What Is it With Schools?
I’m not convinced that K’s school understand how terribly debilitating his pain is. And — given that this is a school that is supposed to specialise in supporting children with physical disabilities — they aren’t being as supportive as I hoped they might be.
After having been absent because of a couple of pretty bad days, he went in for 2 lessons in the afternoon. He had begged not to go but I, effectively, bullied him into going (something I now deeply regret). However, I did promise that, if he really couldn’t cope, he should:
- Ask to be allowed to lie down in the Medical Room for a while
- If resting didn’t help, ask the school to contact me and I would decide if he should come home again
Three quarters of the way through the first hour-long lesson, he couldn’t manage any longer, so he asked to go to the Medical Room to rest. After 10 – 15 minutes sitting in the room (apparently, they won’t allow him to lie down), he asked if I could be contacted. The school refused — on the grounds that there was only 1 lesson left, so he should try and manage for the last hour!
I’m still trying to get my head around why on earth they thought that they should over-rule me & make this decision. He isn’t their son! This wasn’t a child trying to get out of school early. They know full well that he has a documented, chronic, pain condition and that he had been especially bad only a few days before.
Apart from the fact that they have now placed themselves in a very dubious position legally, they have completely undermined his confidence in school as a “safe place where people care about him”. He is now frightened that, if his pain does increase whilst in school, he will be forced to stay there.
Gee — thanks, guys…
Leave a Reply