BRILLIANT.

So a week from yesterday the kids started their new school. We have all been dreading this day since the first day of summer. More so when we realized school starts two weeks earlier here than in TX. The kids were not on board with this. Not happy at all. About a week before the big day I went down to the closest high school to get them registered. I spent a couple of hours filling out forms and submitting the necessary documents, birth certificates, shot records,etc. The only thing we were missing was the IEP for Alyssa from her former school. An IEP is a specialized plan for children who have documented difficulties or learning disabilities. Alyssa, as I have mentioned before, has some math and processing disabilities.
I went home, breathing sighs of relief that THAT was over. Then I got a call over dinner from the registrar at the high school. They were enrolled in the wrong school. They should be going to a school several more miles away. I gritted my teeth at the thought of another day of this, but as a famous high school principal we all know and love (said with great sarcasm) says, "It is what it is."
So next morning we go down to the new school. Seems like a nice looking school. Lots of kids milling around though, and nobody seems to be in charge. It is about nine AM and as I am about to find out, they aren't registering new students until noon. We're sorry, come back later. Grr. My coping skills need some polishing, I guess.
So later on we come back and spend the rest of the day getting re registered. However they still don't have Alyssa's IEP and they can't give her the proper classes without it. I called the old school and the fax machine is broken there, so they are mailing it. It won't be here until after school starts. I am concerned. When she receives her schedule I am more concerned, because they have her down for Algebra and Spanish. I already know this isn't going to work.
And it doesn't. The second day of school she has homework she doesn't understand. The Mr. tried so hard to explain it in a way she could understand but no dice. I noticed they didn't ask me. (Those who know me will snicker at this.) She was panicking, didn't know what to do. I told her to just explain to the teacher that she didn't understand. I thought maybe the teacher would be able to sit her down and maybe explain it a little better. Boy was I wrong. Teacher just looked at her and said Well if you didn't do the homework, you didn't do the homework. And that was all.
She came out to the car after school and related this information to me and I got mad. I got really mad. After multiple efforts through the week to contact the school by phone and leaving lots of messages with no answers or callbacks, I got fed up. I left the kids in the car and I marched myself right up to the office, past all the football players waiting in line and up to the secretary at the desk. And I told her. My daughter needs help. I have tried and tried to reach somebody, anybody at this school and nobody will return my calls. She has an IEP curriculum that needs to be followed and we need to get her in it. She is already failing at algebra and it's only the third day of school. Well I got her attention. I wasn't rude, just very firm. She got on the phone with somebody, talked for a minute and told me Alyssa's plan was still waiting for approval from the district manger of special education, and to have her come to the office during her math class the following day.
After I left I got a phone call that floored me. Just floored me. Ah yes, is this Mrs. Stephenson? Ah yes, we are unable to give Alyssa (He called her Aleesa) the structure she needs at this high school. She will need to be enrolled in another high school, Alisal high school. We just don't have the programs she needs here. Are you KIDDING me? I asked? Alisal High school is in downtown Salinas, the metropolis of the gangs that overrun this place. Are YOU KIDDING ME? I asked again? No, you will have to contact this number and set up a time to visit the school with her. I just couldn't believe it. All I wanted for Alyssa was an alternative math class and now we were talking another high school.
Alyssa was in the car and immediately started reacting. NO. NO NO NO. I am NOT going to another school. And who could blame her? She has made some friends, she likes some of her teachers, she is learning her way around. She is finally putting down a couple of fragile roots after we ripped her away from every single thing she has known since she was two years old. I internally cried. I voiced my concerns to the teacher on the phone and he told me to tell the person I was to contact exactly what I was telling him.
I hung up and didn't say anything else to Alyssa about it at all, just told her to go to the office during math class the following day.
Morning comes and I am dreading this call. I get the guy on the phone. I talked to him for a few minutes and went over my concerns and thoughts about the whole thing. Isn't there any way she can stay at the school she is at. All she really needs is a schedule change. She has some problems (who doesn't these days) but she has demonstrated by her enormous progress over the last three years that she can cope. She can handle it. She needs to be at the same school as her brother. She just left her home and  all of her friends, everything familiar in her world is gone. I really don't want to make her start again. Not to mention driving to three different locations in the mornings is going to put quite a strain on our family. 
Mr. K, as I will call him, told me exactly what I needed to do, which is to call an IEP meeting at the school she is at and make sure he was invited and also to talk to his boss, the district manger. He patched me through. I told her exactly what I told him and then she laid a bombshell on me. She said I'm looking at the IEP that Bonham sent me, the psyche eval done in May and it says here that she is emotionally disturbed. Then she followed that wonderful statement with this mind boggling question. Does she hear voices? Because some people here hear voices and they aren't nice ones. 
WHAT? WHAT??!! NO! OMG NO.  Anybody that knows Alyssa knows better than this. I stumbled for words. I literally stumbled over my own words. What do you say? How do you defend? How do you remain professional in the midst of such anger? (and not at her, to be clear, but at the incompetence of the BISD school system which just seems to go on and on.) Anger that this is now a permanent part of Alyssa's record and will be with her forever, no matter that is ISN'T TRUE. 
I could feel the heat in my face, I wanted to yell (but of course I refrained) my child is BRILLIANT. BRILLIANT, do you HEAR ME? She is sweet and affectionate and kind and smart and funny...and BRILLIANT.  All I wanted for her was a SCHEDULE CHANGE. NOT A TICKET TO THE LOONEY BIN. (please forgive the all caps yelling, even writing it many hours later brings the emotion.)

She went on. Alyssa's teachers at this school say she is overwhelmed. I replied Well, wouldn't YOU be? She just moved away from every single thing she has known since she was two, moved to a new home, a new state, a new school, dad has a new job, nothing is the same for her. On top of that she has to deal with being a freshman and THAT is stressful enough without all the other stuff. Yes she gets overwhelmed, yes she has some coping problems, some social awkwardness (who doesn't at fourteen) YES she needs help with her processing disabilities, but she is NOT emotionally disturbed! I told her You just need to meet her. We need to have a meeting. She set a date, which is tomorrow, and then said wait a minute, I have to write that down before I forget. She kind of laughed a little. Then she said I'm...and I finished her sentence for her...overwhelmed? It was a very poignant moment. I think she was at a loss for words.
So the meeting is tomorrow. I am going to do everything I can to keep her at the school she is at. I don't want to move her again. I am going to try and remain calm and cool and professional. And if you could spare a couple of moments and pray for me, as I mentioned before, lately my coping skills are shot, the result of too much stuff going on at once, one being that I found out both my kids have to do SIXTY hours of community service before they can graduate from this school (How is Matt going to do that before graduation? At least Alyssa has four years but when I called them to ask about Maatt let's just say they were less than sympathetic about the short time for him to do it, they just want their sixty hours. And another, we just got a letter from the IRS. Looks like we are going to be audited. Groan. Yup. Prayer needed.
More tomorrow.