North Hollywood California Charter principal says,
“I don’t want THEM coming here”
I have been going through the special education system in LAUSD for over six years now with my 3 kids. Like with anything you are thinking about buying, or places you’re thinking about going, you check them out, right? I read reviews on products, check out the website reviews and pictures of a hotel before I book it – so why not check out a special education class for my kid before I send them there? It’s a lot more important than room service sucking at some hotel. I’ve done it several times at a few different schools. Special Ed kids generally have to be bused to another school, since not every school has a program for every grade. Yeah, it kind of stinks, but it is what it is. There just isn’t enough money or people, which I get and is fine.
I’ve never had a problem doing an observation before – and my two eldest kids go to Charter schools in LAUSD. I know, everyone wants to go to a charter, and there’s always a lottery system, but since special ed kids can only go to a specific program, they have to go to where it is, charter or not. Well, Alex, my 8-year-old, is graduating out of the class he’s in, and I called around to try and find another placement for him. I left several messages for the closest school to us, an “affiliated charter” school with LAUSD. Let me say right now, the school Kennedy, my 9-year-old goes to, is a top charter school everyone wants to go to. I finally got a return call from the principal at this other school, and she told me flat out that they don’t take “them.” Who is “them?” Special Education kids. What is this, 1950’s Alabama? She told me they don’t send theirs out, and they don’t take them from other schools. They are a charter, and therefore, they don’t have to. What?? She even had other schools snowed, thinking they can’t send anyone over there. An affiliated charter still receives public funding, by the way – and is part of your school system, wherever you are, so yes, they do have to take other kids for special programs. Other classes for special ed in the valley are impacted with extra students, and this principal refuses to take any of them. I told her charter schools are not exempt, because my other child goes to a charter, and she told me, “Why don’t you send your other kid over there, then.” I did tell her she was rude, to be honest – and she then said, “Well, I guess that means you don’t want you kid coming here, then.” I said it sounded like she needed a change of careers. Yep, it was totally rude of me. I didn’t care. Talking like special ed kids are some sort of disease she didn’t want at her school really offended me, and I’m tough to offend. I called the support unit for the school and the district office to complain, which I’m sure she thought I would not do, if I even knew the number. It upset me that she thought it was okay to act like that, banking on the assumption that I wouldn’t know the law, wouldn’t follow up and wouldn’t know how to complain.
How many parents are out there that get snowed by this kind of act? Do they just go away with an answer like that, thinking it’s the truth? This woman kept trying to get me off the phone, telling me I was interrupting her – well, yes, I did, after she flat out gave me false information. Probably so she could dodge my calls again.
OMG! I would be willing to bet this is the affiliated charter my autistic son goes to. And the principal should have changed careers long ago! Her “distaste” for special needs kids is so apparent its disgusting. This happens to be our home school and is a good school overall but definitely lacks in understanding special ed kids.
I’m betting it is – Colfax Charter? I couldn’t believe it.
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We attend this school I’m sure of it. I’ve heard of a new charter inclusion school opening soon in NOHO its suppose to open soon. New Horizon Charter. k-8. Something to look in to for special needs.
Hi we attend Colfax & I agree with you. There is a new Inclusion school opening soon in NOHO. New Horizons Charter K-8 share. Something to look in to.
http://northhollywood.patch.com/articles/15-million-united-children-s-learning-academy-celebrates-grand-opening-in-north-hollywood.
Regarding New Horizons Charter, I’d stay away. My autistic son was set to start there next week. He was promised an aide by the owner herself. She promised us that he would be safe and cared for. He’s attended the adjacent affiliated yet not affiliated preschool for the last two years so we had no reason not to trust that she had our son’s best interests at heart. Boy were we wrong! She’s virtually blocking district funded aides and only hiring part-time aides for some of the classrooms. She expected me to trust her with my kid (who is a runner) in a class that may or may not have an aide at all, AND she wasn’t ever going to tell me! She had one of her puppets tell me with just a few weeks to go before school starts. The school is such a mess. It’s definitely not autism friendly or IEP friendly IN MY OPINION. Judge for yourself, but I’d stay away at least until it opens and can build a name for itself.
Sounds like a terrific prargom. I live just a few blocks from the museum but have never been. Will need to stop by soon! Thanks for the great post
Works well! It is not obvious, tgouhh. Will new users know to click on the yellow bubble or time stamp?Within the thread itself, perhaps you can put the same yellow bubble next to the title of the thread to keep things consistent? Maybe a yellow bubble with a down arrow?
So similar. This could be LASD (Los Altos School District) where the charter school, Bullis Charter, routinely turns special needs kids away through hostility and counselling out by the principal herself, “we have never had a kid like that here, they would be better served in the district.”
Wow – did they ever stop to think that they will never have a, “kid like that” if they never let the first one come here? Or, maybe they have realized it and that’s their plan. Either way, it proves a flaw in the charter school concept.
Reading this just blew my mind. My kids were in a charter school in Galveston Texas we never had issues like this. However with that said, before moving to Galveston to be closer to the doctors and therapists, the kids attended a regular public school they were our worst nightmare, calling child protective services on my asd son, due to his behavior issues and their thought that we were not paying attention to his medical needs, which was far from the truth. I hope that your blog and book opens people’s eyes and minds to what we as parents of special needs children go thru to make sure our children have the tools they need to succeed
Michele,
First can I just say we respect your sacrifice. Moving your life so your child can be closer to better therapy and schools is not easy and rarely cheap. I know what you mean regarding Child Protective Services. It’s unthinkable that CPS should be something we have to deal with on top of everything else. Just before our book was to go to print we had our own experience with them. In a weird way, I’m glad it happened because we were able to put it in the book and explain to parents just how you should handle this situation.
If we can be of any help please let us know. We love hearing form people and answering questions.
Best,
Andy & Melissa