Lets tell a story. There is a family with four children. One child has always struggled in school and socially, but the mom never really realized there might be a medical/psychological issue going on because she herself had the same difficulties when growing up and nothing was ever said or done for her, so she thought it was normal for her child to be experiencing the same issues. When that child was in 7th grade, one teacher at his school (well call it school A) hesitatingly broached the subject with the mom, telling her how she felt the boy might be exhibiting signs of autism or Aspergers Disorder. The mom, being generally calm and easygoing in most situations, realized that the teacher was making a good case for her beliefs, and began trying to obtain some kind of diagnosis for her son. Naturally, every medical professional they saw refused to diagnose him, saying someone in some other branch of medicine would do so; but then someone from that other branch would refuse and push it off onto a different specialist, and so on. It was an endless loop of Yes, I believe you are right, but we cant officially make that diagnosis. After several months of futile attempts at obtaining a diagnosis, the mom happened to be talking to a teacher at School A and was overheard by one of the staff members. That staff member then began to assist the mom in finding the RIGHT resources for getting her son properly diagnosed, going so far as to make calls to state agencies and other schools employees, trying to get this boy the help he needed. FINALLY, after quite the effort on both the moms and the staff members part, the son had his diagnosis of Aspergers Disorder, and was given a 504 plan to help him be more successful in school. After 8th grade, the boy wanted to give public school a try, as he had never had a cafeteria for lunches nor had he ever ridden a school bus; so the mom transferred him to the public high school (well call this one School B). Within two months of the beginning of 9th grade, it was evident that the transfer was a colossal mistake; he was struggling, and the mom had nothing but trouble getting School B to implement his 504 correctly. The boy was struggling socially as well as academically, and the mom went to School A to transfer him back, but was told they were full and could not take him back until the following year. When the mom saw her sons name on the list of students returning to School A at the lottery drawing, she cried tears of joy. The very next day, School As principal left her a message on her home line, saying how thrilled they were that the boy was returning to their school and that they were ready to put the 504 back into effect on day one. And while it took a few days, they DID put that 504 back exactly as it was before he had transferred out - no questions or arguments about it. Would School B have done half of that? Doubtful. Did School A need to do as much as they did to help the family? No. Was the family grateful? Absolutely. When the boy found out he was returning to School A, he was beyond happy, to the point where he even began opening up to his psychiatrist (the person who finally diagnosed him) about other things. It was a milestone for him, and now it is all at risk of being lost because of the selfishness and closedmindedness of individuals who think theyre making the right decision for School A. The boy was so upset that he could not even attend school today because the stress brought on a headache (he also has an Arnold-Chiari Malformation and stress, among other things, can cause occipital-lobe headaches that can be debilitating). The mom fears that her son is going to shut himself off from everybody and not want to make an effort to succeed in school now. This family is not the only one affected, but they are being affected profoundly by this hastily-made decision. Last night, the faculty and staff of School A was informed that the school Board intends to close the upper grades, effectively making the K-12 school a K-8 school. When the parents were told, there was an uproar. The parents and students turned to social media to get the story out, and they began a petition to try and save the high school. The faculty and staff are telling other parents that they do NOT support or condone the Boards push to close the high school. Many parents and community members plan to attend the next Board meeting and voice their concerns. The Board went behind everybodys backs in making this decision; from what has been said, they had a closed-door meeting (which I am told they are NOT supposed to do), and in support of their reasons for closing, they pulled data from surveys which were purportedly intended to help improve the schools academic and extracurricular offerings. The Board is lying to people about at least one reason, possibly more; they are saying there is low enrollment in the upper grades so there is no point in continuing the high school grades. If that is true, why have the high school enrollment numbers and graduate numbers INCREASED every year for the past three years? Why was the family in question told that their son could not transfer back mid-year BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ROOM? This is NOT a made-up story. I am the mom in this story, and Tyler is the boy. School A is Piedmont Community Charter School, and School B...well, it doesnt really matter what school School B is, because Tyler will NEVER set foot in there again. I will say this much about the whole situation; no matter what the outcome is, whether they close the high school or keep it open, it brings tears to my eyes to see so many families and community members band together in support of the school. If the high school is closed down, I fear for my sons future, because PCCS is the only environment where he has THRIVED both academically and socially. PCCS is the only school with employees who have made an effort to help our family. PCCS is the only school that has gone above and beyond the call of duty to enable us to help our son learn to succeed. We need MORE schools like PCCS, not LESS. We deserve a choice in our childrens education; and our children deserve the very best future they can achieve. Please, everybody - go to my wall and sign the petition I posted. If you have a vested interest in what goes on with PCCS, I implore you to also file a grievance with the school and to attend the Board meeting on October 28 at the elementary campus. I have tears in my eyes just thinking about the possibility that PCCS might close the high school. PCCS is more than just a school to us; they have shown themselves to be a valuable asset in my childrens education, and they are more than just teachers - they are FAMILY. PCCS is the only school where my son truly feels at home, where he feels like he has worth and can succeed at anything he attempts. I implore you all, stand with us. Sign the petition, attend the meeting. Dont let them rip this out from under my sons feet. Dont let them potentially ruin the educations of many other children. Dont let them use their underhanded, sneaky tactics to accomplish things on their own personal agendas. Did you know that there is at least one Board member who has NO vested interest in the school, that he has NO children in attendance at the school? Why would you let somebody with no vested interest in the school dictate its future and the future of your children? Stand with us - help us defeat this misguided attempt. #PCCSMATTERS WBTV News WSOC-TV Sonja Gantt - WCNC
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 02:25:26 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015