I know it's really long, but there is no excuse for a young child to have to experience this at school. http://www.iambarkingmad.com/spotted_dick_and_other_mu/2012/05/whenbullywins.html
WOW, all i can say is she handled herself...well. Better than I would have that's for sure. I was reading and thinking, "Is this for real"? Reading things like this just reminds me how glad i am to be homeschooling. You don't know who these kids are, or what types of families they are coming from . It's not uncommon though either, I remember in Kindergarten, there was a huge tire on our playground and lots of kids would sit inside it (in the groove part). Boys and girls would show there privates to each other! These were 4 and 5 yo's!
I cried while reading this.... I dont even know what to say. Saying this is not fair doesnt even come close to what this is.
"Vlad"'s educational program could easily have continued in another classroom, with or without an IEP. An IEP does not demand that his classroom assignment not be interrupted, only that he receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education.
Honestly, though the innocent party certainly should not be the one to be made to change classrooms, there is no way I'd want my child to remain in a classroom where the teacher had so little control during story time that she could not see what was happening right in front of her, that allowed my child to become in close contact and therefore physical harm with the bully again, and sent her alone with the bully to the office. I'm thinking I'd ask for another teacher. Well, I'd get my child the heck out of that school, but...
While I agree that the little girl who was innocent should not have had to change classrooms, I have to say that I agree with Sixcloar in that the teacher was obviously not able to control the classroom and therefore I would not feel safe with my daughter in that class. Furthermore, I would not feel safe with my child in that school since it's obvious that the administration also had no control over the teacher either since she allowed them to be unsupervised after a second incident.
Exactly!!! But I'm use to schools have recess with multi-classes. And who's to say Vlad isn't doing this to some other little girl? And WHERE IS A 6YO LEARNING THIS BEHAVIOR? I mean, no 6yo's that I know would think about doing such a thing; it wouldn't even cross their minds!
I'm not going to lie and say I'm also not upset at Gabby's mom, here. I'm sorry, but saying that you don't think you have the fortitude to keep your baby at home, where she's SAFE, is without excuse! Yes, I'm mad. Yes, Vlad was wrong. The school was wrong. But Gabby's mom is also failing her here. GET HER OUT OF THERE!
Thank you! I was afraid I was the only one thinking this. No way I would have allowed my daughter back in that classroom (or probably that school) ever again!
While I understand what you're saying and I agree to some extent, SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO REMOVE HER CHILD TO KEEP HER SAFE FROM JUST ONE KID! The only way to resolve it is to tell the district that she is bringing charges against THEM...the board, the principal, and the teacher BY NAME...for not providing a safe environment for her daughter. That's the only way to get them to sit up and do something. They won't want the publicity of a trial, nor the expense.
Jackie, I totally agree that she should not have to remove her child from school. There would definitely be charges against the district if it was my child. But, if the school isn't going to keep her daughter safe, then it's the parents' job to make sure he can't hurt her again. I just can't imagine putting my child back into the same classroom after the first incident, knowing the offender was still there. It's unreasonable to believe that the teacher could guarantee there would be no contact between two children in the same classroom.
There's no guarantee there will be no contact if he's moved, either. Yes, I'd remove my child. That will "solve" the problem FOR MY CHILD, but it will NOT resolve anything else. It doesn't get this child the help he needs, nor does it keep the other children in the class safe. It will take a law suit to do that. We were commenting not too long ago about the kinder child that was taken out of the school in handcuffs, after having a major tantrum in the principal's office. Most people agreed that it wasn't appropriate (without really knowing the facts of the situation). The question is, WHERE do we draw a line? I agree that Vlad shouldn't really be "arrested", but SOMETHING must be done. And perhaps arresting him is the only way to force the issue, so he can get the help he needs.
I think we're a bit biased because we already homeschool our children. It's an easy decision for us to make because we have already taken our kids out of school and out of that sort of chaos. For that Mother, it's a harder choice. Her daughter oved school and the mother wants to give her that experience again. I DO agree with Amie, though, when she said that the mother was at fault to some degree. There does come a point where I would say, "You know what...the admin isn't helping, and the teacher has no control. This is no place for my daughter." and take her out, maybe for a year to homeschool OR bite the financial bullet and put her into a privatre school. Also, depending on Vlad's issues they may not have the ability to move him to a different classroom. Also, what did Vlad's mother say when SHE found out the news? She obviously didn't care too much if she was told.
IF there's more than one class at that grade leve, then they DO have the ability to move him. They also MIGHT have the ability to actually have him move buildings, but that isn't always an option. JUST BECAUSE A CHILD HAS AN IEP DOESN'T MEAN HE CAN'T BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, NOR DOES HE HAVE A RIGHT TO ABUSE OR PUT OTHER STUDENTS IN DANGER!!! Was the child suspended at all? That is an expellable offense, though Special Ed sometimes thinks it has the right to trump such things.
Does anybody remember the story about the kindergartener who was expelled for sexual harassment because he gave his classmate a little kiss on the cheek??? And yet this "Vlad" gets off scot-free??? because MAYBE he has an IEP? Hey, I worked in special ed for 20 years, and although yes an IEP guarantees that a kid's educational program stays in place, it does not guarantee a specific classroom, a specific teacher, and NO disciplinary measures. We even had an "off campus classroom" AT THE POLICE STATION where (well, okay, they were high school age) special ed miscreants had class if they'd done something bad enough to get expelled but they couldn't be because of an IEP. Many, many other kids who had done something worthy of being suspended for but not bad enough for expulsion, had "in school suspension" where they went to another classroom, where the work was provided by the regular teacher but taught and supervised by a teacher assigned to the disciplinary room.
There is an update to this story saying the little girl will be attending a private school next year. http://www.iambarkingmad.com/spotte...012/05/there-are-no-winners-only-losers-.html
This was my exact thoughts, too. There is no way in h#!! I'd let my child go back there to that classroom, much less to that school. I want to shake Gabby's mom and scream -- KEEP HER HOME. I am hugely bothered by her mom consistently making excuses for not pulling her out of the dang school. And it's kindergarten, for crying out loud, even if she plans to do private school next school year, there is no reason why she can't pull Gabby NOW and keep her home for this last few weeks.
oh, and I also agree that pulling Gabby does nothing to hold the school accountable, but there is a point where I wouldn't allow my child to be a martyr. I think this one has gone way too far. Gabby is severely traumatized on many levels and consistently sending her back to the school is horribly unfair to Gabby on those levels. Even after pulling her, I'd probably still be hot on the district's tail demanding answers on how this entire deal was handled. I'm sorry, but leaving them in the same classroom with the promise they would never have an opportunity to interact would never have been enough for me.