Before we begin, there was no introduction from Jacqueline Stofflet, the new Speech Pathologist, at the start of the school year regarding her role with Chase. We had no prior knowledge of who would be seeing our son this year, and we only became aware of this issue one week before Christmas on 12-15-2023.

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Former Speech Pathologist - Rebecca Cann (Kindergarten-4th Grade) who was also  his Special Education Liaison.

Former OT Teacher - Christine McGuire

Former OT Teacher - Brenda Nygren

Former OT Teacher - Aurora Murphy

Current Speech Pathologist - Jaqueline (Jackie) Stofflet

Current Special Education Liaison and Special Education Teacher - Dana Levin

Current Social and Emotional Teacher - Mr. D

5th Grade Homeroom Teacher (Math) - Mrs. Attaya

5th Grade Teacher (Reading and Writing) - Mrs. Horn

Assistant Director of Student Services - Eric Oxford

Director of Student Services - Lyn O'Neil

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Kindergarten

During our parent-teacher conference in December, we were told multiple times that "Chase can't do school." Chase's teacher and several specialists were in attendance. After about 45 minutes, as we were wrapping up the conference, I realized we were missing a specialist. The room fell silent, and we were informed that OT had not started yet at Thorpe and that parents had not been informed of this.

We have a friend and teacher who is very familiar with special education in Danvers. "Off the record," she stated that Thorpe School "dropped the ball" and did not send a letter notifying parents. In contrast, Riverside School notified parents via regular mail.

During the conference, we were told that the OT person had broken her legs or back and they expected her back soon, but it didn't happen as quickly as they hoped. They stated she would be returning after the holidays and that Chase's missed OT sessions would be made up, which was difficult to accept as this additional time would now take away from his general learning time. At this time, we cannot confirm if these sessions were actually made up which we will reveal at the end. It is startling to hear the Kindergarten teacher say that Chase cannot handle school and is unable to perform tasks like fitting folders into his backpack, which are all OT-related issues. Chase could not effectively start his elementary education with the necessary resources because they were not made available to him. These services are outlined in his IEP, yet they were not followed nor were we informed that he was not receiving them until I brought it up at this meeting.

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2nd Grade

We are starting to feel like there is a lot of cover up on services starting in 2nd grade.

There is a new OT person. I asked Chase who he sees, and he said he doesn't see OT anymore. I emailed his teacher to inquire about this and she said they did come in. At that point we assumed they must have and let it go.​

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4th Grade - Advocating for OT services!

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Notes:

Chase is no longer receiving OT. We fought hard to keep OT in his last re-evaluation, but they would not budge. We know he's having issues accessing the curriculum in the classroom but I wanted to point out specifically the lunch difficulties that they were unaware of. They stated lunch is part of the curriculum but that basically they could "do thing for him that are difficult" We do not want things done for him. He should have the ability to receive the service so he can fully access the curriculum including lunch! Please see the email response after stating our concerns.

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Aurora Murphy wrote:

Good morning Mrs.Keefe,

I want to elaborate a little bit more on the email that Ms. Ganley sent out regarding Chase's ability to access his meals in the cafeteria. Chase is currently on our caseload and Brenda and I continue to biweekly provide consultation to the team to better help Chase access his school curriculum. As you indicated, Chase may at times have a hard time opening containers, selecting food items, and eating in the allotted amount of lunchtime. But it appears that it might be a combination of his emotional state and the need for planning. This is why Brenda and I are compiling a list of modifications and adaptations to be able to allow Chase to access his environment. We thought it is most appropriate to have the school cafeteria staff help open containers for him in the line so it doesn't impact him when he is with his peers. 

When we discussed it with the team, Chase doesn't like it when others help him directly so having other staff support him within his environment seemed to be the most applicable.  In regards to Chase's fine motor skills, he does have the ability to access other school materials that are within his school environment which is why providing direct services isn't indicative at this time.  

We will continue to discuss this as a team to make sure that Chase continues to access his environment to the best of his abilities. Please let me know if you have any other questions. 

Also, to answer another OT question, I want to share our other roles in the schools, which besides addressing writing in the schools is to ensure that students have access to modifications/adaptations as indicated above to allow students to access their curriculum and environment to the best of their abilities. 

