All the middle school kids in your neighborhood get on the school bus together in the morning at 7:15 a.m. All of the neighborhood kids get off the school bus at 3:15 p.m., like clockwork. Except one. One boy gets off the bus at 1:30 p.m. everyday. Why does only one boy get off the bus at 1:30?
I received a phone call from a parent who explained how her son's IEP (Individualized Education Program) stipulates that he be dismissed early everyday. The IEP doesn't mention the actual time, but as it turns out, he is dismissed almost 2 hours earlier than regular dismissal time as a function of his behavior plan.
Her son has to earn staying in school, which is determined by his good behavior.
Know this please. Every student has the right to stay in school all day! Students who have a disability can not be held to a different standard from other students.
Let me help you look at this situation in a different way. Let's say there are 180 school days in a year and 7 hours in a school day. So, let's take 180 and multiply it by 2 (hours). That's 360 hours (of school) Let's divide that by 7 (the hours of a school day). That's about 51 school days. That's almost one third of the school year. Adds up, doesn't it!
This means that this student was denied the opportunity to be in school learning for one third of the school year.
While most situations may not be this extreme, no amount of lost school hours is O.K. In this particular situation, where the student's behavior is the culprit for early dismissal, it would be appropriate to ask the school district to conduct an FBA (Functional Behavior Assessment) to determine the function of the behaviors in question in order to put a BIP ( Behavior Intervention Plan) in place.
All students have the right to be set up for success at school. In this case, a really well-designed and implemented behavior plan is a good start.
And please know this. Earning the right to stay in school should never be a part of any behavior plan or IEP.
