Lizze and I met with the new principal at the boys school this morning. The topic was Gavin’s situation yesterday.
For those new to the party, basically, we learned that when Gavin was going to his teacher’s for help because he was either in pain or not feeling well, they would respond with “well, what do you what me to do about it?”
Obviously, this was very, very concerning.
Now that we are all caught up, on to this mornings meeting.
Lizze and I approached the principal this morning and without any question, he made time for us. We explained what Gavin told us and that we basically wanted to make sure we brought this to his attention, just in case this wasn’t a misunderstanding.
We know that Gavin can easily misinterpret a situation and so we gave everyone the benefit of the doubt, while still taking this seriously.
The principal was amazing and is clearly very focused on the kids and he said that he was going to figure out what was happening and report back to this afternoon.
Lizze and I both feel very satisfied and look forward to following up this afternoon.
I’m glad we handled this is a calm collective manner because we have a very, very good relationship with the school and we can go to them about anything.
I’ll be sure to let you know what we learn.
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I would most certainly love to hear how the situation is handled. I was thinking about this earlier today actually. Good luck! 🙂
From what I understand, your previous posts have mentioned that Gavin can be very manipulative and you have put certain things in place because of it – perhaps this is something the teachers are also witnessing and attributing this behavior in the same way? Claiming to be sick and wanting to go to the nurse can become such an avoidance behavior that some children literally ask every day, so I think many teachers simply are not that compassionate about it. However, due to Gavin’s medical issues, you may need to address that while avoidance or manipulation is a possibility, he needs to go to the nurse any time he claims to have pain or sickness. This may open a whole new area of problems if he does learn to abuse it, but at least you’ll be notified each time and then can make another decision on how to address it if needed.
forestlakemommy That’s exactly why it’s so complicated. For the record, Gavin isn’t asking to go to the nurse, he simply wanted to put his head down for a few minutes. Having said that, he did take advantage of this last year and we had to put a stop to this.
Nothing is ever easy is it… ;-(
From what I understand, your previous posts have mentioned that Gavin can be very manipulative and you have put certain things in place because of it – perhaps this is something the teachers are also witnessing and attributing this behavior in the same way? Claiming to be sick and wanting to go to the nurse can become such an avoidance behavior that some children literally ask every day, so I think many teachers simply are not that compassionate about it. However, due to Gavin’s medical issues, you may need to address that while avoidance or manipulation is a possibility, he needs to go to the nurse any time he claims to have pain or sickness. This may open a whole new area of problems if he does learn to abuse it, but at least you’ll be notified each time and then can make another decision on how to address it if needed.
uuuugh. i hate to hear things like you heard from Gavin. i wonder why people are so quick to forget their patience and to handle our children with special needs more gently but directly. My boy said he was put in the time out chair the other day. my boy is well behaved. he is actually a rule maker who will tattle on others who break rules. I am sure at times he may forget,but when i asked why he was punished he had no idea. ZERO. I hardly think a punishment will help if the child isnt SPOKEN TO about the behaviour that led him there. teachers really need to evaluate children on a case by case basis. and remember to adjust their words or tone for those who will not understand the meaning it.
@Dane Hansen KyahJ @Rosie Calabro thanks everyone. I’m actually at the school now. I’ll report back later on. 🙂
I hope you get answers that resolve the situation. If not, I hope you’re able to meet with his teachers to explain Gavin’s life threatening medical issues. I just hope they aren’t blowing Gavin off & are taking him seriously when he says he is feeling sick. I know he has a tendency to manipulate situations, but they still need to act accordingly in case he is truly sick & going into autonomic crisis. I wish you the best of luck in resolving the issue.
Guess we’re lucky here. There are 504 plans which spell out exactly what can and can’t be done, and how to provide for special needs. There are also ARD plans (Admission, Review, Dismissal) that protect their interests in the educational system. All teachers and support staff are made aware of these guidelines and how to follow or implement them.
Basically, that type of response from an educator would be subject for review with all parties involved, immediately, at any time.
did you get a good result as yet