Being expelled from school

Dear Bloggers,

A strange situation has occurred at our community, at the elementary school. A 10 year old boy was placed on our school as has former elementary school could not handle him anymore. Due to their incompetent attitude towards the child and the other parents, the situation has been dragging on for years. These parents have been saddled up with a strange situation as all of a sudden their 10 year old son was expelled from our school. It was not the school that send him off but the school board committee made this sudden  decision. Somehow in the back of my head something tells me there must have been some kind of  complaints to remove a child from a school with no further notice. He is big bloke for his age but needs a lot of attention. Yes, he is quite a handful although you simply handle him with bare structures and a straight follow up of things he needs to do. Probably some children have been scared of his massive being and complaint at home. They possibly have been ringing some bells at the address of Primo. I anyway think that the Dutch education system is not capable to handle these kind of kids. So let us say that we need to call attention to the more than 16,000 children who are officially truants, from their position that they themselves sit at home because their gifted with some kind of an attention disorder and there is no suitable school for them. Let me give you some facts that I could find

Yeah, it's like that the Minister of Education, Culture and Science (Ms Bussemaker) itself indicates over 16,000. And there are even more than for the previous school year 1600 more than in the 2011-2012 school year.

The numbers given by the minister herself :

I took the data in their house letter of  2010-2011 2009-2010

1. Absolute failure 8098 6878

Returned to school 4297 3599

2. Number of truants

A) start school 2296 2269

B) increase during

the school year 3140 2913

C) returned to school 3281 2414

3. Number of exemptions 3107 2964

Total according to definition 16 641 15 024 absolute failure, truants and exemption

 

With the term "truants" means the Minister pupils who should be enrolled in a school, but more than 4 weeks at home. For these students, the school is responsible. With "absolute failure" means the Minister school children / youth who are not enrolled in one (or not funded with) education. These children / young people do not go to school.

When both data are added leads to a group of 13,534 students in the 2010-2011 school year unjustified was not enrolled in school (absolute failure), or it was registered but longer than 4 weeks sat at home without a valid reason.

In the 2009-2010 school year was about 12,060 students.

If the number of exemptions here to be added, resulting in 2009-2010 a number of 15 024 and 16 641 students in 2010-2011. (This does not take into account the number of students in the course of the school year is returned to teaching.)

For exemptions talks about children who do not go to school because they need here are exempt. These children are officially not appropriate for school. This group as a newcomer many gifted children .

If you look at the background of the home are you come out on :

a third are gifted children

a third (potential) children with a so called backpack (for disability and behavioral)

a third adolescents (crime, drugs, alcohol problems in the child or the parents, problems at home)

For about 8,500 of the children covered by absolute failure, you can argue that there is accounting deregistration due to act embarrassment of the school, or school do not know what they should do for these children. School helps them not at a school that knows and can do. The responsibility lies with the Minister but the parents and according to her, the compulsory here required action.

However, if you for example look at the situation of this family the guys of  Primo Opsterland, the school board committee would like to send him to special school in Leeuwarden. According to the psychological welfare reports this would be a too long trip for the young bloke as he has trouble to sit still for such a long time and in half a years time there is space at a school nearby. The school board committee had no intention to listen to the parents as they already had made their choices and expelled him straight away. There answer was “we already started the procedure.” But you can not conclude that the parents have not gigantic done their best for their child to stay at school as the previous school had totally failed to handle him. Their son is now at home without any form of education, although our  school is bringing him some homework. When he was still enrolled in school, it was denied access a number of lessons. The school still feels obliged to give him some sort of an education and he will not get too far behind with his learning skills. Their son was removed from the previous school because of the embarrassment operation of the school.

The defense of the school board committee came down that she felt she had done enough by finding a school in Leeuwarden for further education by referring to a education providing for pupils with severe behavioral problems and to system for learning support.

The parents have as far as I understand rightly refused because there was no questions asked if their child is able to travel that far due to his impulsive kind of a behavior. They also indicated that the trip to Leeuwarden was not an option, because their boy is gifted therefor he is quickly bored and having ADHD makes him a person that runs all day in the fifth gear. In response, the school board committee says that the school system that gives education in the Netherlands simply is not set to the supervision of students as their son.

And now comes the curve: the school states that education in the Netherlands ( Not talking about the expensive private education which is also possible.) simply is not set to the accompaniment of these children and therefore, the attendance officer says that the parents are saddled up with their child sitting at home. Do you get it yet? I do not. Unfortunately I do not  know more families where there is a similar situation: school failure and the responsibility of this failure is on the school board committee.

The result of all this: they are awaiting a lawsuit as their child needs the special education.

There is an impasse. The parents say that there is no school at the moment for the boy, but I think he really can go anywhere. With a supervision order, I would love to help my family to  to find a suitable school. 

Can someone explain to me why the appointment of a appropriate school can be turned by the school board committee and make that the school is indicating action to be taken to get him some extra help? In this: during the time he was educated here at school. A prerequisite for this school is that the lessons are not followed within the regular borders you should just give him some other way of education. His learning skills are not the problem but his way of running through life in the fast lane is.
 
Sitting at home is not fun: you lose your friends and rhythm of life. You feel being left out, put aside. "I lack something. In addition, the children in a learning. Parents who have sufficient money can still choose the option private education. This option is not for most parents.

 
What should actually happen:

At work I see a lot of children who have learning difficulties and now successfully remain standing in the school system. Well, I see clear difference in children where the school their supports in the other approach were I talked about. I see the children at the elementary or secondary education already have grown in their learning, behavior and attitude. They can and want, sometimes only insight and tools needed for their learning and behavior. Come on guys of the school board committee it is not that hard, you are not only hired to earn your salaries by doing nothing else then to decide for others.

 
The Minister indicated that the national budget is based on enrolled students. The number of students not enrolled has no surplus in the national budget result she says. However, there is a certain number of students per school year. Are the files of the absolute homesitters from the bag of the minister as they count on the National Budget? The government holds 80 million per year to the children that "absolute truants are. Indeed they are not enrolled in school. For the relative truants (or enrolled in a school, not present) is also true: school receives money, making no charge for this home seated child. That money was supposed to be created in a fund should be stopped and should be used for re-integration of truants and to eliminate the learning deficiencies. The Education Inspectorate can see to it that this is done correctly and ensure that schools really pulled out all the stops to make sure that they take responsibility. Aloud the question: why is this child taken away from school. Schools are being hindered by the October 1 Control: For later onset former truants get a school no money. Schools also do a selective intake.

I heard that the kid and his parents are still supporting the teachers of the school as they do not blame them for failing but the system. I only wonder why the school board committee came to the idea that he needed to resign at this point: why is this child taken away from school or why this child should not come to our school anymore it makes me sick to my stomach and they possibly need to go to court to sue this school board committee for this ridiculous decision.

I would say hoist the sails and get started!

The Children's Ombudsman might be something helpful just have a look at the website http://www.dekinderombudsman.nl 

Parents, teachers, school counselors and other professionals who have experience with a child (temporarily) not attending school are invited to report. Children's Ombudsman Marc Dullaert uses the reports for his research on access to education in the Netherlands.

The Old Sailor,