I recevied a call from the principal at the boy's school. We're on really good terms and we talk on the phone occasionally. He's super cool. They always ask how I'm doing and I always tell them that *it depends on why they're calling me. *Lol
Anyway, today's call was purely business and it was in regards to the new Ohio State truancy policy. The new policy is bit extreme and the *blanket *approach to applying it is irresponsible but whatever. That's for another time.
Anyway, the boys missed about 12 days of school this year. This is mostly due to illness, which is more frequent with Elliott and Emmett. They were both sick the week leading up to Thanksgiving break and a few days beyond that. Elliott still has a nasty cough that we're debating in getting checked out.
That makes up 99% of the absences this year and at least a few of those days have a doctor's excuse. The rest are doctors appointments.
Both boys are doing incredibly well academically.
The principal said the boys are fine and they aren't even close to being truant. That said, the new state policy requires that I have a meeting in the principal's office to discuss how to improve their attendance.
They were fucking sick. How exactly do we avoid that?
Anyway, it's a formality and I'm taking care of that today.
I will sign a paper stating that I will do my best to have the boys in school at least 4 out of 5 days.
It not a big deal at all but here's why I find it frustrating. The State of Ohio has a habit of applying things with a blanket approach, especially in regards to education. There is very little if any, wiggle room for kids with Special Needs, their parents or the schools that educate them. *Fair doesn't mean everyone gets the exact same thing. Fair means that everyone gets what they need to reach their potential.*
A child with Autism is held to the exact same standard as their neurotypical peers. State testing is the same, barring extra time and the list goes on.
This doesn't work well in reality, it's unfair and it frustrates a lot of people.
Kids with special physical and emotional needs, are much more likely to miss school because of a million different things. Here's a few reason just off the top of my head:
- Frequent appointments
- Health related issues
- Mental health related issues
- Behavioral problems (Meltdowns etc)
- Medication issues
- Sensory issues
- Frequent illness
Every special needs family will have a list of their own but these seem to be fairly common.
Anyway, it would be nice if the State would recognize that kids with Special Needs cannot always be held to the same standard as everyone else.
A blanket approach to education isn't fair to any student but it's especially true when it comes to Autism and Special Needs students.
It's important to understand that the word *fair doesn't mean everyone gets the exact same thing. Fair means that everyone gets what they need to reach their potential. *
UPDATE:
I had my meeting and it went fine. It was actually a meeting to talk about having another meeting if attendence didn't improve. That was it. I didn't have to sign anything.
This was only in regards to Elliott and only because he's missed 12 days of school. The bulk of that was his recent illness and the rest were appointments that had excuses but I'm guessing they didn't count.
There has to be allowances for kids with Special Needs. These kids and their parents are facing challenges every single day, that their neurotypical peers don't. Getting a kid with Autism to school can be nearly impossible at times and there could be a million reasons for that. Unless you're living it, it's difficult to put things into perspective.
Perhaps we need more Special Needs parents to run for office?..?
