I feel like my high school is trying to push out my Special-Ed Brother before he even has a chance. What can I do?

School Culture and Policy Forum
1

LONG POST ALERT!

I am a Senior in high school and my little brother just started his freshman year a month ago. For a little background, my brother and I have autism, but it has impacted us differently. I am a straight-A student and in the top 5 of my grade level in gpa. My little brother is more average as a B-C student and has had trouble with motivation when it comes to school. The high school we go to is a public charter which means that we had to apply and get accepted rather than go to the school we are zoned to. Our older brother went to the school we are zoned to and hated it because it’s underfunded and there are a lot of fights.

My younger brother used to have an assistant teacher in middle school to help him with every class, but that isn’t the case at our current high school. Despite this, my brother’s grades have remained largely unchanged from middle school, which is neither excellent nor bad. Subsequently, our mother was informed by one of his instructors during a meeting today that he has been struggling a little in math (he received a 68), and that he has been nodding off during class, which makes sense given that he is still getting used to switching from waking up at 7:30 AM to 5:10 AM.

The instructor was courteous, but when I spoke with the assistant principal later that day, it seemed like she didn’t think much of him and that they might have to fire him at the end of the year. She kept bringing up his condition, which annoyed me because, even though it has only been a month, his grades aren’t great and I know plenty of other students at that school who are performing worse.

It appears as though the school is attempting to expel him after first being hesitant to accept him as a student. That concerns me because, although the school to which we are assigned may have more resources for special education, it is unquestionably a lower-quality institution, and I worry that he may become a victim of bullying or associate with the wrong crowd.

Since enrolling at this school, I have also directly witnessed his improvement. Strangely, he doesn’t moan as much about getting up early as he did in middle school. A few days ago, he worked on his schoolwork for about two hours all by himself, when in April, I had to encourage him to complete any homework at all.

This whole situation is stressing me out and I could really use some advice.

11 Likes
2

Everyone cries and extols the virtues of charter schools. However, their tolerance for special education pupils is severely restricted. They use resources and detract from the school’s statistics. This is a systemic problem.

Be your brother’s instructor in your spare time. That is my best effort.

11 Likes
3

Before people witness these stories and the real ways that private, charter, and school choice schools function, they all want to applaud these options over public education.

10 Likes
4

Because they are costly and because many of them think IEP holders would lower their children’s state test results, charter schools generally dislike pupils who have IEPs.

Since charter schools are not allowed to refuse admission to students with IEPs, they can accept them. However, charter schools enjoy harassing these students and pushing them into their allocated schools.

9 Likes
5

This is precisely what I believe is taking place.

8 Likes
6

Sure, the charter school forced our IEP daughter out. I noticed the school used admin trickery to deliver bad service. For example, they would wait until just before an IEP meeting before sharing the needed paperwork. We ended up getting an IEP attorney, definitely a game changer in the way the school treated us.

8 Likes
7

That is the reason why it is called a charter school. Sadly they do what they want.

7 Likes
8

I am just concerned if he is having behavioural issues. Has he gotten into any trouble? Any write-ups or removals from class? Maybe they may be the reason.

6 Likes
9

This post clearly shows that special needs students are better off in public schools 96% of the time. Private and charter schools lack the resources to address their needs and are not required by law to teach “difficult” or underachievers. They simply eject them.

To save the issue, just take your brother to a real school.

5 Likes
10

What resources can this school district offer your brother to meet his needs? Do they typically send special needs pupils outside of the district, or do they have sufficient services and teachers on staff?

Both are pricey and without further research, it’s hard to determine which would be better for your brother. Has your brother been examined, and given a diagnosis, and what documentation is legally needed?

4 Likes
11

This feels like an ADA case if you are in the US. Just take the necessary steps.

3 Likes
12

It appears that a lot relies on the particular school. There were plenty of resources available for special education students back in his middle school, but not nearly as many now. And what aggravates me is that every school in the district with strong special education resources also appears to be a demonstrably lower-quality school. My family will undoubtedly receive more help if they choose to send him to the school where we are zoned to attend, but I also know that they will likely just pass him regardless of his grades, so it doesn’t feel appropriate for our present school to push for this after only one month.

2 Likes
13

If you haven’t done it yet, I strongly suggest looking for an advocate for IEP/504 students who can help your brother.

I have been a teacher for almost thirty years, and although I get along well with activists, schools get excited when they come to meetings.

I am perplexed how if this is a public school (charter or not, they can force someone out over grades alone.

1 Like
14

He is just not good at math. That is really awful. Nor do they appear to have any resources for him. I’m sorry, but I believe he belongs somewhere else.