Legal question about a school holding a child back in first grade

[Treasure Chest]

I admit he had trouble at the beginning of the school year but with the help of two tutors he has came along way this semester. The school has NOT sent him to a counselor or tested him for any learning disabilities. The guidence counselor has never had a one on one meeting with him or my parents. My nephew you hasn't had any disciplinary actions towards him at all.

Dispit all the progress that he has made his teacher still thinks he needs to be held back. Oh and other elementary schools do not time first graders on how fast they can read.

We really want to know if anyone has dealt with anything similar to this and if the school can legally hold him back?

By saying that the SCHOOL hasn't sent him to a councilor or tested him for anything, it seems as if you're putting a lot of blame on the school, out of the box. I'm a parent of three children, and they are all across the board. My oldest is highly intelligent, but under the special ed umbrella with his autism. My middle child is also very intelligent and enrolled in the dyslexia program. My youngest is way too intelligent for her own good and is being sent to an accelerated elementary school next year. With all three of my children, I as a parent took the responsibility to initiate the testing for their needs. Had I waited around for the school to initiate testing, it would have been years before their needs were identified.

Your parents need to be proactive and work with the school and his pediatrician to get his issues nailed down. I'd also suggest enrolling him in a summer program through Sylvan and working with the school to evaluate his progress and reassess his grade level in August, before school starts. If you push the issue and get him passed, he'll have even more problems next year.

If he has some sort of underlying delays or disabilities that don't get identified, and his education plan isnt adjusted for these needs, your parents will be wasting their money on tutoring or Sylvan.

[Stephen]

/////even though i feel bad about it.. If a teacher (professional in the school system) thinks he/she should be held back a year there's nothing wrong with that... for sure at that age, some kids mature/develop faster than others... If you feel what the teacher is wrong, contact the principal and ask him/her to evaluate the child.. It doesnt make the kid stupid or a tard... it only means the teacher doesnt thing the student is ready to advance..

[red95gts]

If he's struggling now, he will continue to struggle in 2nd, 3rd, etc. Being held back in 1st grade isn't nearly as traumatic for him as flunking the 4th grade. Have your parents scheduled a meeting with the principal and/or counselor?

Just out of curiosity, which school district is it?

[SMEGMA STENCH]

No child left behind

[BradM]

No child left behind

That's what got Dan Bishop a diploma, and he went full on retard.

[Big pappa pump]

the school my youngest goes to tried to hold him back in second grade due to similar issue. we told them no because he did make progress like your nephew and had good grades.

with more tutoring my son is up to where he needed to be with reading and straight a's all year.

but this is in the keller isd. and all they care about is their test scores for the state.

[Ruffdaddy]

Why would you want a kid to advance into a grade he's not ready for?

[Memo]

Yes they can hold student back without parent consent. It's in Board Policy. Granted all districts are a little different but educators are always going to do what is best for the student. It shouldn't be a surprise if there was communication between the teacher and the parent. It's two way street.

[68RR]

They (State/School) can't hold the child back without the ok of the parents. They can have the child tested for an IEP (Individual Education Program). Whatever the child tests low in, they are then assigned to a class to bring them up to speed. The parents are the advocates of the child and their education..
Went though the same thing with one of my daughters. She was assigned to a class which brought her up to state standards. She was not held back.

Bill

[bcoop]

That's what got Dan Bishop a diploma, and he went full on retard.

I approve this post.

[talisman]

That's what got Dan Bishop a diploma, and he went full on retard.

Quality!

[matts5.0]

Is it just me or does it seem like kids these days have way to many "illness" like dyslexia etc. What happen to kids just being dumb. It seems like all these parents are making excuses for their kids " oh he has highly functioning dumbass syndrome" I might not have paid attention when I was in grade school, or maybe its because I was one of them, but I don't remember there being this many kids having some kind of ailment. I'm drunk and rambleing...

[mikec]

This thread just pissed my wife, the 12 year teacher, off!

She's going off in the background talking about parents contributing to the problem, the schools being hamstrung and having to ask permission to even pull the kid from class (embellished), and the other crap that renders them powerless.

Kinda fun to listen to...

[mikec]

Is it just me or does it seem like kids these days have way to many "illness" like dyslexia etc. What happen to kids just being dumb. It seems like all these parents are making excuses for their kids " oh he has highly functioning dumbass syndrome" I might not have paid attention when I was in grade school, or maybe its because I was one of them, but I don't remember there being this many kids having some kind of ailment. I'm drunk and rambleing...

Pre-parent, I thought the pills were bullshit.

Post/Now-parent, they're worth their weight in gold. My boys were not doing that well in school, couldn't focus (like me), and pills turned them into top students.

Fwiw.

[juiceweezl]

Is it just me or does it seem like kids these days have way to many "illness" like dyslexia etc. What happen to kids just being dumb. It seems like all these parents are making excuses for their kids " oh he has highly functioning dumbass syndrome" I might not have paid attention when I was in grade school, or maybe its because I was one of them, but I don't remember there being this many kids having some kind of ailment. I'm drunk and rambleing...

It's "rambling," and some of the symptoms like dyslexia are real. My oldest son finally qualified for the dyslexia program at school, and we couldn't be happier. he struggles with his reading and writing, and his confidence in both and in general. His IQ is extremely high, and that has kept him from qualifying from the program in the past. If we took your approach, he wouldn't be getting the help he needs. He scored the highest in his class on the state reading test, but that's not indicative of his condition. In a lot of cases I agree with you -- it's easier for parents and others to cop to a popular diagnosis instead of parenting. In many cases though, there really are kids that need help despite what you may think.