CPS Question on Parental Rights and Enrollment Decisions (Chicago, Vermont: brokers, lawyers)

[urbanchillage]

Hello,

I am having a developing issue it seems with our local CPS Principal who apparently does not respect our wish to enroll our child (born June 2008) into 1st grade instead of 2nd grade. He has moved from overseas and straight out of Kindergarten, this is a big change for him and English is his 2nd language - for example, he cannot read. I understood from family here that it would be our decision that he would be held back and start 1st grade but we are getting some very strong pushback from the CPS Principal even saying that she will 'make the decision for us' and is adamant that he will go straight to 2nd grade. Can anyone help with any links or resources as to what is our specific rights on this topic? If I want to hold my child back, then I will hold him back.. this seemed to be a universal truth.. until I encountered the CPS it seems. I also don't understand why she feels so strongly about this, what could be their incentive to want to place him straight into 2nd grade even though he can't read and hasn't had a 1st grade yet?

[NealIRC]

There's a big difference between not knowing how to read/write English and not read/write at all. So if he can read/write in another language. I presume it's with the same alphabet system.

But you know, I know a Mexican guy who learned English for the 1st time when he was placed in 3rd grade. As a 3rd grader he had to learn to read/write English for the 1st time. He's now in college, speaks English fluently, but not good at writing.

Anyways, I can't answer the legality of your question, seems strange to me.

[chet everett]

Among the myriad of bad edicts that CPS hands down, the power brokers that dominate CPS have long held that "red shirting" is something that they work to stamp out, regardless of what negative consequences this may cause -- Parents bothered by age maximum in Chicago schools - tribunedigital-chicagotribune

I recommend seeking out a private school or relocating to a suburb that is more flexible.

[Newe]

If it's possible at all for you, avoid CPS schools altogether. There is at least one French language school and a German language school here, if your child speaks either of those languages.

I have a son with severe autism and EVERY YEAR he was in CPS schools they put him in a new school because the teacher insisted that she could not teach him and wanted him out of her class. From kindegarten to 3rd grade, he had to go to a new school EVERY YEAR. They insisted that he would never read and he can't learn math...... he taught himself to read at 3 years old and taught himself basic math at age 5. He HATES reading and doing math, so he pretends to not be able to do it so that he can get out of it. So, you have 4 years of teachers who are being outsmarted by a severely autistic 7 year old who doesn't feel like doing schoolwork. I took him to school one day and said he could read, and proved it by giving him a book and telling him to read it aloud. (BTW, I should have known they were going to be trouble when I first enrolled him in kindegarten. He wasn't enrolled for over 3 months because the CENTRAL OFFICE didn't know if they had schools that would accept children with autism and suggested that I call around to different schools to see if I could find one. The STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION had to find the school for me and they said that it's actually the job of the CENTRAL OFFICE of CPS to find schools for autism... and they had MANY schools that had classes for children with autism.)

The last straw came when the principal called DCFS (children's services) numerous times in one year and said they wanted me arrested if my son isn't sent to a mental institution because his level of autism can't be handled by a school. A mental hospital for children and TWO different social services agencies were so outraged that they offered to have their lawyers represent me in court if I had to go. The social services agencies, DCFS, and two different children's psychiatric hospitals all observed him and said (which I knew and told the schools more than once) he had no problems with learning new things, he was already reading above his grade level, he was a little behind in math, he had no problems with aggression or anger, and his biggest problem is simply that he has autism and doesn't really speak. (I gave him homework at home that was age appropriate because the school basically sent "homework" that had him coloring letters.)

He's going to a private school this year and is more functional, has more challenging schoolwork, and actually likes going to school.

[NOLA101]

Move to the suburbs. Suburban districts are are more flexible with "redshirting".

