That boy is mine. Actually he's just on loan from the Lord above, but still I'm gonna claim that one. He was the first of my children to steal my heart. He is pestery, ornery, moves to the beat of his own little drum and just the sweetest child. But he is mine....and I will fight to the end of the earth for him.
And fighting is what we are doing.
My son started homeschooling when he was in second grade. We pulled him from the public school system in order to get the medical treatment he needed for a neurological issue. We fought for him. For a year and a half, we saw a boatload of medical specialists out of Iowa city. We fought for him.
Fast forward to a couple of years ago, our son started expressing an interest in getting back into the classroom. Could he handle it? We worried. It's been a long time. But we decided that it was a good decision to allow him to try a couple of classes at the high school here in town last year. To test the waters. To pray.
He loved it.
So this year we allowed him to go full time to high school. To learn. To be surrounded by friends. To be happy. Still we prayed.
However, since he was coming into the school a little later he was lacking some of the credits in order to graduate. We knew they would not accept anything "parent taught". That we could understand. So in order to make up the credits we enrolled him in some Johns Hopkins online high school courses. They are a highly respected university program which is fully accredited. This way he could take the courses in his spare time, weekends, summertime and even on holidays. He could make up the credits in a way that would not overwhelm him.
The school district refused to accept the credits.
Denied. A. Diploma.
They would like him to repeat courses that he has already taken years ago. To go backwards in life. He only has two more years left. There is not enough time to complete the credits in order for him to graduate. So we are fighting again for our son.
Denied. A. Diploma.
If you would have asked me as we sat in so many doctor's offices that our son would be able to, much less, want to walk across the stage and get a diploma, I'm not sure I would have believed it. He is a straight A student and super smart. But this is something he just doesn't understand. Neither do we. How can a school district pledge so valiantly to give each child every opportunity they can to graduate, yet....not our child? How can a school district not hear the plea from a child who stands there and asks them to "treat him just like any other student and allow him to graduate"?
Denied. A. Diploma.
We have appealed to as far up as the school board. But still. We are fighting. Fighting again for our son. Fighting for something that he wants and should be given. Fighting.
Please do not tell me that he doesn't need a diploma to get into college. Every school official has told us that one. As homeschoolers, we already knew that. But this is what our son wants. To experience this. And why oh why, should he not be able to.
Denied. A. Diploma.
So it is hard for us right now to figure out what to do. Do you continue to send your son to a school for the next two years that in the end will give you nothing except a "see ya" and a swift kick out the door? Or do you move your entire family away to another school district with a new school, new friends, new swim team, uproot them all? Why should we have to leave an area that we love?
Denied. A. Diploma.
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