question for those who work for the schools...

[mothercat]

I have a question for all of you that work in the schools. I am not sure how it works. Our school got a special grant called the Teen Reach Grant thru the state of Illinois. It is for students 5th -8th grade to recieve homework tutoring on a need basis. Jared is allowed a tutor when needed per his 504. In the letter explaining it that the State sent out via the school.. it says that the sessions will be from 3:05 till 4:30 and that if the student who is assigned to this doesnt go the schools behavior detentions run from 7:15-8:00 a.m. So far I understand. I filled out all the necessary paperwork for Jared because I welcome all the help I can get. So then his quickpad crashed and he lost an assignment due to file error /permament delete. They said okay he can go to the tutoring session and redo it. Well come to find out..they have not put detentions in the morning ...they have them from 3:05 to 4:30 and the teacher doesn't tutor ...she sits at her desk and demands they do all the work and show it to her when it is complete. In other words they are paying her for detention hall duty and totaling omitting the tutoring part....(see where I am confused yet) Now is this right..or is this a misappropriation of funds ? How does the school system work with these things and WHO do I ask about it? She is a teacher but she isn't tutoring..more like babysitting and why put the kids with need in with the discipline problems...I dont get it.


Also while I was waiting for Jared I stood next to the aftercare classroom...everytime a kid made a sound the teacher would turn off the lights and have the room dark with shades drawn...unless she saw a parent coming. Its not like the kids were loud..you could barely hear them outside the door at all.
They spent most of the time in the dark doing nothing but sitting.(I stood there 30 minutes as I got there early) What is with keeping them in the dark like that..I am sure glad mine didnt ever need aftercare...at that age they were scared of the dark. These were all like 2nd grade and below. All she did was yell at them and it even had my stomach upset. People pay for this service ?? I alway thought they did fun stuff in aftercare...

Can someone explain any of this so I know what to do..

[Linda]

Go to the building supervisor....that teacher is supposed to be tutoring.

We had a similar program when Paul was in middle school....the teacher was actually helping the kids. You are right they are getting paid for it.

What is ticking me off here...is the after school program...THAT IS NOT RIGHT. They are just little kids!!There is no explanation needed...The person in charge of aftercare needs to be held accountable. When you said she kept the room dark until she saw a parent coming tells me this person KNOWS she is doing wrong. REPORT HER

[Kaiti]

???Do you guys have a few years to read ;DOHHHHH I would be complaining to some one about it all

Yup, got me started

OK
#1. Is the letter from the state that the parents got and the school copied it an dpassed it out? Or was is from the school itself? Not that it makes any difference, if it was stated that there is to be a tutoring session, not a "let me see it when you finish" session, then I'd be at the principal's office wanting some answers.

Go to a Board Meeting and ask questions. Around here, there aren't alot of people that go to the board meetings, and the board, if they hear no complaints, they don't change......even if something is happening that shouldn't.

If you go to a meeting and nothing happens, go to the County Superintendant. It is his/her responsibility to make sure the schools are complying with the rules.

IF that shows no results, go to the State directly. I'm sure there is someone up there that would really like ot know that the funds budgeted aren't being funneled properly.........that could cause future problems for state aid for the school and could possibly straighten things around if it hasn't already.

Make sure to state this plan of action to the principal. That might scare them enough to get it in gear.

As far as the afterschool program :-*Those kind of programs are what gives Latchkey/SACC/After School care bad names and :-*oh that is just a hot button.

OK, next time you are there, poke your head in and see what they are doing. If whoever the teacher/leader/whatever they are called asks if they can help you, tell them you were just curious as to how the program worked.

They shouldn't ask you why, who, any questions at all. They should just tell you.......what they do, how it works, yadda yadda.

If they give you are hard time, or if the kids look terrified, tell who ever is in charge of the program your observations. Let them know that they are being watched by outside entities and if your kids were younger and the program was like that, you WOULDN"T want your kid to be there. PERIOD.

I tell the older kids all the time, we're stuck together so we might as well have fun and be friends. The parents have to work for a living and the parents want to make sure the kids are safe. But being safe doesn't mean : Sit down shut up and do your work.

That's what the kids are told to do all day long. They need some type of outlet, but structured. I make sure to tell the kids if we are in the hall, make sure your quiet so people can get work done in the rooms.

Yesterday I had 30 preK tru 2nd graders walkign quietly through the halls, did I have to yell? Nope, raise my voice? Nope, just had to gently remind them that others are working. PIECE OF CAKE.

Anyhow, off the soap box, but be fore warned, I will be back ;D

[Linda]

I knew you would be mad too Kaiti!!

ok here is what I have to do sometimes.....if nothing is done for those little kids....tell the kids....go home and tell your parents what is happening in aftercare...It will get the principal's attention in a hurry. This makes my blood boil

[mothercat]

Thats kinda what I thought..problem here is unless Jared is in the building I am not allowed in the building after school...and he doesnt always need tutoring (I have in the past found it is easier to just do it myself) so the ONLY people who are there to check up on the afterschool program are the office staff..IN THE NEXT ROOM...they know what is going on and obviously condone it. Unless I get proof that it is an ongoing thing they wouldn't listen...I dont think.
When I see the lady that runs the 21st century afterschool program...I intend to talk to her. She is employed directly by the state. (she has tried to get me to volunteer several times but as I am usually tutoring Jared thru homework time..I cant)
I think I will be at the next board meeting...

