Today my son came home from school with a note saying he was kicked in his stomach by another boy in his class. They sent him to nurse for an icepack. My son told me that it is "dangerous" to sit by this boy. He tells me that he" out of control" often. When he has a fit, my son told me the rest of the class goes to the lunch room for an activity. My son is in a self contained LD class with eight other boys. I feel bad that he thinks he is in danger because he sits by this child. I feel like I want to call the teacher to tell her I do not want my son sitting by this other child. It sounds as though my son get caught in the middle of this child's tantrum. I find this very upsetting. What would you do in this situation?
I would definately call your son's school and set up an appointment with the teacher and principal. Let them know your concerns. Your son should never fell unsafe in his classroom and you should not feel out of place letting your concerns be know. You are your sons only advocate and it sounds like this teacher has her hands full.
Talk to your son's teacher about the situation. Tell her about your concern and your son's concern. I'm sure she'll want to know how you both feel and she'll want him to feel safe in her class room. Good luck to you!
You need to ask several questions when you call to talk to the teacher. One of the first is how many kids are in this classroom and also what are the ages. She can give you the ages. Not names if she feels that is a privacy issue but ages are important. There can be no more than a 5 year span of ages in an ld classroom. My youngest son was in the same type classroom. I came to find out that there were 9 children in the classroom. BUT it was mine who was in 1st grade and the rest were 3rd grade and up to 6th grade. he was being picked on and caught like yours in the middle. You will have to advocate for your son as no one else will. Good luck.
Your son should always feel safe at school. Call the teacher and set up an appointment to discuss your concerns.
I would talk to the Principal and see what your options are. If it doesn't improve they need to move the other boy out of the class, not move the class away from the boy. My son had a situation where his safety at school was threatened. When the teacher and principal chose to ignore the situation, I went to the district and had a conversation. The kid threatening my son was put on high-watch and ultimately was expelled from school. You are your child's voice.
S.
My perspective comes from that of the teacher. I am a special Ed teacher and always have this type of stundent in at least one of my classes. Your son should definitely feel safe but I would encourage you to use it as a teaching opportunity. Talk to your son about what he sees from the other student. How do other students treat this child? Encourage your son not to make fun of the kid & to find a way to positively connect with the boy when appropriate. Do speak with the teacher about this. If you are not satisfied with that then go to the principal but give the teacher a chance first. Someone else said that the child should be removed not the rest of class. Depending on the situation it might be best to remove the other students to calm him down. It is a very difficult situation for all involved. Be an advocate for your child but remember this other child has a lot going on. If the school is doing there part the other child is receiving consequences. Hope all goes well.
