Should I fight for an interpreter?

jillio said:
My point was clear in the statement I made. What part of it don't you understand? If the school district says they don't have the funding for extra-curriculur terps, too bad. They are still legally obligated to provide one.

You also mentioned, if you will review your own post to which I responded, that you suggested she look for creative ways to fund it. That is not the parents' responsibility. It is the school district's responsibility.
Click to expand...

Wrong! ! A parent's responsibility is to do the best they can for their child. Period. My approach says hey parent....don't put all your eggs in one basket. Don't neglect ofther posibilities to help your child just for the sake of being right.

If a parent wants to use their child as a human shield in a battle to prove they are right I guess that is their choice. But it's certainly not a responsibility.
 
TXgolfer said:
Wrong! ! A parent's responsibility is to do the best they can for their child. Period. My approach says hey parent....don't put all your eggs in one basket. Don't neglect ofther posibilities to help your child just for the sake of being right.

If a parent wants to use their child as a human shield in a battle to prove they are right I guess that is their choice. But it's certainly not a responsibility.
Click to expand...

Demanding that your child's right to equal access to everything in their scholastic environment is hardly using your child as a shield. It is doing for him what he is unable to do for himself, and it teaches him to be an effective self advocate as an adult.

The parent's responsibility in this case is to ensure that the school district fulfills their legal mandates to provide for this student.

Perhaps it would be easier to just let it go and try to make up for the school district's deficiencies. But is that the best for the child?
 
TXgolfer said:
Wrong! ! A parent's responsibility is to do the best they can for their child. Period. My approach says hey parent....don't put all your eggs in one basket. Don't neglect ofther posibilities to help your child just for the sake of being right.

If a parent wants to use their child as a human shield in a battle to prove they are right I guess that is their choice. But it's certainly not a responsibility.
Click to expand...
Are you talking about finding other options if the interpreter request doesn't work out?
 
jillio said:
Demanding that your child's right to equal access to everything in their scholastic environment is hardly using your child as a shield. It is doing for him what he is unable to do for himself, and it teaches him to be an effective self advocate as an adult.

The parent's responsibility in this case is to ensure that the school district fulfills their legal mandates to provide for this student.

Perhaps it would be easier to just let it go and try to make up for the school district's deficiencies. But is that the best for the child?
Click to expand...


Which is why I advocate doing BOTH. That way you teach the child to stand up for themselves AND to think outside the box and not to expect the system to always be there for them.

The parent has absolutely no responsibility to stand up to the system if they can provide for the child otherwise AND teach the child to be self sufficent at the same time. What if the child is treated poorly because of a nasty fight during tough e onomic times..... Does THAT benefit the child?

I stick by my advice in the beginning. Fight for your rights and have a back up plan. And if she needs help with a back up plan I am here for advice.

:wave:
 
TXgolfer said:
Yup.....fight for the kid....not the right. That's my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

Do you mind clarifying because in my eyes, it is the kid who has the right to full access to language, communication, and information in the educational setting even if the child is mainstreamed?
 
TXgolfer said:
Which is why I advocate doing BOTH. That way you teach the child to stand up for themselves AND to think outside the box and not to expect the system to always be there for them.

The parent has absolutely no responsibility to stand up to the system if they can provide for the child otherwise AND teach the child to be self sufficent at the same time. What if the child is treated poorly because of a nasty fight during tough e onomic times..... Does THAT benefit the child?

I stick by my advice in the beginning. Fight for your rights and have a back up plan. And if she needs help with a back up plan I am here for advice.

:wave:
Click to expand...

Why would you need a back up plan? Anything short of providing a terp for extra-curriculars is against the law. As I stated, the parents' responsibility is to ensure that the school provides for the child as mandated by law.

Telling parents to let the school get away with something that is illegal and use a back up plan is not, IMO, a responsible way to fight for a child's rights.
 
TXgolfer said:
Yup.....fight for the kid....not the right. That's my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

The right is already guaranteed by law. Don't need to fight for the right anymore. The only battle is to get the school district to do that which is mandated by Federal law. And, since I don't know of a school district that is willing to loose all their state and federal funding for all children in their special ed category, I doubt they will give a parent much of a problem when the parent shows they are serious.
 
Battles with school districts can go on forever. Didn't one of the posts in the other thread about the 18-year-old graduating with grade school level math and reading say that lawsuit had already cost the school district nearly a quarter-million dollars? Would have been cheaper for them to have done their job in the first place.

Meanwhile, this child we're talking about does not have time to waste while the grown-ups fight. If there is a plan B - like paying for the interpreters one's self, or paying for an FM system that works, whatever - seems to me it's worth doing. And then add the costs of that into a lawsuit against the school, if need be.

Something like the concept of pedestrians always have the right of way in the crosswalk. It's still a good idea to wait and look for traffic before blithely setting foot off the curb.
 