Sincerely, 
Aurora Murphy OT
 

Amie Keefe wrote:

Good Morning! The hot dog is not the issue. Below is part of my e-mail to Eric.

When he buys, he typically doesn't grab anything off of the line extra. Sometimes he does but he picks and chooses and I believe it is due to some things being difficult for him. If he gets a hot dog, it's a dog and a drink. No bun either. That's not enough food for him. Some of the sides are packaged and that is a difficult thing for Chase. It's the fine motor piece that goes beyond writing but it's within school so it's part of "accessing the curriculum". I also sent Cheerios to school with him a few weeks ago. He didn't eat them because he had a hard time opening the cover so he barely ate his lunch. 

Sometimes he has success opening items but every day is different for him as far as difficulty. If he's having a rough day, he won't even try. He also barely eats his lunch as it is whether I send it or not. I notice this when I send him lunch because he is just slow at everything he does as far as opening the lunch bag, the drink straw, etc. Everything is very slow and when he comes home with a full lunch he says, "There's not enough time to eat."

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Eileen Ganley wrote:

Hello Amie,

The team was discussing the difficulties you mentioned that Chase was having at lunch, while opening the bag to get his hot dog. I went down to speak with the cook, the bag is open on one end, Chase should only need to dump the hot dog out of the bag. She and I thought that by eliminating the bag, we could eliminate the problem. She will no longer put the hot dog in the bag.

Eileen Ganley

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Notes:

Chase is in 4th grade. He is old enough to understand that there is an opening on the other end of a bag, yet after 5 years of getting hot dogs at school, he still hasn't figured this out. Shouldn't they find this concerning? We certainly do!

12-15-2023

I emailed his teachers, Mrs. Attaya and Mrs. Horn, and included the school nurse and special ed teacher, Mrs. Levin, about Chase feeling that a seizure may be coming. He mentioned a sensation in his face. I always notify the teachers when he says this so they can keep a closer eye on him.

12-15-2023 (later in the day)

I realized I did not include the new Speech Pathologist in the email, which is important. I always added Rebecca Cann, the former speech therapist, to these emails. I asked Chase who his new speech teacher is, and he said, "I don't get speech anymore." This led to more questions from both mom and dad as we tried to understand the situation. He continues to insist that he has not received speech therapy this year.

12-15-2023 Email to Eric Oxford

"This is Amie Keefe, Chase's mom at Thorpe School. Quick question whenever you have a chance. Do you know the name of Chase's teacher for Speech? I can't find that info. Thank you!" No response but it is the weekend.

12-16-2023 Email to Mrs. Attaya

Good Morning!
Please save this email for Monday. I wanted to email you now as I will probably forget next week. Quick question. Do you know who Chase sees for speech? Thanks!

Amie

12-16-2023 

A seizure happens at night

12-17-2023 

I email the team to let them know he had a seizure.

12-17-2023

I have the speech persons name. I received this information via another mom from Thorpe. Mrs. Stofflet . Chase has never heard of her.

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12-18-2023 Email responses from Megan Attaya (5th grade teacher)

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Megan Attya wrote:

Hi Amie,

Jackie Stofflet is our Speech and Language teacher this year! 

Megan​

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Amie Keefe wrote:

Hi Megan,

He says he hasn't seen her. Is this correct?

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Megan Attaya wrote:

Hi Amie,

I spoke with her this morning and she said that she sees him on Tuesdays with another student and on Thursdays (with Mr. D.).

Megan

 

NOTES!

Chase is a very smart kid and remembers everything. If he's see's her in person, maybe he will recognize her. But, he should KNOW her if she is seeing him 2 times a week for 30 minutes. He doesn't know her at all!
- Chase has been very upset this week because he feels like he's being asked for information he simply doesn't have. He doesn't know who Mrs. Stofflet is. He would definitely know her if he had been receiving 2 sessions of 30 minutes each week for the past 4.5 months.

