset
and walked out of the meeting, explaining to Miss Summertop that Jon was suffering
from the schools lack of communication. Jons work in his folder was either missing
or incomplete. It seemed like Jon was able to do nothing in class, but the sole focus
of the school was his behavior issues. In fact, a few weeks later, Jons mother had
reached out to the principal Lady Kathryn about this situation. Lady Kathryn pulled a
meeting together with all of Jons teachers, including the specials teachers, Jons
parents and herself. Together, the group was supposed to discuss ways of trying to
help Jon focus in class. For the most part, the specials teachers sat there and said
nothing. From this writers opinion, it seemed like they were appalled they had to
even be there. A plan was discussed for Jon and his behavior. A first warning would
be for Jon to get a little reminder to refocus. A second warning would be to redirect
him and possibly move him to another part of the classroom. And then a third
warning would be a discussion with the teacher or principal and to have Jon write a
reflection form about the issue. Everyone agreed this was a suitable thing for Jon to
work on. Jons parents left the meeting a bit peeved, but both agreed this was a move
forward. It seemed like the school was finally stepping up to the plate and working to
help their son.

A few days later, Jons mother received the following from Lady Kathryn: Academic
& Behavior

Student: Date: March 22, 2012
Background: Over the course of the past school year, Jon has exhibited behaviors in
his classroom or general school environment that are not beneficial to him or the
learning environment. These behaviors have ranged from negative peer interactions
to general disruption of the educational setting. A written plan has been put in place
to assist Jon in having a more productive and successful experience.

Expectations: Jon is expected to follow classroom and school rules without
exception and will be held to the student handbook code of conduct. Specifically,
Jon is expected to avoid negative interactions with his peers and maintain
appropriate on-task behavior in the classroom. That charter school in the County of
Kent faculty and staff will work with Jon to encourage positive behavior choices and
accept responsibility for his actions.

Jon will complete class assignments in school within the appropriate time. If the
assignments are not completed or are unsatisfactory they will be given to Jon to
complete at home that evening. Assessments to determine the level of understanding
may require completion only in school.

Interventions: In the event of a mild issue Jon will be receive a reminder by telling
him one and may be moved to a different location in the classroom.

The next issue Jon will be removed to a silent area place in the classroom, like the
doorway, to redirect his behavior. He will be reminded that this is two.

The third issue that occurs, Jon will be removed to a different classroom, the
hallway, or the office and complete a written reflection about the behaviors or engage
in a conversation of the inappropriate behaviors with a staff member.

In addition to the classroom setting, Jon will be expected to follow teacher direction
and school policies in the cafeteria, gymnasium, hallway, library, bus and/or other
settings. If Jons behavior is disruptive in those settings he will be removed and
brought back to the main building. If there are additional behavior issues, Jon may be
excluded from the area or school for additional days or class periods.
If at any time, Faculty/Staff determines that Jon is not able to return to class a parent
will be contacted and Jon is to be picked up from school immediately. Additional
suspension time may be warranted depending on the circumstances surrounding the
incident.

Jon, his parents and his teachers will work to continuously monitor the plans
implementation. If the plan is not effective in decreasing the frequency of disruptive
behaviors, the plan may be modified. Jon continues to be responsible for compliance
with that charter school in the County of Kents code of conduct.

When Jons mother read this, she was furious. This was not the plan everyone
agreed on, and it seemed to serve the schools interest more than Jons. Jons mother
wrote in response to Lady Kathryn that in reading the contract I would like to
mention that it was me that asked for help and consistency and it really feels like Jon
is being railroaded. Had Jons teachers been doing what they were supposed to be
doing to help him we would not be in March, almost April, trying to deal with an
escalated situation to where we even need this written down for him specifically.
Jons father met with Lady Kathryn and told her Jon would not adhere to this
contract and that it was set up for the school and not Jon. Nothing really came of the
contract, because while this scenario was playing out, Jons mother made a
discovery which would change many things for all involved.

While speaking with a friend, Jons mother was told of a child with something called
sensory processing disorder. Sensory Processing Disorder, otherwise known as
SPD, is described as a traffic jam in the brain. Stimuli comes in but it doesnt filter
through correctly. As per the SPD Foundation website, A person with SPD finds it
difficult to process and act upon information received through the senses, which
creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness,
behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure, and other impacts may
result if the disorder is not treated effectively.

Jons mother discussed this discovery after reading about it online with Jons father,
and it seemed to make perfect sense for Jons actions. The parents agreed to request
for Jon to be evaluated at the school, preferably by an occupational therapist. Jons
parents put in the request, and the school would have their occupational therapist,
Miss Smooth, evaluate Jon. Miss Smooth owned a facility in the County of Kent that
helped children, but her work for that charter school in the County of Kent was done
at a contractual level. She was not an employee of the school.

Jon was tested and evaluated by Miss Smooth, and a meeting was scheduled to go
over the results. Jons mother was unable to attend, but Jons father was there. Lady
Kathryn and Miss Summertop (his teacher) were unable to attend as well. In addition,
a new face entered the fray. Miss Short was the elementary schools case manager
for special education. Her job was to facilitate the meeting and render a decision
based on the evaluation. Not included in any part of this evaluation process was the
school psychologist, Miss Diagnosis. In fact, nobody had consulted with her about
Jon at all. Jons father thought this was an interesting group of people and his hope
was Jon would receive services to help him with his issues.

