Parent’s Perspective: Lindy Lee

Lindy Lee

Public vs Private: Our Experience

We are the Lee’s, an intercultural family with two special needs children living with Autism and Anxiety in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

When our oldest child was entering preschool, we chose Montessori. We loved the class size, freedom, patience and hands-on experience that our child craved. If it were not for the cost, we would likely continue with Montessori.

We moved two years ago and entered public school for the first time. We’ve struggled to hold the school accountable in implementing the IEP as written. Multiple IEP meetings over the past year proved frustrating. The staff at our school was not trained or supported adequately in special needs with an emphasis on emotional disturbances. This concern was heightened when our child (in kindergarten, who struggles with social anxiety and has difficulty communicating when anxious) was restrained in front of his classmates for over twenty minutes. This escalated a tense moment while also not considering the dignity of our child (by doing so in front of classmates), not making clear the attempts made to de-escalate prior to restraint, and one that negatively impacted our child’s perspective of the school moving forward.

We have now considered homeschooling. We are thankful to live in an area that has a strong and supportive homeschooling network with many opportunities for socialization…a large concern when leaving public school. We are looking forward to the extra family time.

• What You Need to Know If You Unenroll Your Child From Public School, Private Schools, Home Education & IEPs
• ADVICE NEEDED! Homeschooling Curriculum For a Special Needs Child!
• Family-School Collaboration Focusing on Quality of Life for All
• The IEP Is Written… Now What Do I Do?
• Public School vs. Private School: The Pros and Cons
• How can parents prepare for an IEP Meeting? (Part 1)
• Whether it’s Your First IEP or You’re a Pro: 10 things to Cover at the Meeting
• Know Your Rights in the IEP Process: What Do those Procedural Safeguards Really Mean?
• Restraints in School: What Can You Do?

This post originally appeared on our July/August 2018 Magazine