OT I need advice from teachers and parents

That's what we're doing. I've heard nothing but great stories from all of the parents here that are doing it. :)

You are not overreacting.  I agree, ask for a meeting with Principal and Teacher.  The F because the teacher didnt' get her job done is unacceptable to the kids *****ly on her. 

I find that writing down bullet points - the MAIN points that I want to make on an index card is helpful.

Such as:

I am concerned about how my daugters educational process is being managed.

She is being criticized in front of other students, the emotional toll is unhealthy.

I want a specific date when testing and an IEP plan will be complete or I will escalate.

etc, etc.

 

 

 

Ok, here is a teacher's perspective.  A teacher, by the way, who happens to be ADHD and has a brother who is cognitively impaired and Aspergers.  I have perspective from both sides of the fence.

1.  The previous post by the principal is correct, there is no reason why the teacher should have missed that deadline.  When I was out on medical leave for cancer related care, I was still accountable for getting the grades in.  Take this to administration, but stick t the facts.

2.  You're daughter is ADHD.  Submit documentation from your doctor to support this to the school.  They cannot do anything just by a parent saying that is what is going on.  

3.  Recognize that your daughter may very well be disrupting the education of the other students, and it is the teachers responsibility to balance the needs of all of her students- not just your daughters.  I don't mean to sound harsh here, but there is a lot going on in a classroom and it can be very difficult for parents to understand the demands placed on teachers.  This DOES NOT excuse the teacher from professional conduct or meeting the needs of your daughter.  It also does not mean that it excuses the parent from the responsibility of parenting, or the child from making the best choices possible.  

4.  You need to put in writing the request for your daughter to be tested by the school system.  By law they have to do this within 30 days.  Once testing is completed then by law an IEP will be put into place (assuming the testing confirms what you are saying).  In this IEP you can make sure that the necessary accommodations are present to meet her needs.  

5.  It would be helpful if you would outline what the school is doing, how effective it is working, and if there are plans in place to progress to should it be shown the current interventions are not working.  In other words, what is the current plan and what is the next step?

6.  You mentioned that your daughter is going to be homeschooled next year.  Think carefully about this choice.  It is a major responsibility to be responsible for the education of your daughter across all the the various content areas, social development, emotional development, and such without the training behind you to truly keep up with all of this.  It seems simple to teach, but it is terribly terribly complicated to do it well.  I am not implying that it is not the right choice for your situation by any means.  But I would be remiss if I did not mention that every student that I have dealt with that came from a homeschool situation was far and away significantly behind then their peers.  Not just academically, but socially as well.  I did not have even 1 instance where the student came in at grade level (or even close for that matter).  With that said, I have only had maybe a dozen or so homeschool students over the last decade, so a small sample size.  

7.  Have you researched strategies to help your daughter with the ADHD?  Are you treating it medicinally, or giving her an herbal tea or something?  Have you read up on it?  Educate yourself to better help your daughter.  

8.  It seems that structure would be very important for your daughter.  Things like consistency in her schedule, a plan for assisting her in transitions, consistency in the classroom, etc.  This is not to be confused with rigidity.  ADHD kids need to be able to move, but in a structured way where it is not disruptive to the classroom environment.  For example, in my classroom students (all) are allowed to have a water bottle at the desk and eat snack at a time they deem appropriate as long as they follow the rules associated with eating in the classroom. Students may use the bathroom pass so long as it is not in the middle of instruction that I am delivering- this gives the opportunity for the ADHD to take a quick walk to the fountain or something to help them reset the attention span for a bit.  In other words, my classroom routines are very structured.  There are clear expectations, but set up in such a way that students learn how to meet their own needs in order to maximize their day.  If they abuse the privileges then they are temporarily revoked, and kicked back in on a smaller scale in increments while the student develops the ability to meet the expectations.  Usually though my ADHD students are so grateful for the set up that they work very very hard to keep the system intact.  Oh, and I NEVER separate a student from the group.  I do, however, have a few desks set apart in quiet areas.  All students may elect to move themselves to a quieter area for as long as they feel it is needed.  It is used by my highest achieving students down to my most challenged so there is no stigma attached to it.  It is very common for me to see the ADHD students self select the quieter area, but not in the beginning of the year.  They need to see the "good" students do it for a while until they are comfortable with the idea that it is about meeting a need that all students at time experience, and not about being separated and punished.  

I could go on for a very long time on this topic.  Please feel free to PM me for anything.  I hope progress can be made for your daughter, and yourself.   

You've had some excellent suggestions given you. I also have children *****quire 504's, but my school has been incredibly cooperative, so I'm sorry to hear that yours is not. One idea: are you allowed to sit in on her class? Even if you were just collating papers for the teacher or some other odd job and could simultaneously keep an eye on your daughter's behavior...I wonder if that might help? Of course, not everyone can do that, I'm just curious.