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

Alex NEEDS to go back to school. Are they planning on sending someone
out to work with him? I feel so bad that they are doing that to Alex!
It's not fair and, even more important, it's not RIGHT. You shouldn't
have to fight like that either. We have been very fortunate on the
education front. Hannah has a teacher that is a real winner that, if she
doesn't get the answer she wants on something, goes to the next level
until she gets the answer she wants. She goes to Dr. Cook, the Head of
Special Education, on a regular basis. I'm sure he's well acquainted
with Miss Hannah. She has even called his office while at our house! And
Bobbie (Hannah's ST) can get things done, too. She used to have Dr.
Cook's job so she has connections and we've been told that she gets what
she wants. Hannah's PT just moved here from MA and is really gung ho to
get the kids what they need. We really couldn't have asked for better
teachers for her. They really go above and beyond. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Karen [mailto:karens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2006 5:28 PM
To: tri-med@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [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



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

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