We recently pulled our neurodivergent child from Saint Patrick Academy (SPA). I am sharing the following information to express my opinion and our overall experience as a family.
I feel SPA struggled to understand our child as a neurodivergent student. My child was often labeled as "defiant" and "loud" leading to my child being regularly sent to the office. My child felt as if nothing they did was ever right.
We decided to leave a month and a half into the 2024-2025 school year after I walked in on my child's teacher visibly angry, when my child was repeatedly attempting to explain something to her.
The teacher did not let up or back off my child even after seeing me at the doorway, and walked my child out of the classroom.
Once outside of the classroom, she threatened my child (in front of me) stating, "I don't need to take anyone that yells at me to the field trip today," which was the reason I was there.
High functioning or not, neurodivergent children process things differently. The way you respond and react to their behaviors can significantly impact that child. Punishment creates shame, especially for a special needs child. I feel this is something SPA repeatedly failed to understand.
In response to my complaint I was told to respect their profession when they themselves did not act professionally on many occasions:
1. I was told by my child's male teacher it "just gets worse when they get their period." I was in disbelief when he said this over the phone. Why is my young child's future menstrual cycle any of your concern?
2. We were asked to come in and sit in our child's classroom to offer the teacher assistance with our child, then, I was told by the secretary, "you're not really doing anything just sitting there" so this time (6 hours per week) would not count towards the 75 total required volunteer hours due at the end of the school year. (I took SDI/PFL and missed time off work to be there). Another staff member advocated for us and these hours did end up counting. But the awkwardness/dissatisfaction from a certain office staff member each morning after this request was uncomfortably apparent.
3. After being completely transparent about our child's diagnoses, a staff member stated our child does not take responsibility for negative actions/words. I had to explain to this staff member due to our child being on the spectrum they are often unable to control their impulsive behavior and is a characteristic of the diagnosis. Instead of continuing to complain about a child with special needs, why not research the condition and learn more about the disability itself?
I understand SPA is not a good fit for my child but the school should acknowledge the incident which occurred with my child's teacher, the morning of the scheduled field trip, was not okay.
As parents, we understand/understood our responsibility as primary educators, were extremely involved, fully present. We participated as much as we could, and were very communicative with the school regarding our child. Any request they asked of us, we were there at the drop of a dime.
Things I learned:
Private schools are not required to offer a FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education).
Even if your child has an official medical diagnosis, it does not mean they will qualify for a IEP (Individualized Education Plan) if they are attending a private school. Because Saint Patrick's receives federal funds, you may qualify for a 504 plan. We had to jump through hoops trying to get the IEP and make it work for our child. In hindsight, it was simply not worth it.
Also keep in mind in California, teachers within a private school setting do not need to be credentialed. (I am not sure if the SPA staff is) You can research information related to FAPE, IEP's, 504's, and teacher credentialing online.
I will say, the Assistant Principal who is also the Learning Center Director, was always kind to us. She was with us every step of the way when we were trying to obtain an IEP for our child and worked tirelessly to support us. She never belittled us or made us feel like a bother. (Like many other staff did). We will always appreciate her graciousness towards us.
Do your own research before enrolling. Also look at the "reviews not currently recommended" all the way at the bottom of this page. Those may provide additional insight and information not listed on the main page. Weigh the pros and cons. Don't be afraid of exploring public or homeschool options. Private doesn't mean better.
To me, SPA did not have the capacity or resources to nurture the emotional development of **our** neurodivergent child. I feel the staff truly needs training in this area.
Above anything else, our child's mental and emotional wellbeing is why we decided to pull our child out immediately after the incident I witnessed for myself.
Wishing anyone who reads this the best on their child's educational journey. It's tough, but always be your child's best advocate. read more
