Advocating for what you think is best for your child is hard. Emotionally and mentally hard. How do you know what is best for your child that can’t tell you?

We had a big IEP meeting this week for Courtney to discuss placement for next year. Let me back track though.

When Courtney started Kindergarten at her current school, the program was brand new in the building. They had to open the program because the similar program at another building was full. We were not happy about this but reluctantly said sure, hopefully this building will be just as awesome as the other building.

4 years later and all we see looking back if change after change. Courtney had 5 teachers in 2 years! Yes, you read that right. 5 teachers in 2 years! This fall when her 3rd teacher at this school resigned and administration met with Joe and I to share who will become her teacher, they promised us that this was going to be it. This was going to be the last change until it was time for her to go to junior high. As we got to know her current teacher, we were so glad they made that promise and were thrilled with how fast the program developed into the program we have wanted all along. Things were progressing better than ever. Courtney was doing better than ever.

Then the biggest shocker of them all was shared with us out of no where. Not only was Courtney getting another new teacher next year, it was going to be at another building.

Let me sum this up again. She has had 5 teachers, 3 Principals, 2 assistant principals all since Kindergarten. Now going into 4th grade she will have another new principal, another new assistant principal and a new teacher.

We are both teachers and I am a special education teacher so we realize changes happen. Changes her current team have no control of. We also realize now that the promises that were made to us really shouldn’t have been made because things change. Shame on us for letting our guard down and thinking we were set for a few years.

We went to the meeting ready to fight with an advocate and all but we quickly realized that they are right, the program her current school will have next year will no longer meet Courtney’s needs. She has to move.

So…Principal number 4. Assistant principal number 3. Teacher number 6. New therapists. New para-professionals. New specials teachers. New school.

We are frustrated. We feel hurt and betrayed. But most of all, we feel Courtney is being short changed once again.

We are frustrated. We feel hurt and betrayed. But most of all, we feel Courtney is being short changed once again,