[newcar]

Originally Posted by Brandon010181

Hello,

I am having a developing issue it seems with our local CPS Principal who apparently does not respect our wish to enroll our child (born June 2008) into 1st grade instead of 2nd grade. He has moved from overseas and straight out of Kindergarten, this is a big change for him and English is his 2nd language - for example, he cannot read. I understood from family here that it would be our decision that he would be held back and start 1st grade but we are getting some very strong pushback from the CPS Principal even saying that she will 'make the decision for us' and is adamant that he will go straight to 2nd grade. Can anyone help with any links or resources as to what is our specific rights on this topic? If I want to hold my child back, then I will hold him back.. this seemed to be a universal truth.. until I encountered the CPS it seems. I also don't understand why she feels so strongly about this, what could be their incentive to want to place him straight into 2nd grade even though he can't read and hasn't had a 1st grade yet?

Because, if he's in 1st grade, he'll have an unfair advantage over the rest of his classmates since he'll be older. Anyways, it may turn out to be a good thing that they're forcing him into 2nd grade. My wife and I were both redshirted(we both have August birthdays) and we hated it. We felt like we were robbed a year. We didn't graduate high school and get out into the real world until we were almost 19. It didn't feel good at all. We both decided that we wanted to give our child the opportunities we didn't have. We were living in Vermont when we had our daughter. She was born on December 25th and the cut-off is January 1st. We were able to enroll her when she was 4. Then, after she finished 1st grade, we moved to Minnesota, where the cut-off is September 1st. That meant that a third of the kids a grade below were older than her. And you know what? She feels really good about it. She's now 11 starting 7th grade, and she enjoys being able to rub it in people's faces that she's learning the same material as them at a younger age. She does well for the most part, but when she does do poorly, we can always use her age as an excuse. She's already a grade above most of her peers, so she's under no pressure to do well, and we're not under a lot of pressure to push her. Because we know that no matter how she does in school, she will always be above average.

[Drover]

I didn't "get out into the real world" (to the extent that college is "the real world") until I was almost 19. Exactly what opportunities did I miss that were afforded to, say, my sister who graduated high school before her 18th birthday?

[newcar]

Originally Posted by Drover

I didn't "get out into the real world" (to the extent that college is "the real world") until I was almost 19. Exactly what opportunities did I miss that were afforded to, say, my sister who graduated high school before her 18th birthday?

First of all, we didn't go to college. We went straight into the workforce after high school(there are lots of jobs that don't require college degrees). We were sick and tired of going to classes and doing assignments. School seemed like a game to us, and we decided that we weren't going to wait another 4 years before we could do adult stuff. And your sister got to do everything a year earlier than you did. That's what I mean. Weren't you ever mad at your parents for redshirting you, but not your sister?

[Drover]

Yes, I'm still seething mad at my parents 20+ years later that I didn't start my senior year in high school at 16 years old.

What "everything" did my sister get to do a year earlier than I did? How does this equate to a loss of opportunity? I got to drive my sophomore year; she had to wait until her junior year. I got to vote while I was still in high school. She had to wait until she was already out. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't change our lives one way or the other.

[newcar]

Originally Posted by Drover

Yes, I'm still seething mad at my parents 20+ years later that I didn't start my senior year in high school at 16 years old.

What "everything" did my sister get to do a year earlier than I did? How does this equate to a loss of opportunity? I got to drive my sophomore year; she had to wait until her junior year. I got to vote while I was still in high school. She had to wait until she was already out. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't change our lives one way or the other.

I'm sorry, but your parents cheated. They set you up so you would always be compared to kids a year younger than you, and therefore making sure you would be top of your class in everything. I mean, of course you're going to do better than kids who are a year younger than you. Unfair doesn't even begin to describe it. And I know I'm going to get the whole "You don't know other people's situations", but the thing is, that's a cop-out. Anyone can say that they didn't feel their child was ready to start on time. Children should have to meet certain qualifications to be redshirted, just as they would have to to start a year early. I mean, my daughter just started 7th grade, and there are at least 2 13 year olds in all her classes. That's ridiculous! Of course they're going to do better than her! They're a year and a half older than her!