Sports and IEP's does the responsibility extend to the field

Katherine - posted on 09/30/2012

Uh oh. This thread is done. Delwood is male. Sorry guys.





Katherine

Administrator

WtCoM

Delwood Christopher - posted on 09/30/2012

Also why is it the if your in the class room teacher are expected to teach and follow IEP instruction but when the kids are on the field everything changes. Mean teacher or mean coach is there a difference. There both teacher in high school. I guess our kids need to hear f-bombs dropped while at practices also. I guess since that acceptable in pro sports and collegiate, it good enough for high school.

Delwood Christopher - posted on 09/30/2012

I left out that he was assaulted by 1 of the players called a fag. The kids said he was homophobic and for my son to stay away from him. He was then pushed down on the bleacher his lip was split open. My son did nothing in retaliation. Before my son started this new school I informed the Head Coach that my son had ADHD and was on an IEP. before I started him at this school. There are 4 teacher coaches certified in Special Education 1 of them was doing the screaming. I am a Strength Coach who has worked with middle school, high school, Collegiate and Pro Athletes and I have never had to be negative or belittle an athlete ever. My son was having trouble with the plays. The team did not us play books. so he had nothing to study. As a teacher of kids with learning disabilities what would you do in this case? I had to instruct the Head Coach who is certified in special education to please write the plays down so he could bring them home and study. I did a follow up call the next week and the coach said that they didnt have time to wait for my son and that the team was going to have to move on without him. My son does not have any discipline issues and is said to be very respectful and nice to all of his teacher. Christian my son is also a high level travel baseball player and finished in the top 250 out of 1200 at the nike high school combine. I just had to move for financial reasons from my sosns old school. Christian is 17.

Katherine - posted on 09/30/2012

Dang Sapphire! You've got it pegged!

Sapphire - posted on 09/30/2012

Let me play devil's advocate for a moment, and then I hope you can clarify some questions.



In your son's IEP, are there specific goals outlined for each after school activity in the same manner that he may have academic and behavioral goals? If so, what are the specific goals for after-school sports? Is it taking a break every few moments? Not sitting on the bench, but allowed to walk? Omitted from "taking a knee"?



How old is your son? What grade? High school level can be vague ranging from Freshman to Varsity level. Freshman levels are obviously beginners and simply learning the ropes of High school, whereas at the Varsity levels, students are highly competative and seeking scholarships. It is the very nature of the Varisty level to weed-out the players who do not perform on a high standard and coaches can most certainly turn from nurturing and competative to screaming, belittling, and bullying. That's the sad truth.



You state that the IEP says he is to participate in sports. So, is he not participating? What outcome would you like to see? Are you making the claim that your son is specifically targeted by the coaches because he has ADHD? Or are there other reasons? I'm just not sure what accommodation you would like to see in regard to football/baseball.



I would also like to know if your son is automatically placed on the teams versus trying out and making the cut. There may be some bias against your son if he was automatically placed on the teams, and the coaches did not have any say in the matter. If your son bypassed players that may have been more athletically inclined, honestly, the coaches may feel some resentment towards your son. Also at the high school level, nothing is sugar-coated!



Please know there are some amazing coaches out there, and then not so great. Have you personally witnessed any verbal screaming and yelling by the coach directed solely at your son? Or, what it a general "chewing out" directed at the entire team? Is your information from your son and corraborated by other players? Could your son be misunderstandingr a harsh speech about specific plays and personalizing it? Could the coach be giving a grand motivational speech and the tone of his words are strict?



How has your son suffered? Drop in grades? No longer wishes to play? Change in friends? Withdrawn? Isolated?



Like I said earlier- just playing devil's advocate. Some parents, not all, use ADHD as a crutch instead of teaching students, especially at the high school level. I am in no way implying that you are using the ADHD as an excuse in the least, but I am just unsure what you really want. Maybe the coaches to be "nicer"?



I've seen a lot in 16years of being in the classroom. I have my undergrad degree in Special Ed. Master's in Curriculum, Instruction, & Ed. Leadership. I teach Freshman English. I have a variety of students ranging from Gifted/Advanced, to my extremely low level students. This year, my 5th & 6th period classes are my struggling low level IEP, ELL kids. I have a dozen of them on the Freshman football team, and mor ein upcoming sports. I tutor them every single Monday & Wednesday. Yes- I have plenty of students at all academic levels with ADD/ADHD. But, this is also high school and are expected to perform at satisfactory academic levels. I find myself using the same academic motivational strategies that some of the coaches use in athletics. How are we really preparing our youth for the real world and success in life? They will constantly be up against "mean" people, or teachers & coaches that are not exactly "nice".



I look forward to your response.

Katherine - posted on 09/30/2012

Go higher up. That's what I would do. He obviously doesn't get it! That's very shallow of him.