Have you been provided a handbook on procedural safeguards and your rights in due process from the district?  Meaning, did they give you a copy prior to any meetings?

Prior to meetings do they send you a list of team member attendees?

Did they provide you with the sources they used to come to this decision?  Did you provide them with any sources to confirm or counter theirs?

Did they provide you with meaningful participation in the discussion to alter placement?

It's okay to ask for meeting notes but do ask in FERPA compliant form. 

If the answer to any of those is "no" then take 10 minutes to recall those dates and note that you were not provided said items.  An email to yourself CC'd to your spouse with a title you'll use for all these sort of notes will work but be sure to print it out and put it in the binder that will become the 504 archives.

Sit in the quiet of the morning or late evening and try to write down (or email yourself or compose Word doc) every detail you can recall from the meeting.

Keep the emotion out of it, however it's ok to describe if/when certain person's behaved emotionally (including yourselves) and/or to include how you were made to feel.
Then email it to yourself as an attachment so you've got date stamp and put it in your records & documents.  At least you'll have that.

If you record, they must record too so all you must do is notify them ahead and bring recorder next time.  I know it may seem adversarial, but it's necessary for all sides that things be fully documented in order to help avoid "misunderstandings" . . . so couch it that way as a "help" for all and proceed accordingly.

Oh she had PLENTY to say.  About how this and that and this wasn't working (which she made NO mention of to us in the last 6 months they've been in the class with him or brought to our attention).  She just wouldn't look at me.

My DH did go too so it was us vs. the 5 of them. We did not record it as 1) we were thinking we were just discussing the violation and 2) DH though that would be to adversarial against my better judgement.

Did you use digital recorder and record the meeting?  Were you the only one at meeting on "your side" and everyone else was school staff? 

Your teacher has been instructed by admin to STFU at meetings and say nothing to you, is my guess.

Quote from: guess on December 16, 2014, 06:47:40 PM
In my eyes the problem is the principal going maverick like he or she is a one-person Halloween special, peddling sweets and encouraging ingestion in direct opposition of 504 compliance, an unreasonable expectation placed upon the child's age-appropriate ability to self advocate, and common sense. 

<respectfully snipped>

Oh, how I love this statement!!  Needed to see it big and bold!   

Oh wow. I don't have anything helpful to add until I've had some coffee--and even then--this is unbelievable.  But (((hugs)))

I hope you've treated yourself to some time for you. It can be really hard after a meeting like that.

Teacher wouldn't even look at me through the meeting.  Principal just nodded.  No one really addressed the violations- I just repeated how the #1 thing is DO NOT FEED THE KID. 

And they want to ADD food to the classroom??   Really?  WTH? "It's the best motivator we have."  I suggest that perhaps that needs to change because there are going to be more and more kids coming through with issues (not only FA's).  She didn't even care. I don't think she was even listening at that point, too busy rolling her eyes at everything.

The districts person who was there also said of the prior 504 "This is set up to be violated!"  Well, your people are the ones who wrote, signed and so on for several years now.  I did manage a note from the Dr. that said they need to keep wiping things down but because he specifically mentioned peanut but the original document say milk, egg and highly sensitized to peanut and tree nut they were balking (well, does it matter which specific allergen he noted?  The remedy is the same so you are being pedantic people!)

I think you will have to make up your own signature form . . . I'd be inclined to look at the school "sig forms" for other stuff where the parents must sign and use that as model.  What's good for the goose is good for the gander, right?   

Sounds like teacher realizes the mistake and is not going to admit it . . . maybe ask a couple more kids/parents for data points.

Document everything.

But you know that and then some now.

Quote from: ajasfolks2 on December 22, 2014, 06:43:43 PM
Besides the retraining and serious discussion and WRITTEN understandings, there needs to be a signature page for the 504 (referenced in the accommodations) which requires EACH AND EVERY staff member that has ANYTHING to do with the student to read and sign the 504 with something to the effect of "I have read and fully understand ____ (child name) 504 and will comply."

