Case Studies
Pushy Parents
Jamal was a first year teacher at Hull Elementary School. He had worked hard to learn all the school procedures, set up his classroom for the success of all students, and was aware of all students with special needs. He thought he was prepared for anything. The third week of school, Amaya’s parents called to set up a meeting with him. Jamal thought this was strange as he had only seen Amaya a couple of times and she had done well in class. He knew Amaya had difficulty with transitions and was sometimes unable to participate in class because of mobility issues (Amaya uses a wheelchair).
When Jamal arrived at the meeting, he saw both of Amaya’s parents, the Principal, and an advocate with a degree in special education law. The parents and advocate were very vocal in their opposition to Amaya being “excluded” from activities because of her disability and demanded that she receive a special music class each week and that her inclusion music class be made 100% accessible to her.
Jamal didn’t say much in the meeting because he was completely intimidated by the parents and advocate. The Principal did not really seem to be in his corner either. Jamal went home after the meeting to think about how to proceed.
