Parents of a deaf student plan to sue SAU 16 for not providing an adequate education

I won't get in the middle of this particular fight, but I will say this: Many of us are speaking from experience, and many, many years at that. You've said elsewhere that you think today's standards are different from 5, 10, 20, 30 years ago, and you could very well be right. But when it comes right down to basics, everything you "read" and "apply" to all of us deaf people offering advice/opinions cannot be equaled to what is actually experienced. You've been given examples and real-life stories left and right in a number of threads here, yet you are coming off as better than all of us because you think you know all already. However, you've barely scratched the surface when it comes to the deaf.
 
AlleyCat said:
I won't get in the middle of this particular fight, but I will say this: Many of us are speaking from experience, and many, many years at that. You've said elsewhere that you think today's standards are different from 5, 10, 20, 30 years ago, and you could very well be right. But when it comes right down to basics, everything you "read" and "apply" to all of us deaf people offering advice/opinions cannot be equaled to what is actually experienced. You've been given examples and real-life stories left and right in a number of threads here, yet you are coming off as better than all of us because you think you know all already. However, you've barely scratched the surface when it comes to the deaf.
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:gpost: :gpost: :cool2:
 
AlleyCat said:
I won't get in the middle of this particular fight, but I will say this: Many of us are speaking from experience, and many, many years at that. You've said elsewhere that you think today's standards are different from 5, 10, 20, 30 years ago, and you could very well be right. But when it comes right down to basics, everything you "read" and "apply" to all of us deaf people offering advice/opinions cannot be equaled to what is actually experienced. You've been given examples and real-life stories left and right in a number of threads here, yet you are coming off as better than all of us because you think you know all already. However, you've barely scratched the surface when it comes to the deaf.
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:gpost:
 
AlleyCat said:
I won't get in the middle of this particular fight, but I will say this: Many of us are speaking from experience, and many, many years at that. You've said elsewhere that you think today's standards are different from 5, 10, 20, 30 years ago, and you could very well be right. But when it comes right down to basics, everything you "read" and "apply" to all of us deaf people offering advice/opinions cannot be equaled to what is actually experienced. You've been given examples and real-life stories left and right in a number of threads here, yet you are coming off as better than all of us because you think you know all already. However, you've barely scratched the surface when it comes to the deaf.
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:gpost: I couldn't have said it better. :)
 
But when it comes right down to basics, everything you "read" and "apply" to all of us deaf people offering advice/opinions cannot be equaled to what is actually experienced. You've been given examples and real-life stories left and right in a number of threads here, yet you are coming off as better than all of us because you think you know all already. However, you've barely scratched the surface when it comes to the deaf.
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AMEN!
WE were those kids years ago. Same shit different day!!!! Many of us had "access" to the hearing world through speech and hearing." Oral only is NOT NEW!!!!
Also, I have a feeling the spoken language delay is severe if a public school program is reccomending ASL usage.. Faire joure, you don't understand that public schools don't reccomend a change of methodology unless it is really bad. They like hoh/oral kids since they don't have to provide a ton of accomondations for them (ie front row seating, FM speech and maybe a notetaker) The mom sounds like she's out of touch about her son's actual needs vs. what she wants. She really sounds like the stereotypical "ASL is EVIL! My kid doesn't need sign. Sign is for "speshal needs" kids who simply can't function well enough to speak well" AG Bad mom. (and there are many of them)
 
deafdyke said:
AMEN!
WE were those kids years ago. Same shit different day!!!! Many of us had "access" to the hearing world through speech and hearing." Oral only is NOT NEW!!!!
Also, I have a feeling the spoken language delay is severe if a public school program is reccomending ASL usage.. Faire joure, you don't understand that public schools don't reccomend a change of methodology unless it is really bad. They like hoh/oral kids since they don't have to provide a ton of accomondations for them (ie front row seating, FM speech and maybe a notetaker) The mom sounds like she's out of touch about her son's actual needs vs. what she wants. She really sounds like the stereotypical "ASL is EVIL! My kid doesn't need sign. Sign is for "speshal needs" kids who simply can't function well enough to speak well" AG Bad mom. (and there are many of them)
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Recently, I know of two little kids who lost 2 years of academics simply because they got "lost" in the public schools and now are severly delayed. They both have had CIs since toddlers. Go figure.
 
I know of two little kids who lost 2 years of academics simply because they got "lost" in the public schools and now are severly delayed. They both have had CIs since toddlers
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That doesn't surprise me. Hopefully they're not too old and can still benifit from some ASL intervention. I do think it should be law that dhh and blind/low vision students should have IEP evalutions performed by the school for the Deaf or blind, rather then a generic sped teacher.
 
faire_jour said:
If the school can not provide an appropriate oral only class, with a teacher of the Deaf (which he clearly needs if he is reading at a thrid grade level), then they are REQUIRED by law to send him to a program that IS providing that.
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Even to another state? That seems outside the boundaries of what a local school board can do.
 
Reba said:
Even to another state? That seems outside the boundaries of what a local school board can do.
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With all these school closing, even oral school like Clarke is slowly fading away, parents are going to have a very difficult time finding a replacement.
 
Miss-Delectable said:
...Is it the school's fault that Hunter's not doing well academically and communication wise? No, they even went as far to suggest that Hunter should be learning in ASL and even instructed in lessons by ASL.

It's the mother's damn fault because she knew he's behind and falling further each day and yet, she didn't change any communication or educational methods to meet Hunter's needs.
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That's what I was wondering.

"Now, at 13, he is entering eighth grade at Cooperative Middle School where his mother said he is slipping behind — functioning at a third-grade reading level and struggling to communicate."