The meeting took place in Miss Shorts office. Miss Smooth went over the results of
her data. Initially, a sensory profile was administered. This is a questionnaire that
goes to the parents and it helps to preliminarily decide if certain parts of sensory
processing might factor into everyday problems for a child. \par Miss Smooth
conducted testing on Jon and found that Jon did well on visual processing, but the
testing showed problems with the following areas of processing: auditory, vestibular
(sense of balance), touch, multisentory and oral sensory. The report suggested Jon
had problems in the following areas: sitting for long periods, remaining alert,
maintaining participation with peers, anticipating how to move around safely without
clumsiness, inccordination, frequent injuries, determining the appropriate responses
for situations, being too excited or too withdrawn for demands of tasks at different
times, responding appropriately to social and environmental cues, becoming
inflexible or upset at situations more easily than others, and understanding the
meaning and usefulness of visual information resulting in inappropriate responses.
Finally, thought Jons father, things are making sense!

The report went on to say that Jon had issues with registration which is the time it
takes to respond to stimuli. Seeking, which was noted that Jon had, states that
children with this tend to be very active and their environment allows distraction
from task completion. As well, Jon showed strong signs of Avoiding which can be
described as a reaction to stimuli by having an emotional outburst. It was Miss
Smooths final assessment of the evaluation that took Jons father by surprise. Even
though he had all of these issues, it was the evaluators opinion that Jons sensory
problems do not appear to be significant enough to indicate the need for individual
Occupational Therapy services. The Occupational Therapist may be available for
consultation with the teacher to assist with classroom concerns. His gross motor
and fine motor skills seemed to be within normal range, plus or minus a year, and
Miss Short from the special education department agreed with the evaluation. Some
suggestions were given that the teacher could adapt, such as having Jon wear
headphones in the classroom, have heavy books placed on his lap during classtime,
have him run errands, and even to try ankle weights at home. The school
psychologist, Miss Diagnosis was not involved, the principal and teacher did not
attend the meeting at all (which Jons father thought would have given valuable
feedback), and Jons father felt defeated.

Miss Smooth did say that she can offer services at her facility to help Jon. When
Jons father got home, he quickly called his insurance company to see if this would
be covered for Jon. It would not. And the cost for out of pocket occupational therapy
was very high. So we were pretty much back to square one, but with a few mild ideas
to help Jon out. Jon had begun taking karate lessons and enjoyed it immensely. This
was also helping Jon to control his coordination and sustain effort to a task. In fact,
his friends from school were also there, and one of them was in his class. The three
friends were now seeing each other out of school, but their playground problems did
not come to karate.

The school still felt that Jon had attention issues and now knew about major sensory
processing issues. No concrete plan came out of the meeting with the exception of
the occupational therapist consulting with the teacher. The school wanted a 2nd
grader to sign a contract that would put him in the position of accepting
responsibility for all his actions, whether he was in control of them or not.
Throughout history it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the
indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of
justice when it mattered the most that has made it possible for evil to triumph. Haile
Selassie

Jons loving father

To be continued

Part 5 : A fathers cry for his son Re: failure of a
Delaware charter school promise #netde #edude
Posted on May 17, 2014 by kilroysdelaware
Chapter 4: of strange noises, anxiety, and a Frenchmans discovery
The Game Of Puppets Fact

#7: On June 2nd, 2010, the Common Core State Standards was released. Delawares
governor, Jack Markell, supported Common Core, which is designed to make
children in the USA ready for college and work.
The Game Of Puppets

Fact #8: Between 2002 and 2009, disabilities in children rose 16%. After the behavior
contract and the meeting about sensory processing disorder went nowhere, things
seemed to calm down between the school and Jons parents. Miss Summertop even
loaned Jons parents a book about sensory processing disorder, and said it had a lot
of good ideas she was going to use for her class.

Meanwhile, Jons father continued to help Miss Jackalope at the high school with her
math class. He enjoyed helping the students. He had told Lady Hammerspeak, the
principal of the high school, while he was willing to help with any class, math was at
the bottom of the list. But that was what he was given, and he accepted the
challenge. Miss Jackalope, in his opinion, was an excellent teacher. Once a student
connected with her, they wanted to do the best they could do. There were no major
behavior issues, even with the eighth graders. There was a lot of anxiety and energy
about where the students in 8th to 11th grade would go the next year since the high
school was closing. A decision was made to keep the 11th graders in the school the
next year so they wouldnt have to spend their senior year at a new school. Jons
father had one favorite part of the day, and that was when Jon would come on the
school bus from the elementary school to the high school. Jon would meet him and
on the drive home they would talk or go to karate.

Jon loved karate, but even the instructors there would advise Jon to stop moving his
body when the situation didnt call for it. Jon had decided to let his hair grow longer
and it began to hang over his face. Jons parents noticed he would frequently blow
out his mouth. Jons father thought he was trying to get hair out of his eyes. Jons
mother explained to them about Jons sensory processing disorder. They listened,
but it eventually became too much for Jon, so he chose to quit karate. Jons parents
had tried t-ball, softball, gymnastics and basketball. It would be great in the
beginning, but the novelty would wear off. One thing Jon would never waver from
was drawing. He would draw anything! Whether it was his favorite characters from
his Wii or Nintendo DS games, superheroes, lego characters, his favorite pop
singers, or even his friends.

