Truancy but its medical

[mistoffolees]

agree, you need to get your child disgnosed and a 504 in place. my child already had an IEP for a learning disability so adding the 504 for her newly diagnosed medical issue was easy. the trick is that it has to be in effect before your child misses school to get the school off your back. also if it is a lifelong illness, make sure that all teachers are aware and that it continues with him through college.

research your childs symtoms. i knew what was wrong with my daughter 4 months b4 the docs labeled it. you have to fight for your child because NO ONE else will. if she were a docs kid, she would have been diagnosed and medicated in a week. even with a 504 you may have to fight the school to provide the services that are needed.

its easy for people not involved or unaware to criticize. one soccer mom called my daughter lazy because she wasn't able to keep up with the soccer team on the runs. the kid had lost 15 lbs(was 103) in 3 months and was basically starving to death. can't understand why she didn't have any energy.

A kid who loses 15% of their body weight in 3 months without trying has a clear medical problem.

OP's child is simply 'fatigued'. There's a world of difference - especially when the doctors are saying it's not debilitating and the child is OK to go to school.

If all teenagers could get out of going to school when they're fatigued, we could sell off half of the high schools in the country.

 

[milspecgirl]

will the Dr possibly write a note to the school that the child has an undiagnosed medical condition that they are researching and that he is to attend school as he feels like it (they did this when my daughter had mono. not sure how that would work with an undiagnosed issue though). They can also fill out homebound papers so that he can get a teacher that comes to the house and tutors him, but they may need a medical diagnosis to do that. Your best bet is to go to the school board and talk to them about how you can help him keep up with his class.

 

[mistoffolees]

will the Dr possibly write a note to the school that the child has an undiagnosed medical condition that they are researching and that he is to attend school as he feels like it (they did this when my daughter had mono. not sure how that would work with an undiagnosed issue though). They can also fill out homebound papers so that he can get a teacher that comes to the house and tutors him, but they may need a medical diagnosis to do that. Your best bet is to go to the school board and talk to them about how you can help him keep up with his class.

The doctor has already said that the child is fit to attend school.

And the school has no obligation to educate the child at home unless he is disabled under the requirements of the law - which is clearly not the case.

Best bet is to get the child to school and stop listening to him whining about how TIIIIRRRREEEDDD he is in the morning. If he continues to exhibit symptoms, take him to a specialist for examination.

 

[Zigner]

If he continues to exhibit symptoms, take him to a specialist for examination.

OR, the OP can demand that the school district do what they are MANDATED to do and perform an evaluation.

However, I am not going to go further in to it based on the OP's attitude toward the posters who are trying to help.

 

[xylene]

This isn't Morgellons. Why the denial?

"General anxiety disorder"? Give me a break.

I too really don't have a lot of sympathy for this posters bad management of their child's mental problems and problems with factual advice, but your denying the existence of a prevalent and well known mental health condition, that is a doozy.

 

[milspecgirl]

is the child in counseling? a mood disorder needs a counselor/therapist and possible medication. It can be a horrible thing, but there is treatment. Also, chronic fatigue could be to blame- which can be helped.

 

[mistoffolees]

OR, the OP can demand that the school district do what they are MANDATED to do and perform an evaluation.

The school is not mandated to do ANYTHING unless there's evidence of a disability. There is none- the doctors say the child is fine to return to school.

OP needs to either get the kid into school or find a doctor who can find something wrong.

 

[Zigner]

The school is not mandated to do ANYTHING unless there's evidence of a disability. There is none- the doctors say the child is fine to return to school.

OP needs to either get the kid into school or find a doctor who can find something wrong.

You are WRONG in this case. If requested by the parent, the school IS obligated (per FEDERAL LAW) to perform the evaluation.

 

[mistoffolees]

You are WRONG in this case. If requested by the parent, the school IS obligated (per FEDERAL LAW) to perform the evaluation.

I don't believe it's that simple. A parent can't simply say "my student is too lazy to get out of bed in the morning so I'd like to have him evaluated for special at-home tutoring."

I'm willing to admit that I could be wrong, but I believe that there has to be SOME evidence of a disability.

 

[Zigner]

I don't believe it's that simple. A parent can't simply say "my student is too lazy to get out of bed in the morning so I'd like to have him evaluated for special at-home tutoring."

I'm willing to admit that I could be wrong, but I believe that there has to be SOME evidence of a disability.

Actually, the request is "I would like my child to be evaluated for special education services under IDEA"

Yeah, it's that simple

ETA: I am NOT saying that an evaluation will show that ANY services are warranted (which I may have indicated above), but the district must evaluate, as appropriate.

 

[mistoffolees]

Actually, the request is "I would like my child to be evaluated for special education services under IDEA"

Yeah, it's that simple

ETA: I am NOT saying that an evaluation will show that ANY services are warranted (which I may have indicated above), but the district must evaluate, as appropriate.

OK. That would get an evaluation. And school would complete the evaluation and promptly respond "the doctor says your child can go to school and there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with him, so get his butt into school".

OP could save the effort and just make her kid go to school in the first place.

 

[Zigner]

OK. That would get an evaluation. And school would complete the evaluation and promptly respond "the doctor says your child can go to school and there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with him, so get his butt into school".

OP could save the effort and just make her kid go to school in the first place.

HOWEVER, if there IS a condition that affects the schooling, it would (could) be identified. You are dismissing a possible problem.

I'm not saying there is a problem, rather, if there is a problem, services are available (and mandated) from the district. Why shouldn't a parent advocate strongly for their child?

 

[mistoffolees]

HOWEVER, if there IS a condition that affects the schooling, it would (could) be identified. You are dismissing a possible problem.

I'm not saying there is a problem, rather, if there is a problem, services are available (and mandated) from the district. Why shouldn't a parent advocate strongly for their child?

Because if she was so concerned about the child, she'd have him in school when the doctors all say that he's fine to go to school.

Sorry, but it just galls me that people think that their precious little ones are so special that the rules shouldn't apply to them and that they can waste limited school resources in order to try to get special privileges.

 

[xylene]

A child with serious emotional problems that are disabling IS NOT normal and is NOT "whining".

 

[CdwJava]

A child with serious emotional problems that are disabling IS NOT normal and is NOT "whining".

The question is whether or not the condition is am emotional problem properly addressed by medical or psychological practitioners, or merely a child's manipulation that should not be allowed to stand. That is one more reason as to why mom should request an IEP.

Having been active in attendance review boards in years past, I can say that a great many parents make a very similar claim to the OP. In most (but not all) of these cases, the child had simply found a means to manipulate the parent into caving to their demands. In some very few, an in depth and multi-disciplinary, collaborative evaluation was key to identifying the problem and addressing it.

So, while I am not ready to accept mom's interpretation that the child has some mystery illness, I am not ready to dismiss it out of hand. As such, the IEP would seem the best next step. Not to mention it may be the only way to keep mom from getting into trouble with the law.

Mom's other alternative might be to home school her child.