[Kaiti]

On behalf of the kids, THANK YOU.

It's a shame, really it is. We have had some doozies that I have worked with, some perfect, others, well, let's just say they need to find another path to go down .

My mom was the first Director of our program. I started as a peon, and worked my way up......then got kicked back down because I didn't have enough college credits :-*But right about now, I don't WANT to be director, I'm having more fun without the paperwork

Anyhow. Talk to the lady that is in charge. She needs to make sure that the kids are being CARED for, not SAT for. I wouldn't pay 2 cents for my kids to be sent somewhere like that. If she does nothing, take it to the building Superintendant, like Linda said. If all else fails, I just thought about it, nothing is more humiliating then a negative write up in the paper.

The kids need to learn social skills. How can they learn social skills if they can't socialize??That's the only way to learn them. Even during homework time, as long as the kids are talking quietly, they are OK to talk...as long as they are doing homework or helping someone else with it.

Also, I do what Linda does. Tell the kids to complain, I HATED getting complaints. I didn't get that many but when I did, BOOM, whatever it was, changed. I made sure it did.

Also, make sure of what the ratio is. Here it is something like 12-1 student to teacher......that's entirely too high in my opinion. And make sure that there is at least 2 staff on duty at all time, in case of an emergency.

We just added an additional person to the morning SACC program because I was too uncomfortable having so many new kids that liked to wander off. SO I asked the director about it. She agreed that it made sense and the cost doesn't even touch what is brought in.

Off the box, sorry, you really don't have to check all that, but just had to get that out

Do I get a book deal yet

[camismom]

As previously stated by Kaiti..as far as the after-school program, go to the head of it and complain, then follow-up with the school's principal as well.

The "tutoring" program has to have someone in charge as well...find out who IT is and complain. I know the district I work for as a Department of Academics that oversees these type programs...could be that or could be Department of Student Services. There of course is a department head so find out who it is and complain. Looking back at your post you said it was just the one school? If that's the case then ultimatley the principal of that school is the one in charge and the one you should go to. Let him know that in your opinion he is not allocating the grant/funds the way the state intended and if somethhing doesn't change you will notify the state board.

Good luck!

[mothercat]

At the beginning of the year I requested tutoring this year for Jared if he had any problems...his 504 allows it. I wanted to set things up ahead..like I do every year. Anyway I was told no as there was no tutor. Then I got the letter and filled out the papers. I was again told no..not enough tutors to go around.( I hadnt seen one at all) Then they set him up for the after school tutor class when his quickpad crashed and lost his assignment . I thought gee things are lookin up. I spoke to the principal and he acts like everything is just hunky dory. I will definitely not get any changes thru this school system...he is also the superintendant. BUT I will go the board meeting and write some letters. In the meantime I will also discuss all of it with Jareds Doctor next Tuesday when he gets evaluated ...he has more strings to pull than me. (as for the aftercare program..he is a mandated reporter so if I tell him anything he is bound to do something)

[Kaiti]

:DDidn't think about that with the mandatory reporting

IF IT IS IN HIS 504, THEY MUST GIVE IT TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

The superintendant a few years back told me that if a 504 or IEP was in place and it wasn't being followed, the school needs to do whatever in it's capacity they had to.....BY LAW.....if there is a grant given to the school, they HAVE TO supply a tutor......its BS saying tha tthere isn't enough to go around

Even if they have to resort to sending to another district because they can't meet the needs of the student. It is THEIR responsibility.

Did they say individual tutoring, or was it say a 5:1 ratio?

What ever it is, get on that broom and FLY WOMAN FLY

[Linda]

Why in the world do we have to as parents fight so darn hard to get what our kids BY LAW deserve?

[kurs10b]

It sounds like the principal is just letting this go on, skip him. If you go to a school board meeting, take the letter with you so you can refer to it. Make sure they know you are willing to take your complaints to the paper, that can get results quick. The court of public opinion can definately cause the principal and school board problems. I would also call the state superintendent. I think he is in Springfield. His name is Dr. Randy J. Dunn. I dont know what area you are in, so here is the page with him and all the local folk on it. www.isbe.state.il.us/board/Default.htm

Kids needing tutoring should NOT be in with detention kids.

[Kaiti]

I hope that site can help you mother cat.

Thanks kurs!!!!

[mothercat]

Thanks for the site kurs10b...I think it will help.. I plan on doing some research on it today.

[mothercat]

;D ;D ;D evidently word spreads fast at the school...or somebody check with their lawyers...last evening homework tutoring was seperated from detention and there were only 4 kids.... ;D ;D now I hope they monitor the aftercare...I am still going to the school board meeting cause they need to know that somebody IS watching ALL the time. (when I dropped off Jars connors for the teachers I just said by the way exactly what is the ration fo kids per tutor...the Doc will want to know...) that was at about 1 p.m. and by three they had the situation fixed.

[Kaiti]

???Makes you wonder what else they'll eb tryin gto get away with doesn't it

GOOD JOB MOTHERCAT!!!!!!!!!!