Jon also loved to play videogames. Jons parents were concerned about the nature
of some of his games, but Jon enjoyed them, and he wasnt showing any violent
tendencies. When Jon would play, he was calm and at peace. He wasnt stressed
about school or friends. It actually had a calming influence on him most of the time.
The summer passed by, and Jon would go to summer camp, or go to the beach, or
just hang out at home. Like most students, summer was a more relaxing time for Jon.
He was not surrounded by the demands of the school and behavior contracts and
having to stay in his seat and do schoolwork. Jons parents were more relaxed as
well. They would all spend afternoons playing in the pool or watching tv or go to the
movies.

As 3rd grade grew closer, so did Jons anxiety. Jons parents noticed Jon developed
a new habit where he would make a noise with his mouth, like air coming out of a
balloon. They would tell Jon to stop, but he would keep on doing it. School began,
and the elementary school at that charter school in the County of Kent was moved to
where the high school used to be. Jon and his parents went to the opening of the
new elementary school. Members of the school board, Lady Ellen (the superintendent
of the school), some local politicians and members of the new Kindergarten class cut
the ribbon at the opening ceremony. An open house was held where Jon could see
his teacher. Of course, since the 2nd and 3rd grade classes were joined together, Jon
had Miss Summertop as his primary teacher. But Miss Volume moved to the
Kindergarten class, so Jon had a new math teacher named Miss Toms. Jons father
used the open house to let teachers know he was available to sub Tuesday to Friday.
On the second day of school, Jons father received a call to sub for the
paraprofessional in another 2nd-3rd grade classroom. Miss O had been sick, so
Jons father served as her sub for the next two and a half months. The teacher in the
classroom, Miss Jeter, was a very good teacher. Her classroom was clean and tidy,
and the students would respect Miss Jeter when she spoke. She had a commanding
presence, but she would take the time to listen to students questions. Jons father
quickly noticed there was no fighting in the classroom. Students wouldnt openly
tease each other. Sure, there were the same problems you would see in most 2nd or
3rd grade classrooms, but nothing like students being sent to the office all the time.
Given what Jon had observed in other classrooms at that charter school in the
County of Kent, he surmised that students could actually do well there given an
orderly environment.

Miss Summertop approached Jons father one day about concerns she had with Jon.
She stated that Jon would not produce any work and he would have issues with his
peers. It was like no time had passed at all and the complaining was beginning again.
It was Jons fathers opinion that Jon would not be able to change if the teacher
wouldnt change. No plan was ever given by Miss Summertop for Jon or his
problems. It was as if Jon was there, like a favorite chair. Its broken, been there for a
long time, and falling apart, but its a part of the room. Jons father didnt really know
how to respond to her. He had heard the song before, many times, but without a plan,
what was the point? Jons father had some similar problems in school growing up,
but Jons seemed to be magnified to a higher degree.

Jons mother was at the same point as Jons father. Her emails with Miss Summertop
would frequently reference Jons sensory issues as neurological. Miss Summertop
would email back how other staff and teachers agreed and nobody saw Jons
behavior as bad. But Jon was still sent to the office when his bad behavior
manifested or he would be sent to the hallway when he was unable to control his
reactions. Jons father would frequently pop in, and he noticed an environment that
was vastly different from Miss Jeters classroom. It also seemed as if it was worse
than the year before. Usually Miss Summertops reaction to this chaos would be to
change the room around. This was done at least five times during the first trimester
of school. Eventually Jon was moved to his own special section in the classroom
away from other students. The negative effect of this was that when Jon wanted to be
heard or had a question, he was louder. He would have to get out of his seat
constantly to communicate with peers. The sensory stimuli Jon was receiving in the
classroom was overwhelming to him, and his reactions to this were getting worse.
Jons mother requested that Jon receive an IEP based on his sensory processing
disorder. An IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan. Jons mother researched
the IEP process, and found that certain children qualified for an IEP based on their
disabilities. The purpose of an IEP is to grant accommodations to students with
disabilities in the hope of making their educational outcome better.

When Miss Summertop emailed Jons mother about issues she was having with Jon
(inability to focus, interrupting, unable to comply with teachers requests), Jons
mother asked her if she had read the occupational therapists report about Jons
sensory processing disorder. She emailed back that she had done that a few weeks
before. This was four and a half months after the meeting Jons father had attended
where no services would be rendered by the special education department. Miss
Summertop knew Jon would be in her class in 3rd grade and she never read the
report for the last part of 2nd grade or over the summer. She had read a book on the
subject, but never bothered to read the report for over four months. The report
addressed Jons deficits directly. Jons father believed she wanted to help Jon, but
she didnt know how. She indicated that it was hard for her to help Jon as well as
manage a classroom of twenty-one students. This was her second year of teaching,
and it appeared to Jons father that she was feeling overwhelmed. He wondered how
much support she may or may not be getting from the administration at the school.
Jons father sensed that some children in Miss Jeters class had disabilities, but no
information was ever shared with him about any of the children in Miss Jeters class.
Unlike the high school, he was never given information about who had an IEP or a
504. This was true of all the classes Jons father subbed for during Jons 3rd grade
year at that charter school in the County of Kent. He thought it was on a need to
know basis and he didnt need to know.

