Battle

So Niko hates school.  I know, right?  He's usually wild about school. Mad about school.  Last year he loved his teacher, loved the bus, loved his homework.  This year he cries.  Suddenly I hear that he's aggressive.  Each morning he begs, "Mama home?" and wails while I put his clothes on.

You know me.  You know where my mind goes.  As soon as I heard that he was assigned to the same school where he was "allegedly" abused before, I stood my ground until he was switched to a different school. YAY!  But he's regressing in potty training, even at the new place.  He's changing.

We have an emergency IEP meeting scheduled for tomorrow.  They, once again, feel like he would do better in an autistic placement.  I'm not certain how I feel about that placement, but I know for sure that he is NOT thriving where he is now.  But I was just pulled aside and informed that I should "check Niko for marks".  That two kids in the special ed department from his new school have pulled their kids out.

Nobody should have to check their kids for marks as soon as they step off the bus.

The meeting is tomorrow.  My husband took work off so we can attend together.  It isn't going to be how it was last time.  I'm not going to weep and cry and shudder to the ground.  I'm going to dismantle everything if I have to.  Scream the walls down.  Call the media.  Carry a fiery sword and defend our children.

I also found out that the schools have no record of the abuse that went on before.  They have record that they suggested an autistic classroom for my non-autistic son and I stubbornly refused, but no record that an earlier teacher put her hands on him.  Repeatedly.  With witnesses that refused to speak up when interviewed later.  This will change.  All of this will change.  This is mostly because I have changed. I'm not going to be intimidated anymore.  I'm going to look this broken system in the eye and say, "I'm stronger than you."