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Can you sue a School Board for your own mishandled education?

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TheRook

Junior Member
I can't find a better forum to post this under, so i will post it here.

Something that has been bugging me for years. I feel the School Board of Broward County Florida mishandled my education. Sometime during my elementary years I recall being taken out of school and brought somewhere to take a test. I am not sure what kind of test this was, but I beleive it was some kind of physchological examination. Sometime after that, I was removed from the normal class and placed in a class with kids who couldn't spell the word cat. Prior to this time, I had loved school. It didn't take long being in this 'special' class that I ended up hating school. When I transferred to middle school, I was again put in a class with 4 or 5 other kids. I can't explain to you how hopelessly out of place I was, but I didn't realize at the time that there was something wrong. I was very trusting of adults, and if they thought I belonged in that class, then I believed them. Middle School was worse, I went to a predominately black school, so not only did I have to put up with being a "white" kid in a "black" school, I also had to put up with being one of the 'special' kids. By the time I got to High School, I completely despised school. I was very much behind the other kids, because I didn't learn a thing in middle school.
I barely made it through 4 years. I recall getting report cards with grades like four F's and two A's. The A's were in art and computers. My hatred of school kept me from going to college. I joined the Navy, and learned electronics. After the Navy, I did get an AA degree in Music and Video Production, however, I feel my greatest potential has been wasted due to the decisions made in my elementary days.

Here is my take on this.

I was a smart kid. I'm not saying I was a genius, but I don't think I was average either. I recall the reader books that we had. It was a set of about 13 or so books, Dick and Jane sort of thing. I remember I finished the set before the rest of the class was half way. Another time, the teacher was testing my reading skills. I remember her astonishment at my score. I believe she made a comment to her counterpart that I had a College level reading ability. I think this was in the second or third grade. I'm not trying to brag, I am just trying to get the point out that I was an above average student. Now, someone, somewhere made a decision to have me tested. For what I do not know. I would love to see the results of that test. These people convinced my parents to allow me to go into this other class.

So this all boils down to this.

1) I was wrongly diagnosed with some kind of learning disability and placed in a class for such a student, or I was diagnosed as a 'gifted' student, and placed in the wrong class.

2) Because of this, I did not get a chance to develop the skills needed for high school/college until much, much later.

3) I am pretty sure my parents would have had to sign for me to be placed in this class. I am not sure if that frees the school board of any liability in this matter.


My question is both a legal and a moral one. I ask myself, do I really blame what happened to me on these events, or am I just making excuses for the problems I now have. As an adult, we are all responsible for our own lives, but as a child, it is the adults around us that are responsible. I have a family now and I must provide for them. I am an electronics technician, but what makes me laugh is I know more than many of the Engineers that I work with. The difference is, they have a piece of paper that says they are an Engineer and I dont. Yes, I could go back to school, but it will take me 10 years to do it when I could have done it in 4 if I didn't have the love of learning washed out of me.

Really, I don't even think I have a case. Even if I did, how could I prove it? Even if I could prove it, what would I get out of it? Money? I would feel guilty taking money from education funds.

I guess, I just wanted to vent.
 


I AM ALWAYS LIABLE

Senior Member
My response:

Lengthy, but interesting.

I don't have a definitive answer for you; however, you do write beautifully. Your syntax, sentence structure, and grammar are, as I'm sure you know, nearly impeccable and far above the level we normally see on these Boards.

On a "good" day, we are put through the "ringer" when, as just one example, we have to read posts like the following. This is verbatim text, as it appeared on these Boards:

[BEGIN TEXT]

"My friend's neighbour had created more trouble to my friend.My friend gave a complaint to the appartment management.The appartment management has given some notice to that troublesome neighbour.
One fine day the neighbour was drunk and tried disturbing my friend.When my friend asked him whats the problem with him,he tried to assault my friend.Later his wife came in and pulled him from the scene and asked sorry for the incident.My friend took it easy,but for his surprise he(neighbour) went and gave a report to the police station that my friend assaulted him .The cops gave a call to my friend and checked whether the incident was true.
The cops will be issuing him(friend) a report.

Should my friend take a legal action against this report ?
Will this report cause a bad history to my friend?

I would appreciate if anybody can give legal advice to me regarding this."

[END OF TEXT]


You'd swear that Andy Kaufman was still alive and reprising his role as Latka Gravis on these Boards. So, my point is this - - You think you've got troubles ? If it's any solace or comfort to you, I don't think so.

Sometimes, when we read certain posts on these Boards, we can pretty much tell who lives in a trailer park, who has missing teeth, or whose wife is his sister. By reading your post, I cannot imagine you suffering from any of these maladies.

The reason I mention the obvious fact of your abilities is because, if you could bring a lawsuit, your writing abilities would work against you. As only one example, your use of apostrophes is perfect. You don't see that very often on these Boards.

Broward County would say, "Well, it's obvious we did something right with this man when he was a child."

Good luck to you.

IAAL
 

TheRook

Junior Member
LOL, Well, I could always "act" dumb. :) Seriously though, I am 34 now. I have a wife, and a 2 1/2 year old daughter. I guess I have reached a point in my life where I am looking back, and wondering what I could have done differently. I wrote that post last night while feeling sorry for myself. Your response made me smile, and I know what I have to do. I need to stop worrying about the past and do whatever I can to make it right now. It will be tough, but it's not too late.

Incidently, I wouldn't give the SBBC the credit for my proper use of grammar. Three years ago, I went back to school. (Community College in Palm Beach County). I had to take a placement exam, because I had never taken the S.A.T. Anyway, I ended up having to take Prep English & Prep Math. This was stuff I should have learned in High School. I had to learn everything all over again. If you would have seen a sample of my writing 3 years ago, you may very well have assumed I came from a trailer park. Those two classes really brought me up to speed.

Thanks for the reply. I think you helped me more than any legal advice could have done.
 

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