All of the teachers there became very apprehensive and concerned when it came
time for the fall DCAS testing. This test didnt count, but teachers were measured by
how much growth the students experienced between the first test and the third one,
administered the following Spring. Jons father started hearing the term common
core being used more and more. Three groups of students in each class went to
different reading groups. A simple subtraction problem was broken down into
several components which then had to be taught to the students. Jons father began
to see a look of defeat on many teachers faces. They were no longer able to teach
how they wanted to. They had to follow a very specific standard set forth by the
Kingdom Of Del.

On one occasion, Jons father was asked to sub for MIss Summertops class. He was
very nervous about subbing in a class with his own child. It was hard for him to be
objective and do what was best for the whole class while dealing with his own flesh
and blood. But it did help him to understand what kind of daily life Jon had. Jons
father knew that it wouldnt be exact, but it would give him a general idea. Both father
and son were at their wits end by the end of the day, and Jons father told Miss
Summertop he could never again sub for her again if Jon was in the class. The part
that troubled Jons father was that Jon did very well in his Miss Toms math class.
The behavior issues werent there, and Jon was very quiet and more focused on his
work.

Jons mother had decided to switch Jon from a general physician to a pediatrician.
She made an appointment for a physical for Jon with his new doctor. Dr. K was
considered to be one of the best pediatricians in the area and she had never heard
any complaints about her. During Jons physical, Jon did the blowing-out-of-the-
mouth-sounding-like-air-coming-out-of-a-balloon thing. Jon was very nervous about
the appointment because his worst fear would come to passthe flu shot. What Dr.
K asked Jons mother was the centerpiece to the puzzle that was Jon. All the other
pieces of the puzzle connected to that one piece. Dr. K asked Jons mother if Jon had
Tourettes Syndrome.

Tourettes Syndrome was discovered by a French neurologist by the name of Jean-
Martin Charcot. He named Tourettes after one of his students, Georges Gilles de la
Tourette. During this time, Tourettes Syndrome was seen as a bizarre and strange
behavior. Many people mistakenly assumed that anyone who had this disorder would
swear, curse, and say inappropriate social remarks to people. While this is a part of
Tourettes called coprolalia, it only exists in about 10% of Tourettes patients. What
patients of Tourettes exhibit is defined as having multiple physical motor tics and at
least one vocal tic. The tics can come and go, called waxing and waning. In many
cases of Tourettes, it is accompanied by what are considered co-morbidities. These
are conditions that are a part of the spectrum of Tourettes. For many Tourettes
patients, this can include Attention Defecit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive
Compulsion Disorder (OCD), Anxiety, Depression, Oppositional Defiance Disorder
(ODD) and Sensory Processing Disorder. These conditions are neurologically based
and can often be seen as behavior issues when the reality is that sufferers of
Tourettes cannot control many of their actions.

For Jon and his parents, this opened a new window to the world. This diagnosis
explained so much in Jons history. Jon hitting other students in lines was usually
Jon swinging his arms and was a tic. Jon biting his sleeves or his nails was a tic.
Jons frequent and different noises were tics. They would come and go, but Jon was
not in control of them. Tics can be suppressed, but only for a short time. Usually
after suppression, the person with Tourettes is mentally exhausted. This explained
why Jons behavior could be so different at home. It also explained why Jons
behavior manifested itself in so many ways in school. Jon was going through days
where he may have been fighting the urge to tic, dealing with his sensory processing
issues with so much stimuli, and trying to focus. Jon was simply unable to do these
things, especially in an environment not conducive to his issues.

Dr. K also strongly suspected a diagnosis of ADHD and referred Jon to a very well-
respected neurologist in the County of Kent. The puzzle was finally coming together.
It was just a matter of putting the pieces together. And now, in addition to Jons
sensory processing issues, a firm diagnosis of Tourettes Syndrome and a possible
ADHD were added to the list of Jons diagnoses for his IEP evaluation. Jons parents
thought for sure he would get an IEP at that charter school in the County Of Kent.
Meanwhile, Jon was starting to get the feeling that he was different from everyone
else. The look in his eyes was one of confusion and fear. He just wanted to be
normal. The days when Jon had been invited to lots of birthday parties had long
since past. He had seen friends shuffle in and out of his life. He had his parents, who
he knew loved him very much, but he wanted and needed more. Jons parents would
hear things such as I hate my life or Nobody likes me and their hearts would cry.
Their boy needed them but there were times they felt as lost as he did.

Go to my room and I close my eyes, I make believe that I have a new life, I dont
believe you when you say, Everything will be wonderful someday.

Jons loving father

To be continued

Part 6 : A fathers cry for his son Re: failure of a
Delaware charter school promise #netde #edude
Posted on May 22, 2014 by kilroysdelaware
The Game Of Puppets
Chapter 5: of eligibility, bubblegum, and a missing psychologist
The Game Of Puppets Fact #9: Under IDEA, each parent is given a copy of The
Procedural Safeguards, which details exactly what parental rights are during the IEP
Process. One key component of this is the right for parents to be included in
meetings about their childs placement or education.

The Game Of Puppets Fact #10: According to The National Institutes Of Health, All
students with TS (Tourettes Syndrome) need a tolerant and compassionate setting
that both encourages them to work to their full potential and is flexible enough to
accommodate their special needs.