Excuse me but if he's reading at a third-grade level at age 13, he's not "slipping" behind; he was never up to par to begin with. This problem didn't happen overnight.

When the mom didn't get her ideal choice of Clarke she should have found some other solution rather than wasting precious learning years in legal wranglings.

If Clarke is absolutely the only school that will fit her son, then they should have moved to Massachusetts years ago so he could attend a day program there.

She just decided to have him attend Clarke's but does not want to foot the bill, so she'll try and have the school district pay. As deafdyke pointed out America is in a severe recession so it's not a good time to go around demanding expensive services for a child who has not blossomed under the exact same communication method.
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Right. Why should other taxpayers with kids in school foot the bill for her son's specialized program when she doesn't seem willing to make some effort and sacrifice (other than suing) to get help for him?

The question is will Clarke accept him once they have seen how far behind he is? I doubt they would want to take a risk and face being sued years later by Mrs Petit for not helping Hunter improve.
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Good point. Any other school might be leery of Mrs. Petit and her litigious nature.
 
faire_jour said:
No, but instruction all day in a voice off ASL enviroment and immersion in fluent spoken language and utilizing auditory skills to understand that spoken language IS.
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In the schools where I've interpreted, there is no voice off policy. If anything, the kids are encouraged to respond as much as possible with their voices.
 
faire_jour said:
...Also, statistically you are wrong about "most" people with a hearing loss learning ASL. There are 30 million people in the US with a hearing loss and less than 1 million use ASL.
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Are you including late-deafened adults in that calculation? Are you including people who are hard of hearing who have close to "normal" hearing with their HAs? "People with a hearing loss" is too general.
 
Now, at 13, he is entering eighth grade at Cooperative Middle School where his mother said he is slipping behind — functioning at a third-grade reading level and struggling to communicate."

Excuse me but if he's reading at a third-grade level at age 13, he's not "slipping" behind; he was never up to par to begin with. This problem didn't happen overnight.

When the mom didn't get her ideal choice of Clarke she should have found some other solution rather than wasting precious learning years in legal wranglings.

If Clarke is absolutely the only school that will fit her son, then they should have moved to Massachusetts years ago so he could attend a day program there.
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Ditto! I mean why did she wait so long to decide that Clarke was THE perfect setting? Besides, Clarke only goes up to 8th grade. He'd only have a year there. It might benifit him socially b/c middle school is HORRIBLE for kids in general, not to mention kids with all sorts of special needs.
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the schools where I've interpreted, there is no voice off policy. If anything, the kids are encouraged to respond as much as possible with their voices.
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Yes. I know kids who attend regional magnet programs for dhh kids. Heck I know kids who attend DEAF schools and they get speech training!
 
parent in case

Hello All,I am just coming across this article and comments at this web sight.... I am amazed by comments of those who have NO idea of our REAL LIFE situation. My son is the one who chooses NOT to sign. We attempted to learn and teach him sign, he did not want it. DONT assume you can know this case by inaccurate articles written.... that contain bogus information based on ones opinion and where critical facts are missing. You can NEVER know or judge what is real if you dont have ALL the information/facts and these single snapshots by one persons perspective will NEVER give you what you truly need to judge. It would be best if people understood special education laws and the fact that it is INDIVIDUALIZED for a reason. Albeit the, Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act, where the IEP, Individualized Education Plan guides the students education and programming, this based on the individual students needs. This goes for each student with a disability who has an IEP. It is and should be individualized for that family and student, never for the masses opinion of what they feel may or may not work for that family and child. The battle to have my son to an appropriate program has been going on for years.... It did not just start with this article. It was the fact that my son was at this point truly failing and the school was passing him along, I made a more public point before the school board. I have never stopped advocating for his educational needs, I have an extremely large amount of documents and communication with the school and their attorney to prove it. In fact one of the more recent documents I had received from the school attorney was 17 pages long and cost the school district 9000.00, I have the documents to support this fact also, this letter/opinion was to deter my pursuit for a placement and programming that I knew would allow my son to benefit, but this attorneys opinion was based on bad law. I continued to pursue based on current laws, and so my son did end up in Clarke school shortly after this article, where he made nearly a years growth in 6 months time. It is amazing what happens when the right people and programming are in place.
 
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litigious nature....

Reba said:
That's what I was wondering.

"Now, at 13, he is entering eighth grade at Cooperative Middle School where his mother said he is slipping behind — functioning at a third-grade reading level and struggling to communicate."

Excuse me but if he's reading at a third-grade level at age 13, he's not "slipping" behind; he was never up to par to begin with. This problem didn't happen overnight.

When the mom didn't get her ideal choice of Clarke she should have found some other solution rather than wasting precious learning years in legal wranglings.

If Clarke is absolutely the only school that will fit her son, then they should have moved to Massachusetts years ago so he could attend a day program there.


Right. Why should other taxpayers with kids in school foot the bill for her son's specialized program when she doesn't seem willing to make some effort and sacrifice (other than suing) to get help for him?


Good point. Any other school might be leery of Mrs. Petit and her litigious nature.
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Litigious nature.... Due process is a component of special education. It is not like sueing because one wants monies for an injury. It is an administrative process for students with disabilities to have heard before a hearing officer their needs and legal rights under IDEA. It is to ensure that they get the education they are entitled. This occurred only once for this student. This would have been the second filing had it actually happened and it would have been because each student has a right to have an appropriate education under IDEA. This process ensures that.
As for the comments of just moving.... Life is NOT that simple............
 
faire_jour said:
Research shows that AV kids are the only group of deaf kids that test at normal levels for math, reading, language and self-esteem. No other methodology can claim those results.
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That is a blatantly false statement.
 
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