Q & A: Classroom Observations & Evaluations
How often do you observe your child in his or her classroom? What is the school’s attitude about your visiting? Are you told you can only observe for a set period of time? only during certain times of the year? Are you able to talk with your child’s teacher in advance of your visit about how your child will handle your presence in the classroom, and also your leaving? Are you able to send in one of your child’s home therapists or consultant to observe? And what happens when you see something that you feel attention needs to be called to?
A family from Verona in upstate New York, the Knights, was “systematically kept away from their autistic son Kyle’s classroom because they spent “too much time in the classroom,” according to Kyle’s mother Tammie Knight. Kyle Knight has autism; as noted in a May 10th article in the Long Island Press, the Knights believe that they have been kept out of their son’s kindergarten classroom because in 2006 Tammie Knight accused Christina Amodie, the teacher, of calling her son a “‘loser.’”
“He came home from school on the third day, and stood there, arms straight down, knees pulled in, his face bright red, and said, ‘Mommy, Mrs. Amodie said I’m a loser,’” says Knight, who asked her child if he had lost at a game. Kyle responded that he had not. “She just said I was a loser.”
Another incident Knight believes contributed to the school’s labeling her a troublemaker, as she puts it, also came about as the result of Knight being in the classroom. She observed that her son’s kindergarten class was left alone for eight to 10 minutes while Amodie was eating lunch, says Knight. These events ultimately resulted in Knight pulling Kyle from Amodie’s class—and although she requested numerous times that he be put in a different class, the school’s administration said it would be in his best interest to stay in Amodie’s classroom. The family filed a grievance with the state’s Manhattan regional Office for Civil Rights (OCR) against the J.D. George Elementary School and the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central School District for discriminating against Kyle and his parents because of his disability.
Messages left at the school and district office by the Press were not returned.
OCR found “insufficient evidence” to support that the district discriminated against Kyle or the Knights. Still, the family was the subject of a CPS report, one that originally was founded: Tammie and Kurt Knight were charged with “inadequate guardianship.” The CPS report concludes that the two were not cooperating with the child’s IEP.
“Ironic. This is the exact claim that we had made against the school,” says Knight. After the family contested the CPS report, she says, it was reviewed and amended to be unfounded: “The report and all information identifying you [Tammie Knight and Kurt Knight] as the subject of this report has been amended to legally sealed by the New York State Child Abuse/Maltreatment Register.”
The mother of 12-year old Terence Connelly was also accused of being an abusive mother for not providing sufficient clothing for her son, or so it seemed: Connelly has multiple learning disabilities and (it seems) sensory issues; he only wears short sleeve shirts as tight clothing “makes him feel constricted and itchy all over.” Because he is very particular about his clothing, his mother buys him multiple sets of the same clothes.
The Long Island Press article is entitled Reading, ‘Riting & Revenge—needless to say, it is unfortunate that that third “R” has been part of more than a few families’ experience with their school district. The article contains many more stories of parents who mean to do their best for their children and have literally—sometimes legally—run afoul of their school district. Even when there are the best intentions, miscommunication and misunderstanding, and simple mistrust can occur: In a previous school district, my husband turned his head to glance into Charlie’s classroom on his way to a meeting and an aide immediately shut the door.
Jim, and our home ABA consultant, are going to observe Charlie in class this week. We try to communicate as much as we can about Charlie’s ABA sessions at home and about how he is doing and I always pass on the web address of Autism Vox to my school district. And I make reading about parents’ rights to request evaluations and about special education law a regular habit, even about policies and issues that I think I already am familiar with. So that when something happens that indeed seems to warrant attention being drawn to it, we are ready.
14 opinions for Q & A: Classroom Observations & Evaluations
Carol
May 28, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Policies regarding parental visits are always high on my list of questions for potential schools. I’ve been surprised in the past that some programs are clearly uncomfortable with the idea.
I’ve spent a minimum of one entire school day at 4 of the 5 schools my son has attended. His current school is the only one that I have not spent an entire day at. The school’s policies encourage parent visits and I often show up unannouced in the middle of the day so I haven’t felt a need to spend the whole day there…. yet.