Jons family was waiting for evaluations to be done prior to the IEP eligibility meeting
at that charter school in the County of Kent. Jon had received a preliminary
diagnosis of Tourettes Syndrome from his pediatrician Dr. K, but a neurologist
named Dr. V would give a firm diagnosis. In the meantime, Jons parents had met
with the IEP team, which consisted of Lady Kathryn, Lady Ellen, the school nurse,
Miss Summertop, and Miss Storm and Miss Short from special services. Miss Short
was the special services instructor assigned to manage the case. The parents were
not happy with how things were going in the classroom as well as the lack of
communication from the school. Jons mother wanted more observation in the
classroom. Both Miss Short and Jons mother had called Miss Smooth to discuss
occupational therapy accommodations for Jon in the class, but she wasnt returning
calls. The school psychologist, Miss Diagnosis, did not attend this meeting. Jons
parents left the meeting thinking tests would be done for Jon. It was a matter of
signing forms. The team agreed to meet before the Thanksgiving holiday to go over
the eligibility part of the IEP decision.

Jon met his neurologist Dr. V, and he quickly determined that Jon had Tourettes
Syndrome. As well as the sensory processing disorder, he also thought Jon had a
strong case of Attention Defecit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD for short. He
stressed quite vehemently that Tourettes and ADHD together are very common, but
the danger with using a stimulant to treat the ADHD can cause tics from the
Tourettes to become out of control. So any medicine prescribed would have to be
something that could be used for both. Jons parents really didnt want to medicate
their son. If they could have tried alternative routes first, they would have done so.
They would decide on their next visit in a month how to deal with that decision. In the
meantime, Dr. V felt getting Jon on an accommodation plan would help.

Meanwhile, Miss Summertop started sending many behavior referrals to the office.
This is not something she had done prior. In Jons records, there were no written
behavior referrals to the office from Miss Summertop until after Jons parents
requested an IEP. One example, from early November, stated the following:
Behaviors-disruption to the learning environment regularly, antagonizing others,
other-refuses to participate in class activities regularly. For the description, Miss
Summertop wrote Jon had a chance to participate in reading time, was asked to get
a book 3 times given suggestions. Did not read, chose to draw instead. Was then not
able to complete book report activity. When given the opportunity chose to still not
read and respond so I collected his unfinished work and told he could just sit and
wait if he was not participating in the classroom activity- then chose to crawl out of
seat on the floor. Asked 3 times to return to sea. Instead snuck up behind another
student who was working at her desk and scared her. Sent to office for above
checked behaviors. When Jons mother would see these types of reports, her first
reaction would be What types of strategies would you use to help Jon? This was
usually answered by its very hard to determine that because he doesnt listen.
Upon reading this particular report, Jons parents saw very few suggestions given to
Jon by his teacher, or strategies along the way that might have generated another
outcome. Miss Summertops reaction would usually be that she had a classroom of
twenty kids, and its hard to give that kind of attention to one student. When Jon
would get sent to the office, the behavior reports would say either removal from class
or reflection time. For reflection time, Jon would have to write on the behavior
reflection form about what happened. One question on the form for the student to
answer was What support or help do you need to do things differently? Jon wrote
dont know. And apparently, neither did Miss Summertop.

Jons father helped out in Miss Jeters class fairly consistently until the Thanksgiving
break. As a result, since it was in the same grade level as Jon, he was able to see
Jons interactions with his peers during lunch and recess. He would usually be with
his two other friends from the previous year. At recess, the three of them would run
around and play tag, laughing and having fun. Frequently, their tag game would
affect other peers since all three of them were very focused on the tag and not others
around them. Many students would come up to Jons father about what they had
perceived Jon had done. Sometimes they were right, and other times they were
wrong. Jon was not always in control of his movements, especially when he would
swing his arm out. This was one of Jons tics, and Dr. V had told his parents the
motor tics usually come before vocal tics. There was evidence of this from Jons
planner with Miss Cersi going back to first grade. As well, Jons father would
frequently observe Jon in Miss Toms Match class during his break, and he noticed
Jon seemed to be able to focus more. Miss Toms would call out students for
perceived behavior issues, but it was done in a more calming, positive way than his
father had seen with Miss Summertop. Jon would move around, but he wasnt all
over the place like Miss Summertop had submitted in behavior referrals.

The day of the IEP Eligibility meeting arrived, in the beginning of December, much
later than Jons parents had been told. This was just the start of a communication
problem between Jons parents and special services. Present at the meeting were
Mom, Dad, Miss Storm, Miss Summertop, Lady Kathryn, and Miss Short. Miss
Diagnosis did not attend this meeting either. There was an issue right away because
Jons parents had not been given the notice of meeting which is required by law for
the parents to sign. Miss Short asked if Jon had given it to Jons parents. Obviously
he hadnt. Nobody knew where the form was. Miss Summertop insisted it was put on
Jons bookbag. The form was signed at the meeting. Lady Kathryn assured this
would never happen again.

Miss Short indicated that they were meeting to determine eligibility for a 504 and to
develop a plan. On the eligibility report-section 504 form, it showed Jon as being
eligible for a 504 due to a disability of Tourettes Syndrom/Sensory. It further stated
that the impairment affects the students ability to attend to classroom instruction;
remain focused on a task; work completion; successfully and appropriately
transitioning, especially during unstructured times. Not checked off was the section
showing a student has no physical or mentail impairment which substantially limits
one or more major life activities. Miss Short advised that the next time to determine
eligibility would be in a year. Miss Short wanted a psychoeducational evaluation
done to determine if he met the criteria for an IEP. Jons mother wanted a
reevaluation done for the sensory processing issues, but Miss Storm told her she
would like to see more information from the doctor and to try some interventions in
the classroom before doing that. Plus, the other evaluation had just been done eight
months ago. IDEA stipulates that a permission to evaluate form be filled out, and
Miss Short wrote that the plan for evaluation would include achievement and
intelligence. Other areas that could have been checked off were diagnostics,
perceptual, social maturity or adaptive behavior, speech/language, occupational
therapy or other.

