Has the High School violated my son's rights

[tlawson]

North Carolina

This is what was sent to me from the superintendent of the school district. Also, C. is my son i deleted his name for privacy.

Ms. Lawson,
Hope all is well. Thank you for bringing to our attention your son C. Johnson health condition. According to the office manager or Dr. Dish, C. is unable to take AP classes due to stress. Ms. Reedy speaking for herself or for Dr. Dish states that he can participate in regular classes, honor classes, extracurricular activities, and sports. Please be advised that we share your concern for C. health and well being and want to see him graduate in May without any medical issues due to stress. As superintendent of schools I am advising our athletic director and head football coach to allow C. to remain a part of the team, but not allow him to practice or participate in games. Also, the stress and pressure of physical conditioning (weight lifting) could trigger the stress level beyond what is safe. If the stress of AP classes is more than he can handle, certainly the stress of practice, games and weight lifting would only add to his medical condition. The last thing we want to happen is have this information in hand and not take action to keep C. well. I am directing Mr. Watts to change C. APs classes and physical conditioning. This will remain in effect for all sports and become part of C. file.

Thank you for your support and concern.


My personal belief is they are retaliating because we provided a Dr's note as they would not let my son out of his AP classes any other way. How can they override what the Dr. clearly said. The email above is the exact email sent to me minus the names. Is this legal. My son is a senior and is going to miss out on football recruiters looking at him and a potential scholarship offers. Please Help!!!

 

[TheGeekess]

North Carolina

This is what was sent to me from the superintendent of the school district. Also, C. is my son i deleted his name for privacy.

Ms. Lawson,
Hope all is well. Thank you for bringing to our attention your son C. health condition. According to the office manager or Dr. Dish, C. is unable to take AP classes due to stress. Ms. Reedy speaking for herself or for Dr. Dish states that he can participate in regular classes, honor classes, extracurricular activities, and sports. Please be advised that we share your concern for C. health and well being and want to see him graduate in May without any medical issues due to stress. As superintendent of schools I am advising our athletic director and head football coach to allow C. to remain a part of the team, but not allow him to practice or participate in games. Also, the stress and pressure of physical conditioning (weight lifting) could trigger the stress level beyond what is safe. If the stress of AP classes is more than he can handle, certainly the stress of practice, games and weight lifting would only add to his medical condition. The last thing we want to happen is have this information in hand and not take action to keep C. well. I am directing Mr. Watts to change C. APs classes and physical conditioning. This will remain in effect for all sports and become part of C's file.

Thank you for your support and concern.


My personal belief is they are retaliating because we provided a Dr's note as they would not let my son out of his AP classes any other way. How can they override what the Dr. clearly said. The email above is the exact email sent to me minus the names. Is this legal. My son is a senior and is going to miss out on football recruiters looking at him and a potential scholarship offers. Please Help!!!

I see a school district making a good decision for them. They don't wish to be responsible for your son having any more stress than necessary and the health problems that would occur. It's instant law-suit protection.

 

[tlawson]

So what good is a DR's note if it's not honored? The Dr's cleared him to do sports. Sports typically reduce stress.

 

[Proserpina]

So what good is a DR's note if it's not honored? The Dr's cleared him to do sports. Sports typically reduce stress.

The Dr's note does not compel the school (or anyone else for that matter) to follow the Dr's recommendations.

And really - the competitive nature of school sports can seriously overwhelm even the most self-confident student.

Don't underestimate that.

 

[Shadowbunny]

You left your son's name in the last sentence of the original post; perhaps you should edit it out.

 

[I'mTheFather]

Geekess, too please, from the quote.

I'm curious how the doctor determined that AP courses would exacerbate your son's stress, while also determining that competitive sports and honors classes would not. Care to share?

 

[xylene]

Pull your son OUT OF FOOTBALL.

He gains NOTHING from being a 15th tier benchwarmer.

Unless you stupidly consider abuse form coaches and peers to be gaining something.

 

[tlawson]

He took AP classes last year and it ate him up.....he didn't get sleep, lost weight, and couldn't keep up. He passed with C's but it was a struggle and as a parent I don't want him to go through that again. He play's football and runs track and those are outlets for him. He's a good athlete and enjoys being in the team environment.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

He took AP classes last year and it ate him up.....he didn't get sleep, lost weight, and couldn't keep up. He passed with C's but it was a struggle and as a parent I don't want him to go through that again. He play's football and runs track and those are outlets for him. He's a good athlete and enjoys being in the team environment.

If he did not spend so much time playing football and running track, he would have plenty of time to relax and study so AP classes would not be so taxing. Do you actually believe any of us are going to fall for this? Education comes first, athletics come second.

 

[tlawson]

Thanks everyone for all your input!

 

[BigMouthWino]

He took AP classes last year and it ate him up.....he didn't get sleep, lost weight, and couldn't keep up. He passed with C's but it was a struggle and as a parent I don't want him to go through that again. He play's football and runs track and those are outlets for him. He's a good athlete and enjoys being in the team environment.

Agreed, please understand on these forums you will receive a variety of opinions.

You stated above that your son stands to lose out on potential scholarships as he has tremendous athletic ability. This means that you are faced with a situation that equals tens of thousands of dollars. You need to hire an attorney to deal with the school district and the school board if necessary. There is a system for appealing the decision of the superintendent through the school board that a competent attorney can help you to navigate.

There is nothing wrong with getting your college education through a sports scholarship. Not everybody is cut out to be the perfect student and the perfect athlete and sometimes decisions need to be made (as in your family) as to what is most beneficial for a developing child, student and person. It sounds as though you've weighed these considerations carefully and it's time to fight for what is right for your son.

 

[tlawson]

Thanks for the additional information!

 

[ecmst12]

If he had trouble in the AP classes last year, why did you allow him to enroll in them again?

 

[BigMouthWino]

If he had trouble in the AP classes last year, why did you allow him to enroll in them again?

Try reading for comprehension next time. OP was forced to enroll him in the AP classes by the school until she obtained a doctor's note saying the mental duress of the coursework was too much for him. Once he obtained the doctor's note he was free to leave the AP classes and the school district arbitrarily restricted his athletics participation.

The school district receives more money for AP classes based upon student enrollment which is why they're making such a big deal out of this. Pure bureaucratic greed.

 

[I'mTheFather]

Will your son's doctor testify to his fitness to participate in ALL school activities EXCEPT the AP classes? Perhaps, but I doubt it. Without that, you won't have much of a suit.

I was a little surprised by the post that stated your son is no star athlete since you had stated in your first post that he would be missing out on potential sports scholarships. But, I see that you edited to say he is a good athlete.