Fair Oaks mom: Why were autistic twins dumped from class field trip?

[The Straight Story]

Fair Oaks mom: Why were autistic twins dumped from class field trip?

SACRAMENTO, CA - A Fair Oaks mother said she's angry that her two autistic sons were told they were being left out of a class field trip to Old Sacramento.

"They were devastated. They just wanted to go and have fun," Cheryl Wilson said.

Wilson's 9-year-old twin boys Nick and Chris attend Twin Lakes Elementary School in Orangevale.

On Twin Lakes' field trips, parents often carpool students to and from the destination, Wilson said. While Wilson said she'd driven her boys before, school officials told her that this time, the kids would have to ride in separate cars.

"I didn't like that idea. The boys need to be with me. I know how to handle them," Wilson said.

However, the school responded by telling Wilson that the boys could not attend this field trip. Wilson said Nick's teacher told him it was because he was "different."

"That made me upset, especially because she called me different," Nick said.

http://www.news10.net/news/story.aspx?storyid=80248&catid=2

[Angry Dragon]

1. Stupidity reigns again

[TwilightGardener]

2. Boy, that pisses me off, to read this. My son was not allowed to go

on one of his field trips in first grade unless I accompanied him--and I couldn't (had to work), so he sat with a couple other "bad" kids in the classroom with a sub, all day.

[RayOfHope]

9. Oh man, was your son on an IEP? Our IEPs say students CANNOT be excluded

from ANY school activity because of their special needs. An IEP should protect that.

[TwilightGardener]

10. No, not at the time--this was a couple years or so before he was diagnosed

with ADHD and a learning disability (and got an IEP). He was a bit hyper and had a hard time paying attention, but he wasn't what I would call "out of control". None of his other teachers had a problem with him on field trips and other class activities--just this one. He was very, very hurt by being left out. That's why I feel bad for these twin boys. I'm sure they feel the same way, and will never forget it.

[RayOfHope]

13. I'm sorry for that and hope things are better.

[TwilightGardener]

19. Thanks.

[rocktivity]

3. WHY would the school require the boys to ride separately?

Since the mother says that they "needed" to be with her and that she "knew how to handle" them, I presume that she planned to be one of the drivers. Either something "happened" on one of the previous trips, or the boys have been displaying behavior that made the school "uncomfortable" with taking them outside of their "comfort zone"--even if accompanied by their mother. I could manage some respect for them if they'd been willing to be honest about it.

:shrug:
rocktivity

[liberalhistorian]

4. Believe me, I raised a wonderful son with Asperger's

Syndrome and you wouldn't believe some of the stupid shit that school admins and teachers sometimes pull in regards to their "different" students, especially with any kind of autism, even high-functioning types like my son. Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to that. He graduates in a little over a month and I'm hoping college will be a bit different.

I remember during his freshman year, the band was preparing for its annual spring trip. Some kids in his class knew just what buttons to push to get him going and delighted in doing it. He got better at interactions with such jerks, but he still had some difficulty at that time. But guess who was usually punished when he reacted? Yeah, that's right, my son. And guess which group NOTHING happened to even after spending a half hour pushing his buttons before he finally lost it? Yeah, that's right, the bullies. So, the dipshit teacher was going to have both me and him sign an agreement that stated that he wouldn't "act up" and if he "acted up" in any way, we'd have to drive the several hours to come get him. I told her to shove her bullshit "agreement" unless it included the troublemaking button-pushers as well. And I went right to the admins, who put a stop to that nonsense. He went and had a great time and there were no problems.

He's been fortunate to have good and great teachers for most of his school time, but there have been some, as well as some admins, who can go fuck themselves. And my retired teacher parents agree.

[Odin2005]

12. Ugh, that sounds like this Aspie's high school years.

I always got punished because the bullies drove me to a meltdown, and nothing happened to the bullies. :grr:

[liberalhistorian]

15. Odin, I don't think his experiences were nearly as bad

as yours. That only happened a couple of times and it was with only two particular teachers. He was lucky most of the rest of the time; in most cases, the "pushers" were stopped. It got a lot better once he got in the higher grades, elementary was a bit more difficult. That's when they want everyone to be the same way the most.

[Trillo]

14. Thank you for being a concerned mom.

Your post stuck in my mind from reading it earlier, and I came back to reply. One wonders how many parents actually have the available time to fight the school and teacher as you did.

We can only wonder what the impact of such school treatment is on such children, particularly when they grow up and particularly when their parents were not concerned, or even worse who may believe the school personnel and who may punish the kid themselves as a result of the teacher's and school's (teachers' and schools'?) negative reports.

[donco6]

5. Never heard of such a thing

Sounds like they just didn't want the boys there and were throwing up roadblocks to get mom to give up

[wolfgangmo]

6. If I may spin a possible scenario.

Teacher arranges field trip. Administrator, upon pulling head from up his butt and taking his hand off his privates for a second, notices that there are special needs children in the field trip roster.

Adminstrator calls teacher into office. Teacher is told to drop kid from the trip and not to tell the parents why. Teacher, feeling like shit about that decision and seething that the admin bothered to do anything besided create problems and lurk in the hallways like Deputy Dog, tell kid obliquely that the problem is him, knowing and hoping that the mother will get pissed off and go on the warpath.

And yes, I used to work as a teacher, and no, I have never met a school administrator that I would piss on if they were on fire.

[RayOfHope]

7. And luckily, I am on the flip side of that.

I must be incredible lucky, because I've worked for top notch administrators (they ARE out there) that would never, ever, EVER dream of doing this. If we do have any kids that while on a field trip pose a safety risk (I teach kindergarten and have a runner in my class) or need some extra one on one care, our admins arrange for extra hands to go with us. In fact, we've always been strongly discouraged from excluding anyone from a field trip.

I'm sorry you've had such bad experiences, but there are good admins out there.

[RayOfHope]

8. They can't mandate the boys ride separately, that's rididculous.

If mom was able to attend to help with the boys, school should butt out of it and let the kids go.

As a teacher of young children and veteran of MANY field trips I do have to say that field trips are a whole 'nother ball of wax. Every extra pair of hands helps. I have asked that certain parents attend the field trips as a safety issue for their child. Keeping track of 20+ 5 and 6 year olds off school grounds is no small matter.

[Odin2005]

11. This makes me VERY angry!

:grr:

[Nikki Stone1]

16. I wonder if they were afraid of lawsuits

Even with the mother there. It's odd that they wanted the boys separated.

[rocktivity]

21. I think they were afraid of the boys "doing something" damaging or disruptive

So they came up with a "regulation" that they knew their mother couldn't possibly stand for.


rocktivity

[rucky]

17. Please make it stop.

I don't think I can handle another American Asshole story today.

[RedCappedBandit]

18. School should do more to meet their needs, IMO.

Ridiculous.

[Chulanowa]

20. School should do a lot of things

And almost universally fails at doing anything that isn't football or lavish PTA meetings.