So now it was time to plan the 504 plan. A 504 plan is like an IEP, but it doesnt fall
under the jurisdiction of an Individualized Education Plan. There is no IDEA funding
for a 504, just accommodations implemented by the school. The parents, do have a
right to help determine those accommodations. Jons parents felt like the school
finally knew what they were doing and Jon was going to get the help he needed and
they would even get to be a part of it!

The 504 accommodations began with a Friday of Fitness activity. Jons mother
strongly stated that she did not want Jon to lose recess or the Friday of Fitness
activity. Every Friday, for an hour, every student had to follow certain plans for
exercise. This was usually done by grade levels, and activities could include taking a
walk outside, jump rope, Wii Dancing, or even walking around the school. Since half
the activities were planned for outside, rainy days would consist of half the school
walking around the building about twenty times. It was very loud and chaotic,
especially since the cafeteria had loud videos playing for children to dance to. For
Jon, with his sensory processing issues, it was way too much stimuli. So the 504
would address this by going over each activity planned for his class prior to the
Friday Of Fitness. Jon would be given a choice if he wanted to go or not. The goal
was to have Jon participate. If Jon chose not to, he would meet with a
paraprofessional in a quiet place and he could read, talk, or play computer games.
The next accomodation given was work completion/on task behaviors. No goals
were given or suggested. Jon would be allowed to use a computer for writing
assignments. He would also be offered frequent breaks during class time so he could
unwind or relieve stress. To give Jon a sense of confidence, everyone thought it
would be a great idea for Jon to be given made-up errands such as bringing a book
to the office. He would also be given a specific time limit to complete a task (which
all teachers tended to do at that charter school in the County of Kent). Another
accommodation was ensure expectations of task are clear, explicit, and firmly
stated directly to Jon. Jon was to be given his own special area of the class to work
by himself, which Miss Summertop had already done months prior because Jon was
too distracting to others. When Jon had to work in groups, it was written that he
wouldnt work with more than two students and using friends would work better for
him.

For reading, Jon would be offered the use of audio books. Assignments would be
modified when appropriate, for example, instead of doing 20 problems on a math
worksheet, Jon would only be required to do 10. Or for essay work, he would only
have to write 3 paragraphs instead of 5. Every morning, Jon was to give his teacher
his backpack and put his communication planner in a tray. At the end of the day, Jon
was to write about his end of day activity on the computer, print it, cut it out, and
paste it into the planner.

In the notes for the meeting, Miss Summertop indicated that Jon was having mini
breakthroughs and he had already been starting to use the computer for morning
work. She also said Jon can be moved in the class sometimes to have his own
island. Jons parents had a big concern about substitute teachers. As Jons father
was a sub there, he was never given information about what students had special
accommodations. Miss Storm agreed this should be put into the sub plans for each
time. Jons father notated he had read Tourettes sufferers may tend to repeat what
others are doing. He asked for observation to see if this may be going on in behavior
issues prior to him getting into trouble. He also asked how others were viewing Jons
tics, to which Miss Summertop said she hadnt noticed. Miss Summertop had some
good ideas about reading with a buddy, but Miss Storm suggested we just try some
things to see what works and then we can write something into the plan.

In the Kingdom of Del, all public school students were required to participate in the
statewide standardized testing. Jon had done poorly on the Fall testing, and it was
suggested that Jon be pulled out of the class and take the test with a small subgroup
of students. Everyone thought this was a good idea. It was agreed that
communication would improve between Miss Summertop and Jons parents. All
parties agreed the best method would be weekly email. Jons mother asked what
information Jons related arts teachers would receive and Miss Short said just a copy
of the 504 plan. Miss Short said she would meet with each of them to discuss Jons
plan. His parents asked if they should get anything from the doctor on his next visit,
and Miss Short said a recommendation for Jons 504 plan is good to have in the
records. This was not written in the meeting notes. Jons parents didnt know a good
deal about the whole special education process, but it seemed like they really knew
what they were doing. While they didnt walk out with an IEP, they had a 504 plan
which was something more than they had before. The hard part was over, now the
school just had to implement the plan.

About a week later, Jons parents took Jon to an emergency appointment with Dr. V.
Jon had started a new tic with the inside of his jaw moving, and it was causing him
excruciating pain. Jon was given a medicine called Intuniv, which would help with the
Tourettes as well as the ADHD which was now confirmed by Dr. V. A potential side
effect, although rare, was heart issues, so Dr. V wanted Jons blood pressure
checked each day by the school nurse for a period of five weeks. Jon was also
allowed to chew gum in class when this tic would start to manifest. Jon loved the
original Hubba Bubba flavor.

Jon was starting to frequently have problems with one of the members of the trio of
friends he was a part of. The other one would usually do something to Jon, to which
Jon would have an equal or greater reaction to. As in the previous year, the initial
behavior would often go unnoticed, but Jons reaction would and Jon would be sent
to the office. Lady Kathryn began to see this, and told Jons father she would try to
examine both sides of the story more often.

