Three things Thursday, here we go.
Real quick, if this is your first time here, you MUST take 30 seconds to click here and see what Operation Jack is and why it’s the name of this site.
1. Jack still isn’t in school
It’s October 18 and Jack still isn’t in school. We have an option to take him to a school that’s about 6 miles away, but we feel he would be completely unsafe there. He elopes, which means he likes to dart and run away. We have a handicap parking space for him because he’s a danger to himself. He’s sharp and waits for the right moment to go.
The playground at the school the district wants him to go to isn’t fenced and it’s right up close to a parking lot. He’s one lapse in supervision away from potentially fatal consequences.
We actually brought him to the school for three partial days and observed, giving them a chance. But he eloped four times inside the building and twice the staff didn’t know where he went. One time he was being supervised by two staff members and he still got out of a small room they were in, down a hall and into another room.
If you were his parent, would you take him there? We refuse. And that’s the only option the district is giving us. So Jack is sitting at home, regressing. His self-injurious behaviors have increased. This isn’t about my wife Tiffany, but I will say that her life is a disaster right now because of all of this. And of course, that trickles down to the rest of us.
We’ve tried to get him into his home school that his sister Ava goes to (which is also a public school, in the same district). We feel safe with him there. We asked for Jack to be able to go to the school he’s currently assigned to, because we were told it was a great autism program, but it’s not. And it’s an incredible danger to him.
So, we went through the administrative process to try to get him back into his home school. With no significant difference in the quality of the education he’ll receive and a much safer environment, we’d much rather have him at the local school.
But the district is disallowing the transfer. Their justification at this point, I think, is that third-grade “no takebacks” rules are in effect. Between the district and the school, I’m getting conflicting reports as to whether or not they can handle Jack at the local school. They’ve told me in writing that they can handle him, but they’ve told me verbally that they can’t. I’m still trying to get legitimate answers from them, because so far, all they’ve done is dodge what I’ve been asking while redirecting the conversation with contradictions.
My suspicion, based on some things I’ve been told, is that somebody holds some kind of grudge against my wife over a contentious IEP. If you don’t know what that means, be grateful. But it comes with the territory in special education. And quite frankly, if this is the case, if you have a problem with my wife, don’t take it out on my son.
So for now, he’s still sitting at home, regressing, while the politics gets sorted out. What a system.
2. Colorado, FTW!
Gonna make items #2&3 pictures, because I wrote a lot for #1. Here’s one my wife took from a park that’s maybe 200 feet from our house. I won’t say which is our house, but it’s somewhere in the picture. Another reason I love Colorado!
![photo (2)](http://www.operationjack.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/photo-2-300x224.jpg)
3. The world through Jack’s eyes
Jack takes interesting pictures on Tiff’s phone and then erases them, but sometimes he leaves them on there. Here’s one he took and didn’t delete.
![photo (3)](http://www.operationjack.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/photo-3-e1350568464642-224x300.jpg)
That’s all for today. What would you do about Jack if you were us? Have a great weekend!
I would sue for his being able to attend any school of your choosing and the district having to foot the bill; my former district spent hundreds of thousands of dollars paying for kids living in the district to attend other schools and even for their transportation. I read about The Joshua School and it seems like many parents have been successful in making districts pay for kids to attend there – they may at least be able to help with resources, advice as their parents may have dealt with the same issues. (school itself not close enough to your house).
Hi Sam,
I don’t have any suggestions on how to resolve your problem with the schools, but I would not send my son to a school where I thought he was unsafe. You are doing the right thing for him because you are protecting him from possible danger.
Jack’s picture is great! It’s perfectly symmetrical. Does he have his own camera? He should take more pictures and not delete them. He’s a photographer. 🙂
Have you considered an alternative school specially designed for students with autism? There are several in the Denver area, The Joshua School or Humanex Academy for example. It might be cost prohibitive or too far to drive, but it might not.
In addition, there it might be worth a call to your local ACLU branch to see what your options are legally. Sometimes just contacting a lawyer gets things moving for the school district and the ACLU often provides low-cost or no-cost legal help.
It seems ridiculous that the staff was not prepared for him running away, as this isn’t atypical. That actually is pretty infuriating on several levels, the main one being that Jack is not safe at all. But it is infuriating also that the teachers and aides are simply just not doing their jobs. At our school we have about 8 kids max per class with a teacher and 2-3 aides. How hard is it to keep 7 or 8 kids engaged and safe for six hours if that is your only job?
Gosh what an ordeal! I wish I had good advice for you guys but would have no idea where to start. Perhaps there are other families in your connections with Autism that have had similar experiences you could pull from? I do know that if you sent him to that other school you would both be a nervous wreck all day wondering if he is ok and that’s NOT ok.
I love the Jack photos you share, very cool.