I casually asked Chase where he is on Fridays at 1:45, as Mrs. Attaya mentioned that Mrs. Stofflet claimed to see him then with Mr. D. Chase told me he's in Mrs. Horn's class doing reading and currently working on history. He even mentioned that on some Fridays, he's late coming out of school because he's finishing his reading and has to go back to his homeroom to pack up. Mrs. Levin helps him on Fridays at 1:45. He says that sometimes he goes to Mrs. Levin's room at that time to use text-to-speech for his writing instead of staying in the classroom. This information was confirmed by three other students in the classroom, whose parents casually asked them about Friday afternoons. They all stated that Chase is in the classroom with them, and Mrs. Levin is helping.

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12-18-2023 In the morning:

I introduced myself to Mrs. Stofflet via email.

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NOTES according to Mrs. Stofflet:

There have been a few assemblies on Fridays, starting at approximately 1:45 PM, causing Chase to miss his speech sessions. Mrs. Stofflet claims she sees Chase at 1:45 PM on Fridays for his pull-out sessions. She mentioned during a phone call on 12/18 and in an email that "speech" has been skipped sometimes due to assemblies (see below).

Jackie Stofflet wrote:
I work with Chase two times a week for 30 minutes sessions. He is on my schedule for speech on Tuesdays and Fridays from 1:45-2:15pm in a group. We weren’t able to have the group on Friday 12/15 because there was a school wide assembly with Tiger Treats scheduled in the time that our group usually meets. 
Chase is doing well in speech and his progress notes from the related service providers will be sent home tomorrow. Please let me know if there is any additional information that I can provide.

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Jackie Stofflet wrote:
Hi Amie,
I apologize that I didn’t mention it in my last email, but my speech schedule is changing slightly this week and Chase will now be seen on Thursday 10-10:30am and Friday 1:45-2:15pm. 
I will be in his MTSS block on Thursdays going forward. 
I am wondering if maybe Chase is unclear on my role as the speech therapist here at Thorpe? There are lot of paraprofessionals that help cover classes the needed and I am wondering if he thinks that is my role?  He sees me pop in and out of his classes and I also see him on Fridays in a group that I run with Mr. D that focuses on social language skills such as handling social disagreements and perspective taking. 
I am wondering if you might be able to jog his memory and tell him that I am the teacher who runs the Friday afternoon group with Mr. D? Let me know if he knows if that clue helps him remember who I am? 
I will make sure to pull him aside this week and clarify my role as the speech therapist and review our goals. 
Thank you!

 

Notes!
She originally said to Mrs. Attaya that she sees him on Thursday's with Mr. D but I confirmed with Chase and his friend that it's only 3 kids and one teacher on that day so she then changed it to Friday's that she sees him. (see email below)

Email from Megan Attaya (Homeroom Teacher)
Hi Amie,
I spoke with her this morning and she said that she sees him on Tuesdays with another student and on Thursdays (with Mr. D.).
Megan

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12-18-2023

I received a phone call from Mrs. Stofflet and Mrs. Levin together. Mrs. Stofflet reiterated the information from her email. However, something in this conversation caught me off guard. When I mentioned Chase feeling funny and his speech being off, Mrs. Stofflet asked why and what was wrong with him. From our discussion, Mrs. Stofflet did not know that Chase has Epilepsy. This was concerning to me. When I specifically asked about the in-class speech sessions, she mentioned on the phone, as well as in an email, that she "pops in and out." I explained that this isn't typically how Speech Therapy is conducted, and she responded that it's her approach and she doesn't want to single Chase out. Both Stofflet and Levin state "It's been a very weird year and not very fluid."

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12-19-2023

I asked Chase where he is on Fridays at 1:45, and he said he's in Mrs. Horn's classroom until the end of the day. He mentioned they are currently studying history and also working on their writing during that time. Chase added that they often run late while packing up to leave school on Fridays because they spend so much time on writing, and he needs to gather his belongings from Mrs. Attaya's room. See schedule from Mrs. Levin below!

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Notes!
Mrs. Levin sees Chase throughout the week as seen above. According to a schedule emailed to me on 12/18/2023, on Fridays at 1:45, she sees Chase for writing in Mrs. Horn's classroom. This schedule aligns with Chase's statement about where he is and what he is doing at that time, as well as who he is with. According to Mrs. Stofflet, she has Chase in pull-out Speech in another room at the exact same time.

