Parents--especially parents of children with autism or other special needs--please pay attention to…read morereviews when you see them. If something does not feel right, do not ignore that feeling. I wish I had taken the previous reviews more seriously before enrolling my child at Eucalyptus School.
I came across another parent's review describing her experience with her autistic child, and after what my own family experienced, I can say that so much of what she described mirrors what happened to us--and unfortunately, my experience went even further.
I advocated continuously for my child because I believed his safety, education, and disability-related needs were not being properly addressed. What disturbed me most was what happened once I began asking more questions and requesting answers in writing. Communication changed. Emails went unanswered, and instead of responding to my concerns through email, I was repeatedly encouraged to communicate by phone or in person. As a parent dealing with serious concerns involving my child, I wanted written communication and a clear paper trail.
Eventually, I made the decision to remove my child from this school. What I discovered afterward was even more upsetting. Despite the conversations I had been having regarding assessments and services for my child, when I attempted to move forward elsewhere, I was unable to locate the documentation, completed assessments, or records I expected to exist so that another school or district could simply continue the process. Instead, I learned that my child could potentially have to begin parts of this process again.
There were also multiple occasions when I was told things regarding my child that, based on what I personally observed or subsequently learned, did not match what I understood had actually occurred. That destroyed my confidence in the school.
I want to be very clear: I am not writing this review simply because I am upset with a school. I documented my experience. I have retained emails, photographs, videos, and other information related to what occurred. I believe parents have a responsibility to speak up when something involving their child's safety, education, or disability services does not seem right.
I am now pursuing appropriate legal remedies to obtain answers regarding what occurred with my child. I will allow that process to determine responsibility and the appropriate outcome.
But this is bigger than my child.
I am speaking because another autistic child will walk through those doors after mine. Another parent may find themselves asking the same questions, sending unanswered emails, trying to understand what is happening with their child's education and services, and wondering whether they are the only one experiencing it.
You are not the only one.
Parents of children with disabilities have to support one another, document what happens, ask questions, request answers in writing, and continue advocating when something does not seem right. If someone else's child were experiencing what mine experienced, I would hope another parent would speak up for them too.
That is why I am speaking up now--not only for my child, but for the children who come after him.
Parents, please pay attention. Document everything. Ask questions. And when you see multiple families describing similar experiences, do not automatically dismiss those concerns.
