[tri-med] Re: AUSSIE KAREN RE: Re: question

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Janet King"
> I understand. We're still fighting to get Hannah her Vest machine and
> bed.

I just want Alex to be able to go back to school. Tune out now to avoid the 
rant...

My problem is that I asked the school why his aide wasn't with him for 9 
hours a week and why wasn't I told. They said that there wasn't enough 
funding. So I asked why? How much funding did he get this year and how was 
it spent?
The answer? Its very complex we don't really understand how the old 
principal worked it all out (does anyone else have alarm bells ringing 
yet??)
Spoke to district office - they did an audit but all I get after the audit 
was "its up to the prinicpal how the money is best spent to benefit the 
entire school not just Alex" THEN they banned me from speaking to anyone in 
the school except the relieving principal (I can't speak to Alex's teacher 
or his aides) and the relieving principal has to report to the Education 
Director 3 times a day and report everything..........

Sorry Alex's medical problems are too complex to have info relayed three 
times before I get it, but thats exactly why they are telling me I have to - 
because he is complex. Would anyone here hire a babysitter and then if she 
wants to tell you that your child seems unwell, she can't, instead she has 
to tell her mother who then tells the neighbour who will relay the 
information to you?? I think not, not with one of our kids.

the more I looked the more I found - eg his aide is supposed to be a 
Teachers Aide special, thats why he gets big bucks from teh department. One 
of his aides is just an aide - not a teachers aide special. She has had no 
training, doesn't even have a first aide certificate!!! Thats why they were 
refusing to implement the doctors orders regarding using his gastrostomy or 
even administer meds!!!

Word on the grapevine (and the whole school has been gagged, no teacher is 
allowed to speak with any parent or to intervene in any incident, the 
principal MUST be called to deal with it) is that they found 
misappropriation of funds.

But instead of being open they have gone into shut down, which is making 
everyone aggro. For me that means Alex is excluded from school. I can't even 
get them to produce Alex's personal documents - they simply ignore all mail, 
including registered, receipted delivery.

I am the idiot though - a group of about 12 parents wanted to go to the 
media (they are concerned about extreme bullying eg children being choked in 
front of teachers - and I am talking 6 & 7 year old kids) but I persuaded 
them not to and to talk to the Director instead. They asked me to speak for 
them because they feared retribution and I foolishly said yes. I also 
silly-ly told the department about a teacher / teachers who were abusing 
children in the school (kicking students who have a disability, screaming at 
them non stop, dragging them from one building to another etc) and that went 
to a formal child protection notification.

Now I am getting blamed for stirring everyone up when in fact I was trying 
to calm them down. To top it off someone has leaked details to the media. 
It's not me but of course I am getting blamed and so Alex is being excluded 
from school........... they know I wont send him back when I deem him to be 
at risk. Without an aide and without communication he is at risk.

There isn't much that I can do - everyone has shut down to protect the 
school. I am being told to wait until next year and let the new prinicpal 
fix things but I am angry beyond belief and Alex can't get this year back. 
He is missing out on all the fun Christmas stuff at school which hurts big 
time because there is no way I can even think of affording to buy him a 
gift. The least he could have had was the fun at school.

Thankfully someone nominated us for the Wishing Tree so he will get at least 
one gift. And, I am not normally dishonest, but it looks like Centrelink are 
about to make a huge error. I will have to pay it all back but if I can just 
have that little bit over Christmas.......... sad individual hoping for 
something dishonest aren't I?? (Its ok I am so honest I will probably just 
give it all back untouched, but I admit I am tempted)

Sorry I will beg tiredness, and fedupedness - Alex has been home for a month 
now which means no sleep........ with summer break coming up just the 
thought is dropping me to my knees.

Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well.
                                            -- Josh Billings

Keep Looking For Rainbows!!
   _--_|\
 /Karen \
 \ _.--._ /
          v Karen, Mum to Alex (12 years, T-18 Mosaic)
http://members.optushome.com.au/karens

                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
                       www.trisomyonline.org
                  Families Helping Families On-line

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