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12-19-2023

I picked up Chase's report card and I stopped into Mr D's office to ask a few questions. He says he's "seen him in the speech room" on Friday afternoons but was unclear on the time. Well, Mrs. Stofflet claims via email it's "run by herself and Mr. D, so that makes no sense he doesn't know the time. (see email below)

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Jackie Stofflet wrote:

Hi Amie,

I apologize that I didn’t mention it in my last email, but my speech schedule is changing slightly this week and Chase will now be seen on Thursday 10-10:30am and Friday 1:45-2:15pm. 

I will be in his MTSS block on Thursdays going forward. 

I am wondering if maybe Chase is unclear on my role as the speech therapist here at Thorpe? There are lot of paraprofessionals that help cover classes the needed and I am wondering if he thinks that is my role?  He sees me pop in and out of his classes and I also see him on Fridays in a group that I run with Mr. D that focuses on social language skills such as handling social disagreements and perspective taking. 

I am wondering if you might be able to jog his memory and tell him that I am the teacher who runs the Friday afternoon group with Mr. D? Let me know if he knows if that clue helps him remember who I am? 

I will make sure to pull him aside this week and clarify my role as the speech therapist and review our goals. 

Thank you!

Jackie 

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Notes:
On 12/19, I discovered we must have twins because Chase is supposedly in two different classrooms at the same time with two different teachers? On Tuesdays, Mrs. Stofflet is supposed to have an "in-class" speech session with Chase. However, Chase says he doesn't see her and claims he doesn't even know who she is. I've confirmed with three other parents that Mrs. Stofflet does not work with Chase in the classroom at all and now he's in writing with Mrs. Levin and Speech with Mrs. Stofflet at the same exact time????

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12-19-2023

I emailed Mrs. Stofflet requesting logs of the dates and times she has seen Chase since September. I also called to request that these logs be emailed to me by the following day. Mrs. Stofflet responded during our phone conversation that she "couldn't provide that." When I insisted that she send me something, she replied, "I will see what I can do!"

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Notes:

It's extremely concerning that a child does not have a set schedule, especially one with epilepsy. His main teacher or homeroom teacher is unaware of when he receives speech therapy, both in and out of the classroom. Although a seizure action plan is in place, the speech teacher is unaware of his epilepsy to begin with and his homeroom teacher seems to not always know his whereabouts. This lack of coordination is alarming. What if he went to the bathroom and didn't return? Without timely intervention, the consequences could be dire.

12-20-2023

I sent a follow up email to Mrs. Stofflet after no response on speech logs.

12-21-2023

Mrs. Stofflet send a letter goes home to parents finally introducing herself after I brought it to her attention that no one knows what her role is in the school. This letter should have been sent the first few weeks of school. Every parent has the right to know who their child sees throughout the day.

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12-22-2023

Still no response from Mrs. Stofflet regarding my emails about service logs.

1-2-2024

Mrs. Stofflet "introduced" herself to Chase in school and asked him if he remembered her. He said, "I've seen you around in the school".

1-4-2023

Chase got out of school, and when I asked about his day, I specifically asked if he saw Mrs. Stofflet. According to her new schedule, she is supposed to see him on Thursdays at 10 am in the classroom. However, Chase said she came in at the end of the day for "reading." When I asked what they worked on, he mentioned that they didn't do anything. I continued to question him, and he explained that neither of them spoke to each other. Mrs. Stofflet sat next to him for approximately 10 minutes but did not communicate with him because he listens to an audiobook and follows along with the words on his computer. There was zero communication during this time.

This situation doesn't align with what I understand as speech therapy. I texted a friend whose daughter is in the same class with Chase and asked her to confirm if Mrs. Stofflet was indeed in the classroom. She responded, "Yes, she sat with Chase." I had a further conversation with this mom over the phone, and together we asked her daughter if there was any talking in the classroom during reading. The student confirmed, "No, it is always quiet when we are reading books because everyone is reading!"

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1-5-2024

Chase had Speech in the computer lab. He stated Mr. D was not in the classroom. Mrs. Stofflet claims that class is run by herself and Mr. D.

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1-5-2024

Amie (mom): Emailed Jackie following up on the first week of sessions after the New Year.  

Hi Jackie,

I just wanted to follow up on Speech this week. I'm not sure if he's logging this in a notebook or not but I'd rather ask each week by email. What days, times and location did Chase receive Speech this week and what did you work on? Thank you!