2012 was ending soon, and Jon would be off for the holiday break. Miss Summertop
was very enthusiastic about the plan, and Jon had very little behavior issues for the
next couple weeks. In the meantime, Miss Diagnosis, the school psychologist, would
be doing her pyschoeducational evaluation. In fact, her testing date coincided with
the same day Jon started his new medication.

We cant solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we
created them. Albert Einstein

The Game of Puppets Correction #3: Lady Kathryn (the principal of that charter
school in the County of Kent) did attend the meeting with Miss Smooth (Chapter 3)
The Game Of Puppets Correction #4: Mr. Namor was the writer of the very first cant
keep hands to himself concern (Chapter 1) not Miss Cersi. She wrote it in the
planner, but records show he had emailed Miss Cersi with that information.

Jons loving father

To be continued

Part 7 : A fathers cry for his son Re: failure of a
Delaware charter school promise #netde #edude
Posted on May 24, 2014 by kilroysdelaware
The Game Of Puppets
Chapter 6: of accommodation records, maps, and a growing illness
The Game Of Puppets Fact #11: As Common Core implementation has increased in
American schools, so has teacher dissatisfaction.

The Game Of Puppets Fact #12: The two most common co-morbitities that can
accompany Tourettes Syndrome are Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

2013 was here, and that meant a fresh new start for Jon. He was enjoying the XBox
he got from Santa, and he was talking to lots of friends on there. This was very
therapeutic for Jon because he didnt have to worry about anyone seeing his tics,
and he could have conversations with people about anything. Jons parents quickly
found out how difficult it would be to get Jon off of it when he needed to, but for
Jons well-being, the benefits outweighed any negative aspects. Jon loved to play
Minecraft. It was creative, artistic, and he could build whole new worlds. His parents
would hear him laugh all the time, which was something Jon desperately needed to
do more of.

One day, when Jons father was going on a break while working at that charter
school in the County of Kent, he saw Miss Cersi. Jons first grade teacher was always
very polite with Jons father. But Jons father never trusted her. There was something
off about her, and he always felt that Jons best interests were not a part of her
agenda. Jons father made a point to tell her about Jons diagnosis of Tourettes
Syndrome. She tried to take credit and said I told you there was something there.
He told her that had he gotten Jon diagnosed with ADHD two years before, Jon would
have probably been given a stimulant medication and that would have made Jons
manifesting tics much worse. Miss Cersi just laughed and said Everything happens
for a reason.

Before 2012 ended, Jons teacher was on top of the 504 plan. There was a problem
with the school nurse and the blood pressure being read, but for the most part, the
school followed through on Jons accommodations. But once the students returned
from the holiday break, things started happening, all at once.

As part of Jons 504 plan, weekly communication via email was supposed to take
place between Miss Summertop and Jons parents. Instead of email, Miss
Summertop would give Jons father a copy of the 504 plan with her updated notes
from the classroom. It was very hard to gain any useful information from her notes.
An example of her notes under the goal of explain instructions to Jon would be
directions explained to Jon one-on-one. Essentially, it was Miss Summertop
explaing what the goals were but that Jon did them. There was no data to support it,
nor was there any further explanation. Was it working all the time? There was no way
of knowing. Constant emails were sent from Jons mother to Miss Summertop
requesting information. After a while, she would partly answer her questions, but not
to either parents satisfaction. Jons mother emailed Lady Kathryn about who
oversaw the 504 plan. Nobody really knew. Was it Lady Kathryn? Lady Ellen? Miss
Short? Miss Summertop? Or maybe Jon could figure it out. It became a bit of a joke.
Jons mother had to request that Miss Summertop get training for monitoring and
reporting on the 504. The final straw for Jons mother was when Miss Summertop
asked Jon in class if had taken his medication in front of the whole class.

A meeting was soon scheduled to go over these issues, as well as to go over Miss
Diagnosis evaluations. Miss Short referred to it as an ER meeting. The lack of
communication and the failure to fully implement the 504 were the main focus of the
meeting. As the head of the school, Lady Ellen hadnt returned any of Jons mothers
emails. The meeting took place, and in attendance were Jons mother, Miss
Summertop, Miss Short, Lady Ellen, and Miss Diagnosis. Jons father was not able to
attend. Miss Diagnosis went over the results of her evaluations. For observations,
Miss Summertop and Miss Toms wrote about Jons strengths and weaknesses. Miss
Summertop stated that Jon needed one-to-one attention to complete tasks and that
he is easily distracted by others and calls out, especially during transition times.
Miss Summertop wrote that Jon used good self-direction in Math, while Miss Toms
said Jon lacks focus during Math. Both wrote that he liked to draw and doodle.
Neither wrote about strategies they used to redirect that behavior, aside from Miss
Tom writing about shortening his assignments. Miss Diagnosis wrote that Jon had
been referred for a psychoeducational evaluation to determine if additional services
via an IEP are needed to maintain academic progress.

