state laws

I'd have no problem with any of my children bagging groceries for the rest of their lives IF this was all they were capable of, KWIM? It sounds as if you're thinking your son is capable of doing more than this? What kind of resources have you been able to tap into? Does your area have a support network? Does the school have some sort of suggestion? Around here, children with challenges can actually go to a separate school---especially in later years. I have a special needs dd who is still very young. However, we have the option of sending her to the more local school where sn kids go---along with the 'not as special needs children'. While this seems okay for the first few years; it seems (at this point) she'll need more resources to deal with everyday life---and not simply 'watered-down academics', KWIM? What point is there in learning specific issues if she's never going to be able to use them as an adult. Rather, she's going to need help in living/independent skills. If she's granted a diploma; it certainly won't be of the same level/caliber as a 'normal child'----and it shouldn't show it as the same when our family knows she's not achieved the same level of academics as normal children. So to that, we're considering sending her to this more specialized school (K-12)...where she may feel less stress and more accomplished in what she *is* able to achieve. Sincerely, Linny

i agree if bagging groceries is all they want and can do for the rest of their lives is fine. But my issue is at 22 yrs old, they recieve a certificate of attendance, not a high school diploma. so at 22, their basically done. its kind of the motto "you cant teach an old dog tricks:.". I learn something new nearly everyday, why cant my son have the same opportunities regardless of his disability. He might only be able to bag groceries at 22, but what about 30? did he learn more skills to better himself? it wont matter without a high school diploma. He cant get a better job. now, this is just not my kid, i have been talking to a lot of parents around this very issue and even the schools and Lawyers, and they say the same thing "it is WRONG, but its the state law" so do we all just accept it? the schools want the kids like my son out of the regular school because it does impact the MCAS scores on schools. My research has shown that their are more dropout rates since this happened due to kids thinking they will never pass so why bother going to school anyway. More of these kids are ending up in jail due not being able to advance without that darn HS diploma. I have no problem with folks bagging groceries, pumping gas, my problem is, due to their disability they are automatically denied a high school diploma because they cant pass the MCAS. They will have enough struggles in their lives, now finding a job for advancement is even more of a struggle for the lack of a HS diploma. Its never been about the job they have, its applying for jobs without a HS diploma as on every application it asks "do you have a high school diploma?" even when you fill out an application to push grocery carts at the local supermarket they ask that on the application. Who will they hire, the kid who has the HS diploma, or the one that doesnt? no matter which way you look at it, kids without a HS diploma are looked at differently. IF the kids arent wearing their disability on their sleeve, then chances are they will not be advancing.

I don't know the specific laws in your state so here is the link to the state homeschooling website. It might be possible to now engage in a level of homeschooling that would enable you to give him a diploma and bypass the public school need to pass that test. I do know that in your state a home schooler does not have to take the MCAS. It's worth taking a look to see if other people have had this issue and how they used home schooling to bypass the automatic failure test. [url=http://mhla.org/index.htm]Massachusetts Home Learning Association[/url]

Is there a reason that he has to keep attending until 22? If he knows there's no way of getting a diploma I'd think he might want to just move on and do something else when he's 18 or 19. What about a junior college? Those around me have lots of great programs for disabled students (learning disabled, physically disabled, whatever) and you don't need a high school diploma to enroll. I know many families enroll their kids in these programs after they leave high school, or even instead of high school in some cases (they don't have to be 18 for many programs). The advantage is that they can claim a year or two of college on applications and just circle 13 or 14 for last year of school completed. With that nobody asks about the high school diploma. :) The junior college programs often have more individual support than programs at the K-12 level do and these kids who flunked out of everything in K-12 often succeed and find themselves doing pretty well. They may continue to need support, but I've seen kids who couldn't pass to get a HS diploma go on to get a Master's. It wasn't the norm, sure, but I can think of at least 3-4 Master's students I worked with at the university who had been written off by K-12. If he wants a HS diploma homeschooling or a private distance ed school might work. There are a lot of schools that do distance ed for credit recovery and have accredited diplomas. Unaccredited diplomas cost less obviously, and most employers will never ask. My daughter is an Aspie and starts high school next year. After much thought we're going to enroll her in one or two classes through BYU distance ed at a time. She can do amazingly well academically so long as she's not transitioning between 5-7 different classes a day. Once she gets a groove going there we're going to try classes at the JC, probably when she's 15 or 16. She'll probably finish a 2-year degree by 19, about the time she'd be getting a certificate of attendance from the K-12 system. At that point she can transfer to a 4-year school and tutor all those kids who made fun of her in public school when they come around as incoming freshman. ;) It's a weird plan, sure, but it should work for her. I'm sure that there's got to be some better option for your son than hanging out at high school until 22. That doesn't sound like much fun or a good use of time. :(

The age 22 thing is federal law -- they are required to offer free and appropriate public education up to that age, but after that there is no legal mandate. School systems don't want the extra financial cost of keeping a student any longer than they have to, so it's more about budget issues than test scores. Has your child applied with vocational rehabilitation (VR) yet? VR is required to provide transition services to any student with a disability started at age 16, and they can provide funding for training programs after high school. Your school should have already mentioned referral to VR, but if they haven't, ask them about it.

I know I'm coming late to this discussion, Sloan, but ha e you considered having him be a volunteer somewhere? Employers (ESP nonprofits such as children's museums) are kinder to delayed volunteers than an employer might be (they depend on them and get free work out of them and your son could be mentored by a retiree/volunteer). And volunteer jobs go on a resume! He still wouldn't have a diploma, but would have proof of work and good references. But re: diploma, can be pass the GED? Is it easier than MCAS? You can also homeschool and ensure he has the basics and then give a homeschool diploma. There are online resources and templates that show how to make everyday activities into learning objectives to show that be met them if the course grade was too low. Lastly, you'll definitely want to find all of the advocacy groups you can! Once you find one agency, they'll link you to others. I learned that the group we have for Down Syndrome also works with Aspies and FASD kiddos. I would never have thought to go there because mine is high functioning, but so glad we did! Good luck! PS At 17 and will disabilities, he may not be ready to fledge from the nest anyway. He may need a year or two of studying for the gEd and doing volunteer work (or a simple job w/understandin employer). Some state-funded agencies will even provide a staffer to go with him to work to help him stay on task, at least in the beginning!!! (I'm looking into this now for my child.)