Many times my visits have uncovered or confirmed problems, some small and some larger. I wouldn’t have been able to advocate successfully for my son if I hadn’t made the visits.
Niksmom
May 28, 2007 at 2:20 pm
Great topic. I honestly don’t know if my son’s school has a set policy, but they sure don’t make me feel terribly welcome for very long after the morning drop-off time. There have been many times that I’ve been at school for a meeting and simply peeked into Nik’s classroom. Often, it is to see him sitting in his Rifton chair (while the feeding pump is running) in circle time but being ignored by the paraprofessionals on either side of him. I’ve watched as they clapped and waved their arms and sang along but never once stopped to take Nik’s hands and try to engage him. This makes me very angry and frustrated. In intend to have something built into his IEP which includes “actively participates in all activities with assistance” or some such language.
mumkeepingsane
May 28, 2007 at 6:38 pm
We are very lucky. I volunteer in the classroom (but I avoid too much time directly with Patrick for obvious reasons) and often when I’m in the school will peek into the classroom just to watch him (normally it makes me come close to crying because he’s talking to a child, doing something I’ve never seen him do before, etc.)
The teachers have never told me to go away or made me feel unwelcome. I volunteered when my NT son was in kindy and I’m doing the same now. They will sometimes come say hi if they are available and they see me standing at the door watching.
I should say that I do sign in at the office and put on a visitor’s badge even if I’m just taking a peek so that children in the school will know I’m a safe adult and not someone who shouldn’t be there.
I am very careful that I don’t disrupt Patrick or the teacher’s plans. I can see how it could be difficult to have parents popping in unannounced all the time and I know that I’ve met parents who would make an issue out of a non-issue 9 times out of 10 and that could be frustrating for a teacher. I try and see it from both sides.
But I’m rambling. Like I said originally, I feel we are lucky with the school situation we are in.
Daisy
May 28, 2007 at 6:43 pm
I am especially worried about the potential for unfounded accusations of neglect or abuse. We questioned the handling of an incident almost two years ago, and the liaison officer in charge told my husband that our child could end up in foster care. This veiled threat still haunts me, even as I work closely with other, better, police liaison officers in my own work.
mcewen
May 28, 2007 at 6:48 pm
You had a lot of questions at the beginning there! Might be worth polling.
There certainly is ample opportunity for mis-communications on every front.
Although I also volunteer in the classrooms now, that wasn’t possible in the previous school / class. I’m aware that a parent’s presence can be disruptive to both your own child and others, then there’s issues of privacy [witnessing other children’s behavior and miscontruing it]
best wishes
Kristina Chew, PhD
May 28, 2007 at 8:45 pm
Polling is a good idea—-and unfounded accusations from incorrect assumptions and privacy are always a concern (having seen things that other kids in the class are doing). I’m glad to have Charlie’s therapist visit as my own views are definitely less than objective.
emily
May 28, 2007 at 9:22 pm
There’s not much access in our school district: some of it is the district’s general ed culture, I think. I don’t know how much has to do with union perceptions/concerns re parents in the classroom. I’m willing to believe that in my highish-performing school district, some parents do complain if they’re not impressed by what they see, but the alternative is that once or twice a year, on carefully scripted occasions, we are allowed in for a dog and pony show.
I think partly b/c of that culture, parents who *do* need more access and information because of their children’s disabilities run into trouble. Coming from a center-based preschool that allowed a lot of access, I felt the door was shut fairly firmly in my face when my daughter was in kindergarten, and I’ve had access to aides and indirect consult staff blocked. My kids are quite verbal (if anything, hyperverbal), but it is still frustrating, and I feel for my friends whose kids can’t communicate to them what happened at school.
Jen
May 29, 2007 at 12:01 am
As a home therapist paid by the school district, I would have thought they might want me to come in the classroom and see the way things are being done so that I could be consistent with them. That was completely true for one student I work with. His teacher and in school aides were more than welcoming to me. They pulled up a seat and let me come right in, up close to see what went on.
