The main difference between LuLu and the school system, though, is LuLu not only recognizes that she’s stuck, but she wants to change. She’s trying very hard. The school district, though, has us pretty much where they want us for now. LuLu isn’t in their classrooms or able to access any of their services, so she isn’t their problem. Heck, no one really even shows that much interest in LuLu at all. I was surprised that they readily accepted the goals I proposed at Friday’s IEP, but I shouldn’t have been. After all, I am the teacher and if those were... more

I got this FABULOUS bumper sticker from a dear friend a couple weeks ago. It made me laugh outloud, because she does know us well. On the first day it wasn’t raining, I plopped it on the back of my car. It so describes our life…we’re STUCK! (And I don’t even have one of those vacation t-shirts with the catchy phrases to show for all my labors).

There are two things of basic “stuckness” around our ranch:

1. Trauma. LuLu, through the advent of puberty, has made it abundantly clear that she’s still stuck in a certain... more

As a parent, do you approach IEP meetings with fear and dread? That sentence alone was enough to hook me, given that our IEP meeting is in about an hour. This article in Schwab Learning gives “Tips for a Successful IEP Meeting”. Most of these suggestions are right on…things I would advise you to follow, if you asked me and I was calm enough to answer. Some of these great suggestions, that are lessening my anxieties right now, include:

Build a positive relationship with at least one person on the IEP team. Parents who are successful at reaching win-win situations for... more

When we filed our due process hearing request about a year ago, I was quickly dismissed from my part-time employment by the State Department of Education. I was a parent representative on what was called a “Focus Monitoring Team”. We traveled throughout the state, going to school systems with underperforming special education departments to investigate what was going on and what could be changed. I had just finished my second year of doing this. But the clause in my contract was that I couldn’t be involved in any legal actions against any school... more

September 11, 2001. December 7, 1941. Now those are some dates of disasters. At our house, sadly, last February 13 is among them. Here’s the link to my blog that day.

While the blog makes it sound like I was rather shell-shocked and overwhelmed, I’ll tell you this much…I had NO IDEA what it was going to take to try to get IDEA (the special ed law) to meet my child’s needs. Last February 13, I had no way of fathoming where I’d be this February 13.

In... more

My local networks are all abuzz with speculation about the bill coming before the Georgia legislature in just a few short days. SB 10 would provide scholarships, funded by the state, for children with disabilities to transfer to another public or a private school if their needs aren’t being met at their current school.

There are lots of reasons to be skeptical…and believe me, I am skeptical when it comes to anything the school districts are doing, or the state DOE at this point, as well.

But, Georgia’s not alone in our thinking.... more

Calling all Georgia parents, advocates, teachers and activists! There is a hearing on this bill at 2:00 pm tomorrow, January 25, at the Georgia Capitol Building in Atlanta. Click here for more information on this legislation or to comment.

Senator Johnson has proposed Senate Bill 10, which would provide scholarships for public school students with disabilities to attend private schools. It’s an enticing concept…and in theory a possibly good idea. Fashioned after the McKay Scholarship in Florida,... more

Finally, here are my thoughts based on the policy perspective report issued by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute and The Center for Adoption Support and Education: "Adoption in the Schools: A Lot to Learn, Promoting Equality and Fairness for all Children and Their Families."

It was obvious to me from this report that... more

Here are some ideas for action from the policy perspective report issued by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute and The Center for Adoption Support and Education: "Adoption in the Schools: A Lot to Learn, Promoting Equality and Fairness for all Children and Their Families."

The report laid it out pretty clearly – that... more

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I’m continuing to digest the information in the policy perspective report issued by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute and The Center for Adoption Support and Education: "Adoption... more