For the testing, a Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV was done. Jon scored
average or higher on every test. These included verbal comprehension, perceptual
organization, working memory skill, and speed of visual processing skills. She also
did a Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-III which Jon, of course, did average or
better on everything. For Social/Emotional/Behavioral Assessments, the school
psychologist did no formal testing. She did ask Jon some questions though. What
do you do at home? Do you think school is hard? What is your favorite subject?
What problems do you have at school? Miss Diagnosis concluded with the following
summary: A 504 plan currently addresses needs associated with Tourette Syndrome
and sensory integration disorder. Possible diagnosis of ADHD is pending. Jon
appears to be a capable young man however has difficulty focusing and completing
assignments in a timely fashion. So even though Jon had Tourettes Syndrome,
Sensory Processing Disorder, a strong likelihood of ADHD, couldnt focus in class,
wouldnt complete assignments, had difficulty with peers, wouldnt read at school,
and doodled half the day, he still didnt meet the criteria for an IEP plan. Because he
was too smart. So on the Eligibility Determination, it was checked off on Does not
meet the eligibility criteria to receive special education and related services in the
following disability category: Learning Disability. In the Statement Of Assurance
section, Miss Short wrote Based on evaluation results, Jons functioning is at or
above age expectations in all areas. Therefore, he does not meet the states criteria
as a student with a learning disability that would require support from special
education services.

Since it took so long to go over the IEP denial (again), and the meeting had been
scheduled at the end of the day, there was not much discussion about Miss
Summertops lack of communication and her inability to follow the plan.

Jon did receive support from one of the paraprofessionals at that charter school in
the County of Kent. Jons father had met Miss Kindheart while working at the high
school. She was one of the few paras that stayed on at the elementary level. She was
a very sweet woman, and you could see in her eyes how passionate she was about
helping students in need. She would help Jon during the Friday of Fitness, and Jon
enjoyed his time with her. Another source of help was in the form of an outside
counseling agency that was placed in the school. Miss Auburn would help Jon with
social and behavior strategies. After each session, she would write down what Jon
could do, and both would sign it. Jon would tape it on his desk. For the next few
weeks, whenever Jon got in trouble, he would go see Miss Auburn. And another
behavior contract would be signed. Which would have been great, however Jon
didnt have the ability to commit to a signed contract.

Miss Summertop seemed to be doing a better job on the weekly communications. But
she would complain about how he still needed reminders to do things. She wanted
more involvement from Jon with these everyday events. But she didnt realize that
Jon would have done all those daily events if he got reminders. That was the whole
point of the 504 plan! The snowball that was rolling down the hill quickly gained
traction, and got bigger and bigger. His 504 notes would say things like did not
require any breaks this week or that he stayed on task during academic time even
though other notes would say things like did not use time to finish questions, given
more time, sat in chair with feet up. Jons parents began to wonder why there were
so many conflicting statements in these reports. The purpose of the breaks was for
Jon to wind down and decompress. If he wasnt taking any or being directed to, no
wonder he wasnt completing work. And the great idea of giving Jon errands to do
was done once. It seemed as if Miss Summertop was disengaging, and when that
occured, the behavior reports came roaring back!

It was about this time that Jons father was getting a lot of calls to sub for the middle
school levels at that charter school in the County of Kent, especially math. He
couldnt get away from it. Jons father noticed that a lot of kids seemed to be out of
control. Everything that was written about Jon in the behavior reports was being
mirrored in these older children. Jons father was never given any IEP or 504
information on these kids, so he had no idea what to think. If a student got too
unruly, he would have to send them to the office. Once in a while, someone would
come to him and say He/She has some issues, but we will take care of it. Jons
father had floor hockey sticks thrown at him in gym class. In an English class, one
student cursed at him, and as the student was going to the office, he said the same
word over and over again. It wasnt just Jons class. There was a systemic behavior
problem in the entire school. Jons father noticed a lot of the students seemed to be
very angry. He hadnt seen that in the high school. It was an enigma to him. Jons
father didnt have a lot of faith in his sons future abilities at that charter school in the
County of Kent.

Jons behavior was getting worse. Communication from Miss Summertop just
stopped for a long time. Almost a month had gone by and nothing. The one student
Jon had probably tangled with the most was becoming a more frequent event. The
two had played together well out of school many times, but in school they were in
such competition for another friends attention that conflict would ensue often. But
the other friend didnt even need to be there. Jon would tell his parents how his
friend would get other people to chase him or attack him. The game of tag wasnt
that fun for Jon anymore. Around this time, Jon started to not comply with adult
requests. As a result, teachers would argue back with Jon. And in a battle of wills at a
school, the student usually loses. Jons parents didnt know what to think, but
something obviously was going very wrong at that charter school in the County of
Kent, and Jon was getting worse by the day. It was like he was feeding off the illness
that was infecting the place.

Meanwhile, many miles away, in the Kingdom of Pa, Jons grandmother had been put
on hospice at her home. She had a long, debilitating illness, and Jons grandfather
had been taking care of her. Jon knew she didnt have much time left. This was
something very sad for Jon, and it began to trouble him as he had never dealt with
something like that before. Jons father had been up to see her, and he knew.
Usually Jons mother took up the mantle of the bad cop. She would be the one to
email everyone, and find out what was going on. Jons father was usually the good
cop. He would talk to Jons teachers and the administration and try to find out what
was going on. Plus, he was also in the odd position of working there as a substitute
teacher, and he got along well with most of the teachers. But Jons father knew his
son was not being treated the way he should have been. He had a 504 plan, and they
couldnt even handle that. His teacher was there, but something was obviously
going on with her. They hadnt received anything from her in a month. Did Jon even
have a 504 plan anymore? Jons father began to open his eyes.

Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold W.B. Yeats

Jons loving father

To be continued

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