While I have not had to deal with placing our autistic son in public schools yet (he’s only two), I have had to deal with the special education needs of a child with extreme bipolar disorder and will very soon have the issues of a very animated child on the spectrum to deal with. If he’s lucky enough to attend a military run elementary school, these issues will be dealt with as they arise, the military is good at that.

If and when he attends a public school, I’ll have to deal with the administrators there. Needless to say part of our final decision on where to live when my wife retires is heavily influenced by school systems.

Getting an IEP in place can be a headache. Getting the school to adhere to it can be a nightmare. Being vocal can get you branded as a “problem Parent” or as “Overprotective”. I’ve had these experiences and I’m not alone. The following person dislikes the way the system works so much that she has chosen homeschooling rather than face the public education system again. In an article for the Houston Examiner, she writes

Last night, at a friend’s invitation, I went to a meeting of our local school district’s special education parents’ group. We had moved recently, and while I’m homeschooling now I thought “why not learn more?”

I did.

Perhaps not surprisingly, our new special ed program is just like the old one. The administrator’s job, in essence, is to keep costs down… parents quiet…. and teachers submissive. If the special ed kids do well, that’s great. If they don’t… that’s life.

Meanwhile, parents are in a panic, trying to manage IEPs that don’t include the accomodations, therapies, supports or social skills programs they asked for. Should they sign the IEP, so their child can get at least SOME services right now? Or hold off, hire an advocate, and demand what they’re entitled to – meanwhile leaving their child in legal limbo for months?

[From Homeschooling Examiner: Why my child with autism is NOT going back to public school]

I can understand the frustration here, but shouldn’t we all be working to get the school systems to realize that this is less a problem of finance than an issue of importance?