So I haven't blogged in a while because two things have been all consuming on my mind and neither of which are things I WANT on my mind. To that end I have been knitting and watching Downton Abbey incessantly.
But I think, perhaps, now I must blog about at least one of the things that has worn me down to a shell of my former conscious.
LAst Monday, 2/10/14, my daughter, Kayla was suspended from school for fighting. To say I was upset is probably the understatement of the year but what will come at a shock was that I was upset at the school and not my daughter.
For four years, I have been going through this. When my son was in Ranson, bullies picked on him and he told teachers, and I wrote letters and made calls and nothing was ever done. My son never snapped because he made friends with a thug that afforded him a measure of protection. Did I like it, no? Was I happy my son wasn't picked on anymore? Yes. But it started again when Kayla started school. She comes home, she talks to me, she goes to school and talks to teachers, I made calls and got sent to answering machines, I send notes that got sent to the place where notes they don't want to read go to die. They haven't done a damn thing ever, but suddenly they want to do something the one moment that one of my children has finally had enough and snaps?
On top of this, The kids have been out of school since Tuesday afternoon. According to the Zone Coordinator, the school day has to be in session for the suspension day to count. With the last three days being called out, her suspension hasn't counted. Tuesday counted as the first day but no other day has as yet counted. If they go back to having school on Monday, which not saying anything against my fair city may not happen because they refuse to waste snow plows on the side streets that 40% of the children live on, Kayla can't go back to school until Wednesday. IF they don't go back until Tuesday, she can't go back until Thursday.
My child is NOT going to get her 180 days and I will be damned if they try to make her go to summer school because of this. I fired off a letter to the CMS school facebook as I don't know who runs the page but I have a feeling that they will see that it gets to the proper people.
I got a reply back from the web administrator who gave me the principal at Ransons Email. and I sent a letter off to her. CMS is about to learn that the most dangerous place to be is between a mother and anything that concerns her child. I may go down. But I'm going down swinging...
The letter I sent to the principal:
I have a question and I hope that if you can't answer it, you can point me towards someone that can or forward it to whom it needs to be addressed.
My daughter was suspended last Monday from Ranson IB Middle for fighting a boy who called her, for lack of a better phrase and not to be crass, an "obese dog" if you get my meaning. Tuesday was the first day of said suspension but then there was no school Wednesday, Thursday or Today. I understand the "Rules" say that she can't now go back until next Wednesday because the school day has to be in session in order for the suspension day to count but I disagree.
For the first, as it stands, she will not get her 180 days of school. For the second, the child whom my daughter fought was given no recourse other than being taken off the bus that day for his slanderous remark towards my child. I know this for a fact because one, he lives across the street from me, I witnessed him getting on the bus in the morning, and several of the neighborhood children made it a point to come to me and tell me that he was on the bus telling everyone that the "obese dog" (again, I am trying to be tactful but please note that he was STILL calling my daughter out of her name) Got suspended for hitting him but he got nothing because he didn't fight back.
For the second, the exact same situation happened to my next door neighbors child during the first snow days we had. The days days the children missed then were the final two days of her suspension and when she went back on the very next school day, no one batted an eye.
Now I know that you cannot discuss the punishments of children not my own but I don't think that My child should have to face the possibility of summer school because she wasn't able to get her 180 days. I have spoken to the zone coordinator for Ranson and I do not think that my daughter should miss any more days. The fact is, that her problems with bullies at Ranson has gone on since 2012 and the school has done absolutely nothing about it. Whether this is by choice I don't know but I do know that my daughter has been trying to tell adults at Ranson as have I for over a year now and it is only now, when my daughter got tired of being bullied and ignored that they are choosing to do something. As I explained to Ms. Green, Since 2012 Kayla has been telling teachers to no avail, I have written notes that go wherever notes that no one wants to read in Ranson go to die. I have been put on hold when I call or given my name and number for someone to call me back and no one ever does. I understand that CMS has rules but CMS has to understand that as a mother I must look out for my child and when the place that I trust with her safety, welfare, and education for seven hours a day isn't caring whether or not she is one of the "unfortunate children who sometimes slip through the cracks" then maybe I should find a school district that will. I have the bullying and intimidation form from the handbook and have saved it for Kayla and myself to fill out, so there's no need to send it.
Also, and please understand, I am not meaning to be rude when I say this, but when you contact me, I don't need to hear CMS speak or what THEY want you to say. I want to speak to you not the rulebook. IF you aren't allowed to speak to me without quoting the student handbook, then I really don't think I can listen as I have grown up behind the scenes of a school district and know the CMS as well as other schools handbook by heart.
What I need to know is, Will my child be allowed back in school on the next school day and if she is not, who else do I bring this up with because my first inclination is to find the superintendent's office and sit there until he will see me personally. I don't like having to go straight to the top but I am fighting for my childs safety, welfare, and education none more important than the other.
If needs be Someone may call me on my home or cell phone both numbers I am putting at the bottom of this letter.
Claudette Wilson
I hope this works....