In the other student’s classroom, the first time I went in, the teacher made me sit at a table on the opposite side of the room from where the student worked. I went a second time with the behavior analyst, who said she would make sure I actually got to see what was going on. So, this time, the teacher waited until the behavior analyst turned her back and got a few feet away from me before she told me to go sit at the table on the opposite side of the room. Myself and his other home therapist (who works as an aide in the school also, but in another classroom) went in to the classroom for an in school team meeting. We were treated so well we haven’t gone to another one.
ange
May 29, 2007 at 12:04 am
This year our district started a ‘district-wide practice’ [not policy] not allowing outside professionals to observe in the classrooms. More specifically outsiders chosen by parents. In my 1st grader’s class I have offered to volunteer many many times, but have been told “there isn’t the need.” I haven’t observed except for moments through the doorway because it does disturb him (separation between school stuff and home stuff is a big thing for him). I volunteer regularly in my younger son’s preschool class. It’s amazing what I see when I observe, but then I remind myself that even though I could think of better practices etc., that I wouldn’t do so well either if the tables were turned and someone was scrutinizing my every move.
Mika
May 30, 2007 at 2:50 pm
In our district the parents only have to give 24 hour request.
I welcome the thought of parental and outside professional observation.
It helps everyone be on the same page.
I like knowing the parents and family of our students. It gives them more depth than just being a file. I also understand how it can be difficult for some children. We had one student that we made a short schedule for mom visits. The schedule showed him that mom was coming in, but also leaving without him.. We also used a timer for him. It really helped him transition through those times.
I can’t get over the schools accusation of the mother not providing “sufficient clothing”. What if the family does not have the financial means?
Isn’t that discrimination?
I believe CPS is a neccessary agency. But I have seen them go a little overboard.
I wonder if these families are not guilty, but are found guilty. Does these sources charging accusations have a plan to help these children in trauma from being placed outside the home?
Kristina Chew, PhD
May 30, 2007 at 4:49 pm
24-hour request would be very helpful!
The clothing accusations indeed puzzled me; were the parents consulted before the accusations were made?
Moi ;)
May 31, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Probably some ignorant person who doesn’t get it saw the kid wearing the same thing every day, and complained. I am sure the parents weren’t consulted - trust me, if the school attorney had real knowledge, s/he would never have let the school go through with the accusations!!!
Our school does not allow parents to come in. They don’t like it. They say “oh, you’ll distract the children” but that’s not it. It would mean the teachers would have to work, they would have to be on their toes….
They don’t want to put themselves in a vulnerable position. Oh well, sucks to be them…
Moi ;)
May 31, 2007 at 9:38 pm
BTW I like the blog redo!
Julia
Jun 3, 2007 at 4:04 pm
The only problem with my going in to observe is that it can’t be during any “group” therapy activity in PPCD. At any other time for PPCD, and at any time for my older son, I am welcome in my children’s schools. I also have brief conversations with the various therapists working with them when I get the opportunity, and everyone working with each child is in the annual meeting for that child, so we get to touch base with EVERYONE once a year.
My ONLY complaint is that I don’t know my younger children’s principal well enough, and my older child will be going to the new school and I don’t know that principal at all. I know all the teachers and therapists working with each of them, and we’re all on fairly good terms. (The poor PT was having a terrible time with S. in that he wouldn’t perform actions for her that he did with perfect ease at home on his own, but even so, she’s still very fond of him!)
On the clothing — one, I understand buying a lot of the same thing — if something is available in 5 colors, only 2 of them are going to work on the kid I’m buying clothing for, and it’s just easier to buy 3 of the same shirt in identical colors than to hunt down several different shirts just for the sake of variety. (Orange and red being popular when all your kids are pale redheads limits choices somewhat….) Additionally, I have the opportunity to buy used stuff from other parents of twins, and if there are 2 identical outfits that I can use for 1 of my kids, well, that kid is going to have 2 identical outfits. I haven’t had anyone say anything to me about it. (I do try to vary what is worn from one day to the next, alternating choices, instead of sending the kid in with the “same” shirt 3 days in a row, but if the kid is too picky, even that strategy is not going to work. If I had 3 identical frog shirts for C., she would likely never wear anything else unless they were all dirty.)
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