Who has final say on holding a student back?

[Anonymous]

Teachers presented their concerns and recommend holding my student back. Is it the school or parents with the final decision? Anyone familiar with how this works for early grades in private school?

[Anonymous]

I would think it's a school administrator that makes the final call.

[Anonymous]

It's the school's decision. In the end, it's entirely up to them whether or not to offer a renewal contract and where your child is placed grade-wise. Of course, you can refuse to accept the placement if offered.

If they are still just "recommending" and you like the school, collaborating on this with them may be the best approach. If you disagree with what they are proposing, you might want to hire and outside professional to assess your child and observe the classes at school.

[Anonymous]

Do they have a legit issue?

[Anonymous]

As a parent of older children in private - I would go with the recommendations of the teachers. Why do you not trust their professional opinions?

[Anonymous]

Ultimately it’s up to you. What are the reasons for holding back? What will they do differently to help your child if they repeat the grade? When is your child’s birthday?

[Anonymous]

If your child wasn't successful with the curriculum the first time around, what will be different the second time to make them more successful? Are you sure this school is a good fit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's the school's decision. In the end, it's entirely up to them whether or not to offer a renewal contract and where your child is placed grade-wise. Of course, you can refuse to accept the placement if offered.

If they are still just "recommending" and you like the school, collaborating on this with them may be the best approach. If you disagree with what they are proposing, you might want to hire and outside professional to assess your child and observe the classes at school.

PP again. We had a psychologist observe for us a few times. At one school, her feedback was instrumental in our removing our child from the program that afternoon (private pre-k that ended up being terrible, despite the elementary program being ok). Another time her feedback helped us understand that the teacher was just too inexperienced to be able to implement any of the supports the school had agreed to so our best bet was to either leave or "white knuckle it" to the next year, where the teacher was quite good. Another time she confirmed for all of us that the foreign language requirement should just be waived. Never regretted getting an outside opinion, even when her opinion was inconvenient. Private schools sometimes don't know as much as they think they do.

[Anonymous]

Op here. It's a behavior concern. There weren't too many concerns academically, but they're pretty much saying he's behind his other classmates and they think it'll only get worse for next year which maybe means he will fall further behind academically (that is my takeaway from the conversation). I really have no idea what to make of this, but he is definitely a stand out from his classmates (think pulling away from the teacher, storming off, having to be constantly redirected, ignoring direction, etc.).

[Anonymous]

I would get him privately evaluated and find another school. If the school doesn't have the help or resources to support him this year, how are they going to do that next year? Get him some tutors or work with him at home.

[Anonymous]

How does child do at home? If they only behave like that at school, its a bad school fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's the school's decision. In the end, it's entirely up to them whether or not to offer a renewal contract and where your child is placed grade-wise. Of course, you can refuse to accept the placement if offered.

If they are still just "recommending" and you like the school, collaborating on this with them may be the best approach. If you disagree with what they are proposing, you might want to hire and outside professional to assess your child and observe the classes at school.

PP again. We had a psychologist observe for us a few times. At one school, her feedback was instrumental in our removing our child from the program that afternoon (private pre-k that ended up being terrible, despite the elementary program being ok). Another time her feedback helped us understand that the teacher was just too inexperienced to be able to implement any of the supports the school had agreed to so our best bet was to either leave or "white knuckle it" to the next year, where the teacher was quite good. Another time she confirmed for all of us that the foreign language requirement should just be waived. Never regretted getting an outside opinion, even when her opinion was inconvenient. Private schools sometimes don't know as much as they think they do.

I've seen outside opinions come from experienced, thoughtful observers. I've also seen outside opinions come from "experts" with very little education experience, who tend to tell parents what they want to hear. Unfortunately, I've seen considerably more of the 2nd type. As for "private schools sometimes don't know as much as they think they do"... I don't even know what to make of that statement. Educators are in the business of education, whether it is a public or a private setting. Most tend to know what they need to know.

OP, the school ultimately has the final say. You have power in that you can switch schools if you disagree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How does child do at home? If they only behave like that at school, its a bad school fit.

Not necessarily. Expectations at school and the group setting are different than what a child experience at home. It could be anxiety, ADHD, or a learning difference that make being in the classroom difficult which could lead to poor behavior or the inability to meet behavior expectations. It may also show up at home, but it may not. Conversely sometimes kids behave perfectly at school and then come home and fall apart. Fit certainly could be an issue, but it also might not be. Having the child evaluated by a professional to figure out what is going on is far more likely to work than just changing schools. The evaluation may show that a different school would be a better fit, but finding that right-fit school armed with information about what the child needs is going to lead to a more successful transition than just moving to the school down the road and assuming the problem will then go away.

[Anonymous]

OP—when is your child’s birthday? And what is his physical size?

I’m a public elementary school principal and have only ever held back a student once. Physical size (small), September birthday, and both academic and social struggles were all significant factors in the decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does child do at home? If they only behave like that at school, its a bad school fit.

Not necessarily. Expectations at school and the group setting are different than what a child experience at home. It could be anxiety, ADHD, or a learning difference that make being in the classroom difficult which could lead to poor behavior or the inability to meet behavior expectations. It may also show up at home, but it may not. Conversely sometimes kids behave perfectly at school and then come home and fall apart. Fit certainly could be an issue, but it also might not be. Having the child evaluated by a professional to figure out what is going on is far more likely to work than just changing schools. The evaluation may show that a different school would be a better fit, but finding that right-fit school armed with information about what the child needs is going to lead to a more successful transition than just moving to the school down the road and assuming the problem will then go away.

If a child isn't struggling at home and struggling at school, yes, there can be academic and other issues but its a huge red flag tho its not a good school fit.

I can tell you from experience many people were wrong about my child. I heard all kinds of things when they were younger (not behavior but developmental delays) and years later I am so glad I didn't listen to them but every situation is different and I had more experience than many in the area of concerns.

If a child is acting out that much in school it's a bad school fit and school isn't handling it well. Why would you pay that kind of money for a bad school fit?

We've had our share of teachers say all kinds of things about our child that made zero sense. Teachers are not trained on SN or developmental delays or even behavioral issues so they are making educated guesses based off their experience or lack there of.