M.H.D

My mantra for the last week has been 2/3 (67%) to propose and 3/4 (75%) to ratify. I have to put faith in the fact that he is, in essence, a lame-duck President and that those Republicans in the House and Senate will be more worried about getting elected in the mid-terms or in 4 years that they will not let the worst of his impulses happen. I have fought for years for my children to get the services they need, so I will continue to fight. That is all I can do. I am lucky to have a husband on the same page as me, so we look at our homeschool options if and when the local public school goes to hell in a handbasket. I am gathering like-minded close friends, and we are looking at ways to advocate for those who can't. I've never been a marcher, but it's never too late to start! And for those in my community who voted for him, I will vocally hold them accountable for the negative things we will inevitably see happen. I will not let them forget the choice that they made. I have screenshots, which will be trotted out at the appropriate moment! We must hunker down and do our best, connect with others, listen to others, and make changes where possible.

I was just notified that they were doing the tri-annual review. I did provide the school with the results of his first-grade evaluation, but it sounds like that never made it into his official folder. I finally got to speak to the school psychologist/ CSE Chair, and it sounds like all of the records for each student are a mess. She is trying to bring the school back into compliance. I am pleased that she was willing to reach out to address my concerns. I appreciate everyone's responses!

Thank you for your response! It's good to understand the process. Yes, I am in NY and apologize for not referencing that initially. My son was diagnosed with ADHD, with both a processing and language disorder, by a neuropsychologist when he was in first grade, so I guess I don't understand why the diagnosis wouldn't already be in his folder. He had quite a few behavioral issues in 2nd and 3rd grade, but we worked with his doctor to adjust his medication. He had an incredible year last year and seems to be doing well so far this year, so I was confused about why they would have led with the behavioral referrals in the notice. When he was younger, the school tried to place him elsewhere several times, so I'm a bit defensive about that. This is a tiny school (486 students in one building that houses pre-k through 12th; the average class size is 15 students to 1 teacher and one aide).

My son is up for his 3-year re-eval. Our school just hired a full-time school psychologist for the first time since my son enrolled here. They promptly made her the CSE chair. It seems like she is going through everyone's files to ensure the school is in compliance (because, generally, they are not). I received the notice for my son's 3-year evaluation, which is due in January, and the notice mentions behavioral issues that he was having in 3rd grade and evaluating whether this was the proper placement for him. He is currently in 5th grade. He had an amazing teacher last year and had little to no behavioral issues. He struggles a little with the workload in 5th grade, but overall, he hasn't had any major meltdowns. So my question is: Is it normal for the person doing the evaluation also to be the Chair of the committee? Is that a conflict of interest?