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1-8-2024

I still haven't heard from Jackie regarding Chase's Speech Therapy notes. I'm following up on this.

Additionally, I spoke to a friend who has insider knowledge of the Special Education department in the school system. They mentioned that two elementary schools in Danvers are struggling and don't have enough staff to meet the IEP needs of students who are considered "not that severe." According to my friend, Lyn O'Neil is apparently the source of this issue and has instructed colleagues to prioritize services for students who are more severe, and do what they can for others.

I was informed that Thorpe School has opened a new Learning Center specifically for children with iPads and those who are non-verbal. Jackie was reportedly instructed to focus as much as possible on these students, and she's unable to manage all students with an IEP, resulting in those who are less severe not receiving their necessary Speech Services.

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2-1-2024 Missed Speech (no makeup)

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2-16 2024 Missed Speech - Email from Mrs. Stofflet: 

Hi Amie,

I just wanted to let you know that when I went to get Chase for his speech session this afternoon he did not want to attend the session with me because his class was watching a movie. I told him that if he decided to stay and watch the movie rather than attend speech, I was going to email you and let you know. Given his options, he decided to stay and watch the move. 

Thank you,

Jackie 

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2-16-2024 - Emailed Mrs. Stofflet and told her to find another pull out day that is not on a Friday or at the end of the day. Here is her response.

Hi Amie,

I just reviewed his attendance sheets and there are only three dates that he has missed for school wide assemblies: 10/13, 12/15, and 1/26. The missed group on 1/26 was made up on the following Monday 1/29/24. I can try to see if he can be moved into another group, but this may not be possible as I try to keep students in groups with other students who are working on similar goals and who are in the same age range. His class schedule also plays a part in when he can be pulled from class as well. 

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NOTE: These dates she's giving are not exactly correct.

 

Random thoughts/information.

On December 15, 2023, a dad we're friends with mentioned that they had an IEP meeting a few weeks before Christmas, during which one of the Special Education personnel admitted they had completely mismanaged what the student was receiving. This person reportedly expressed embarrassment about the situation and made significant changes to rectify the errors.​

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Chase doesn't know the name of his Speech Teacher and it's 4 months into the school year. He doesn't know where her classroom is located, says she's not in his classroom for push in speech and says he's never sat with Jackie and Mr. D at the same time) Speech is NOT happening and this is NOT ok! Chase did not receive OT in the first Semester of his Kindergarten year as a fact and we believe in 2nd grade they were not giving him OT when we questioned it just like Speech this year! I have documentation of this.

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1/26/2024

Chase is finally on a schedule "as of the first of the year" now that we caught them not providing his Speech services at all this school year. He's scheduled on Thursdays (random times) and Fridays at 1:45. They do two assemblies a month for the entire school (how convenient as it's during Chase's pull out day) These assemblies are on Fridays, twice a month at the end of the day. According to the speech person, she said a few days were missed when I confronted her in December due to the School wide assembly. Again, we know for a fact they only started giving him speech services in January as soon as we uncovered all of this. I assumed they would stay on top of this and not mess around but they did not give him Speech today and this will happen again in two weeks. And again in two weeks, etc.

 

Here are her bogus notes she emailed me in December on why certain Friday's were missed and I needed to "jog his memory" of who she is.

 

October 13, Assembly

November 10 - Veterans Day No School

November 17 - Teacher Out

November 24 - Friday after Thanksgiving, No School

December 1 - Chase Absent

December 15 - Assembly

 

NOW January 26 Assembly

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2/16/2024 Email's between Jackie Stofflet and myself

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Jackie Stofflet wrote:

Hi Amie,

I just wanted to let you know that when I went to get Chase for his speech session this afternoon he did not want to attend the session with me because his class was watching a movie. I told him that if he decided to stay and watch the movie rather than attend speech, I was going to email you and let you know. Given his options, he decided to stay and watch the move. 

Thank you,

Jackie 

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Amie Keefe wrote:

Hi Jackie, I was planning to reach out soon. I'd like his Friday session moved to another day. There are too many days missed because of Friday's having a lot of "No School Days", Assemblies twice a month ant that time and other things popping up because it's the end of the school day on a Friday. He's already missed more than half his speech days this year and he's extremely behind. Please let me know which other day you can see him. 