Happy Birthday to the kiddo (well, a kiddo in our eyes right? lol)  I always say this is the easy part! I know where they are, who they are friends with and what they are up to at all times! lol 

I started the log. Thanks for the link!

As for the above thing, is there a form you know of?  What would it be called?  And would I make the accommodation of "All staff with any direct contact with XYZ is required to sign the added sheet stating that they have read, understand and will comply with all the accommodations in this 504 plan." kind of thing?


Oh here's another kicked I just found out-  The 504 coordinator who I emailed within 24 hours of the candy cane issue- She left this summer!  Never got ANY information that she left.  Nice! 

Next thing, they are saying my kid is lying about where the candy canes were.  He has stated the 3 times I have asked they were on the teachers desk.  I also asked another Mom to ask her kiddo and she said the same thing where as the teacher is saying they were on a table outside the classroom.  WHY would 2 kids lie about that?  They don't know why I am asking. They don't know what's going on. They have NO REASON to not tell the truth about it.  So I get to spend the rest of the school year with a teacher who won't admit to the truth because they are afraid of being wrong.

Over it. 

One of the old threads I was thinking of:

http://allergy.hyperboards.com/action/view_topic/topic_id/9254

So sorry I did not see your post earlier!!

(Was celebrating our son's 16th bday -- pretty thrilled and overwhelmed that we've got him to this age alive and in one piece.  You will understand in a few years yourself.     )

First, I'm reminded of a couple of threads (here and old place -- Schools and OffTopic) as to "Do NOT Feed this Child!" directives.

Offering to feed is the same as intent to feed in my personal definition of things.  I am not an attorney.  I'm just interpreting the English language.  Proving intent is always hard -- for lay persons AND legal authorities.   


Sounds like part of the "retrain" needs to include a black-and-white, printed up list of definitions.  This would be attached to the 504.  I'm serious and not joking here.  Remember how we used to have to define "tree nut"  (well, some of us still need to be doing that) . . . with all the nuts listed? 

Besides the retraining and serious discussion and WRITTEN understandings, there needs to be a signature page for the 504 (referenced in the accommodations) which requires EACH AND EVERY staff member that has ANYTHING to do with the student to read and sign the 504 with something to the effect of "I have read and fully understand ____ (child name) 504 and will comply."

As to the email suggested by CMdeux -- I put my own email addy in the "to" line.  I send it to myself.  I go back later (after steam is no longer coming from me ears and I am not yelling bad words) and sit down, open, and pretend I am the other person now reading my email.

It has kept me -- MOST of the time -- from sending something I might later regret.
Then I change it in MSWord (copy, paste) and send what needs to be sent.

However, I believe something of this seriousness (your candycane situation) should be addressed by parents within 24 hours, or it can be argued (by other side) that it really wasn't "all that important".

For extreme situations, we've sent emails within 4 hours and delivered a printed copy of the email (by hand) to the main office / admin in charge. 

If you've not become familiar with the great documentation resource that I love -- here is the link:

Re: DOCUMENTING  (cya) 

You'll probably have to point out what negligence and duty of care is in the most basic, direct way here.  In writing, CC'd to appropriate persons as notice.

I told the woman "I know plenty of adults who are on a diet who can't walk past a candy jar without picking something up."She said "Would he eat it?"  Um....well if he isn't offered it we don't have to worry about that now do we?  I said he's 7, he has a mind of his own.  Do I HOPE he wouldn't, of course I hope he wouldn't but I also know and there are studies that show kids DO start to push these boundaries at some point.

I am at such a loss.  I have no confidence that ANY of the plan is being followed when this VERY SIMPLE item isn't, ya know?

Note: Particularly sarcastic today...

Because it would be perfectly ok to offer some crack cocaine, as long as I didn't let the kiddos actually ingest it.  Hoping you can come to a good solution - because they seem to be following the letter, but definitely not the spirit.