Beach girl said:
Battles with school districts can go on forever. Didn't one of the posts in the other thread about the 18-year-old graduating with grade school level math and reading say that lawsuit had already cost the school district nearly a quarter-million dollars? Would have been cheaper for them to have done their job in the first place.

Meanwhile, this child we're talking about does not have time to waste while the grown-ups fight. If there is a plan B - like paying for the interpreters one's self, or paying for an FM system that works, whatever - seems to me it's worth doing. And then add the costs of that into a lawsuit against the school, if need be.

Something like the concept of pedestrians always have the right of way in the crosswalk. It's still a good idea to wait and look for traffic before blithely setting foot off the curb.
Click to expand...

It is usually cheaper to do the job to start with.

Thing is, once a parent calls for due process, the accommodations they are requesting have to be provided in the interim. Benefits the child either way. All that has to be done is call for an IEP meeting, and inform the district she wants to go to due process based on the lack of services provided for in the IEP. It can be accomplished in short order. Once the parent calls for an IEP meeting, the school has to comply within 30 days. So, realistically, we are talking about one month to get things in place for the kid.

And, for something like terps for school activities, simply the threat of having to go to due process would most likely be enough.
 
jillio said:
Why would you need a back up plan? Anything short of providing a terp for extra-curriculars is against the law. As I stated, the parents' responsibility is to ensure that the school provides for the child as mandated by law.

Telling parents to let the school get away with something that is illegal and use a back up plan is not, IMO, a responsible way to fight for a child's rights.
Click to expand...


*shrug*. I couldn't care less what your opinion is.

Great thing about America....we get to raise our children as we see fit. If a parent wants to be closedminded and focus on their entitlements that is their right. No doubt CSigns Child has a right to the terp. Is it worth the fight? That is for her to weigh out.
 
So ultimately I didn't have to push/fight the issue at all. I had already provided Ed codes at the last meeting, and they must have consulted with their attorneys afterwards. Today we went into the meeting and the district told me I was right (last meeting they told me they weren't obligated to provide it).

So looks like I can put my son in science camp this summer, and not have to worry about it. I'll just make sure that it gets written clearly in his IEP so that we don't have to adress the issue again next school year.

By the way they responded at the last meeting I thought I was going to have to really fight it. I was grateful that this did not have to become an issue.
 
CSign said:
So ultimately I didn't have to push/fight the issue at all. I had already provided Ed codes at the last meeting, and they must have consulted with their attorneys afterwards. Today we went into the meeting and the district told me I was right (last meeting they told me they weren't obligated to provide it).

So looks like I can put my son in science camp this summer, and not have to worry about it. I'll just make sure that it gets written clearly in his IEP so that we don't have to adress the issue again next school year.

By the way they responded at the last meeting I thought I was going to have to really fight it. I was grateful that this did not have to become an issue.
Click to expand...


Wonderful news!
 
Good! I hope your son enjoys summer science camp. :)
 
Thanks guys!! A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
 
TXgolfer said:
*shrug*. I couldn't care less what your opinion is.

Great thing about America....we get to raise our children as we see fit. If a parent wants to be closedminded and focus on their entitlements that is their right. No doubt CSigns Child has a right to the terp. Is it worth the fight? That is for her to weigh out.[/QUOTE]

Then why is she asking us to do that for her?:dunno2:

I haven't stated an opinion. I have stated legal fact. That is what matters when it comes to accommodations for deaf students in the mainstream.
Click to expand...
 
See there? Threat of due process for violation is usually plenty of action to get what your child is legally entitled to.

Glad to know he will have what he needs and is entitled to for his camp experience.
 
I don't think she was asking anyone to make decisions for her, but to weigh in on what you think she should do, what your experience has been, and whether or not you think her request of the district was unreasonable, as others had told her.

But, looks like cause for celebration!
 
jillio said:
Then why is she asking us to do that for her?:dunno2:

I haven't stated an opinion. I have stated legal fact. That is what matters when it comes to accommodations for deaf students in the mainstream.
Click to expand...

jillio said:
Why would you need a back up plan? Anything short of providing a terp for extra-curriculars is against the law. As I stated, the parents' responsibility is to ensure that the school provides for the child as mandated by law.

Telling parents to let the school get away with something that is illegal and use a back up plan is not, IMO, a responsible way to fight for a child's rights.
Click to expand...

:wave:
 
GrendelQ said:
I don't think she was asking anyone to make decisions for her, but to weigh in on what you think she should do, what your experience has been, and whether or not you think her request of the district was unreasonable, as others had told her.

But, looks like cause for celebration!
Click to expand...

Really? I think she should have just bought him a good gaming system and a Nickelodeon netbook along with a good subscription to a broadband internet service...
 
Back
Top