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Amy2838 said: My son will be in second grade next year and we are both reaching the end of our ropes. We live in a rural area that has 2 school options. The public school, which has been recently closed down by the government due to rampant crime and corruption, or the private school which costs an arm and a leg. I have been sending my son to the private school for obvious reasons, even though it is a strain on my finances. I have let the headmaster and the teachers know about my child's ADHD, and offered to work with them to come up with solutions. They have been offensively unhelpful. They treat my son like a "normal" kid with a severe behavioral problem, and he just needs it "punished out of him." I have tried to make suggestions on simple changes they could make that might help improve his behavior and head off problems before they blow up, but they were unwilling to implement any of them. (Letting him get up from time to time to stretch, allowing him to "help" by carrying notes and passing out papers, having him sit near the teacher's desk, providing non-verbal reminders when he is being disruptive, and allowing him extra time on his tests, are just a few things I have asked for.) His handwriting is atrocious, and I have suggested he may have disgraphia. I asked if they could grade his math and spelling tests without counting off for handwriting. The only response I received was in red ink. "NO!!!" I have apologized for the fact that his Daytrana patch does not seem to work as well in the morning. I put in on him hours before he wakes up, but it still takes until 9:30 or 10:00 before he is 100% medicated. I have asked that he be allowed to do his "morning work" later in the day. They have refused. It is their policy to do all the difficult and attention-heavy work immediately following the 8:00 bell. By the end of this school year, they were calling me to come get him and take him home. Not because he was "bad" but because "they did not have time to sit with him." The calls usually came around 8:15 or 8:30, so they were not even giving his medicine a chance to kick in. He eventually figured this out, and knew how to manipulate the system so he could go home any time he wanted. I called them on it, and told them they were creating this behavior by sending him home at the first sign of trouble. They did not seem to care. The school sends out a financial statement that applauds the fact that they have so many thousands of dollars in a "special education" fund. However, every time I have asked for accommodations, I have been refused. When I ask around, I am told that they can pretty much do whatever they want because they are a private school, and they function more like a business than a school. The headmaster has mentioned "maybe this isn't the school for you," but she knows it is the ONLY school within 50 miles that I can send my child. I am trying to sell my house so I can move, but I was just wondering if I had any resources at my disposal if I were forced to return to this school next fall. Most of the links on the website (like the IEPs, etc.) seem to be for the public school system. I think if I showed up with an IEP I would be treated very disrespectfully and I would end up being insulted and humiliated. Do I have any legal recourse?

It depends on whether they receive federal funds or not.

If they do not, they can do pretty much whatever they want.

If they receive federal funds, they have to follow 504 but not special education laws... only the public school district is on the hook for IDEA.

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Thank you for your reply, Dr. Eric. It is a SHAME that any organization in charge of the care and teaching of our children is allowed to treat children this way and not be answerable for their actions. They can basically ruin a child for life, and continue to do the same thing to other children year after year, and feel completely justified because they are making a profit. It makes me sick.

Luckily, I did finally sell my house. So I was able to move out of the area, and get my son into a really wonderful public school district. I am still disgusted with the fact that there are other families who were not so lucky, who are still stuck at that school because they have no where else to go. Not everybody can just pick up and move away. People should not have to do that. :( I wish there was more I could have done to change the situation while I was there, but I don't think they will ever change. They are not interested in progress or new ideas or tolerance or change. I am so thankful I got out when I did. We are so lucky.

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Technically, they are accountable to the market of supply and demand just like any other business.

In my job, the real shame is the fact that a lot of private schools can market themselves on in the mere fact that they are not the public school... not that they actually have a better product than the public school.

I hate seeing people profit off of parental stress, anxiety, or fear. It is easy to find a supply of parents that have had a bad experience with a public school. It is another thing to actually produce something that helps them.

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Amy2838 said: Thank you for your reply, Dr. Eric. It is a SHAME that any organization in charge of the care and teaching of our children is allowed to treat children this way and not be answerable for their actions. They can basically ruin a child for life, and continue to do the same thing to other children year after year, and feel completely justified because they are making a profit. It makes me sick.

Luckily, I did finally sell my house. So I was able to move out of the area, and get my son into a really wonderful public school district. I am still disgusted with the fact that there are other families who were not so lucky, who are still stuck at that school because they have no where else to go. Not everybody can just pick up and move away. People should not have to do that. :( I wish there was more I could have done to change the situation while I was there, but I don't think they will ever change. They are not interested in progress or new ideas or tolerance or change. I am so thankful I got out when I did. We are so lucky.

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