Thank you!

Amie

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Jackie Stofflet wrote:

Hi Amie,

I just reviewed his attendance sheets and there are only three dates that he has missed for school wide assemblies: 10/13, 12/15, and 1/26. The missed group on 1/26 was made up on the following Monday 1/29/24. I can try to see if he can be moved into another group, but this may not be possible as I try to keep students in groups with other students who are working on similar goals and who are in the same age range. His class schedule also plays a part in when he can be pulled from class as well. 

Jackie 

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Amie Keefe wrote:

Hi Jackie,

Unfortunately, it has been more days missed than that. He was not seen at all prior to December. Now that he has a schedule, he's seen on a day/time that is missed often throughout the school year because of the day of the week it falls on. It does not work for us and we need Fridays changed to a midday/midweek pullout. Thank you!

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Notes:

Jackie never responded to the last email above!

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More thoughts:

After speaking to several families about their children with disabilities and IEP's, the ones who fit a similar profile are also finding that their child is not making the effective progress they'd hoped. The parents who's children with autism and other profound disabilities have been happy with their education. Why we ask? Those children who stand out are getting the services they need. Which is great. But some disabilities you can't see on the outside. Chase and other children with a language base disability for example, are flying under the radar while the other children are getting a Fair and Appropriate Public Education. My children deserves this as well and I will continue to fight until my voice is heard. Chase deserves a chance just like everyone else.

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5-23-2024 IEP meeting with attorney present.

Notes: Halfway through the meeting, Eric Oxford picked up his stuff to "take a phone call" walked out and never returned. Later stating when "The Superintended calls, you answer!" IMO you do not walk out of a very important IEP meeting that YOU are facilitating.

I heard from several parents, he did this to them as well and gave the same excuse!

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Additionally, during this meeting, Christine McGuire, the OT observation person, mentioned that although she's never had the opportunity to work directly with Chase, she did remember working with his wonderful brother Kaiden back in 2016. This caught us off guard because she was Chase's OT teacher in Kindergarten and 1st grade. She flat out stated she's NEVER worked with Chase, yet she wrote progress reports about his progress and sent emails to us regarding him. How can she remember his brother from so long ago but not Chase, who has a profound profile and is a child she should certainly remember? This raises the question: did Chase actually receive OT services, or were these progress reports fabricated to pretend he did?

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6-17-2024 Graduation Day

We had a few thank-you gifts to give: one for the secretary, the school nurse, his 5th-grade teacher, and Mr. D, the social-emotional teacher. Chase has always found it challenging to talk to adults in these situations, even those he's known for a long time. He asked me to come with him to give out the gifts. Mr. D was the last on our list. As we approached his classroom, the door was closed. For the first time, Chase said to me, "I got this!" I asked, "Are you sure?" He replied, "Definitely."

When we reached the door, it was closed. I suggested he might want to knock, but he said, "Nope, it's okay. It's usually closed. I can go in." I want to note that there was no sign on the door indicating a meeting was in progress. Chase opened the door, only to have it slammed in his face. A teacher rushed out and scolded him firmly, saying, "You cannot come in here; there is an IEP meeting." Chase, unaware of what an IEP meeting is, tried to explain that he had a gift for Mr. D and wanted to give it to him. The teacher pushed him out of the room again, saying, "NO, you cannot come in. You need to leave. I will give it to Mr. D." Then she shut the door on him again.

Chase turned around with tears streaming down his face. He looked at me, then looked down and said, "I am so stupid. I never should have done that. I will never do that again. I want to kill myself."

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And this is how he has ended his years at Thorpe Elementary school.

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Regarding Clark School, we understand it is not DESE approved. However, we believe it would be a great fit for Chase's needs. Due to his health, we cannot choose a DESE-approved school that is too far away. Driving him to NH or Newton every day is not feasible, and he cannot take transportation due to his epilepsy. Clark School is the only viable option given our circumstances. We are aware that other Massachusetts school districts fund students attending Clark School, including at least one family from Danvers. Why are we being made an exception when we have a very valid reason for needing to send Chase to Clark School?