16 year old developed tic. School offered medical leave.

[Anonymous]

Looking for advice, all new to us.

16 yr old developed a tic. Makes a noise about every 30 seconds.

School approached us. Offered medial leave. We pressed them on why she couldn’t be in school. They said they did not want her in school as it was disruptive.

Note it’s a private school. If public I know they can’t keep child out. But private I don’t know. Do we have any legal leg to stand on here?

[Anonymous]

That sucks but I also get it. If I was paying that much for school, I wouldn't want my kid being disrupted by yours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That sucks but I also get it. If I was paying that much for school, I wouldn't want my kid being disrupted by yours.

DP: it's no more disruptive than a kid with a chronic cough a cough or allergies.

[Anonymous]

Is she on any medication? My kid developed tics with asthma medicines. They went away when we switched meds. Doctors aren't allowed to say it's the cause, but it was pretty obvious.

[Anonymous]

Private schools can do whatever they want, especially in MD

[Anonymous]

What kind of private school is it?

[Anonymous]

Be more concerned about why she developed a tic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Be more concerned about why she developed a tic.

OP never said they weren't also doing this on the medical side of things. Of course OP should be doing this and probably is. The question here is focused on the school side of things.

To OP, what does your contract say?

Also, "makes a noise" could mean anything, including noise that's hugely disruptive. No indication it's as benign as a chronic cough like another PP speculated. People can filter out some mundane and common noises more easily than other noises, like something jarring. I would not want my child in a classroom with a disruption from a fellow student every 30 seconds.

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry, OP. Is it FND? https://tourette.org/rising-incidence-of-functional-tic-like-behaviors/

My best friend’s daughter exhibited tics for some time last year, for perhaps a month, before they figured out what was going on and the tics then basically stopped abruptly. However in her case the tics were silent and not disruptive, and she was in a public school. I am not sure about the legalities but I would guess that since private schools are not even obligated to accommodate children with learning disabilities, it would be a hard case to make that they are legally obligated to accommodate if the behavior is disruptive. I do hope your child gets better, or finds a way to stay at her current school, assuming it is a good place for her.

[Anonymous]

No leg for OP to stand on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No leg for OP to stand on.

Unfortunately I think this is the answer, OP. Private schools are allowed to decide what they want (or don’t want) to support in terms of behavioral, developmental, medical, and learning challenges. If they don’t want to accommodate a student who has developed tics, they don’t have to.

[Anonymous]

Private schools try to optimize classroom environment (learning environment). If they cannot provide support for your child in a reasonable way (without too much support from staff) while trying to minimize impact on other kids, they will be unwilling to support your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No leg for OP to stand on.

Unfortunately I think this is the answer, OP. Private schools are allowed to decide what they want (or don’t want) to support in terms of behavioral, developmental, medical, and learning challenges. If they don’t want to accommodate a student who has developed tics, they don’t have to.

Private schools mostly decide what they CAN support when they are deciding whether to admit a student. No point having students that teachers and staff can't fully support for whatever reason. Students who need more support can turn to the (usually smaller) schools that specialize in that.

If this student's needs changed after admission, then the school is within their rights to change their admission status based on that original model. No private is bound to support a student no matter what they eventually present.

Only public does that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That sucks but I also get it. If I was paying that much for school, I wouldn't want my kid being disrupted by yours.

I hope you have the day you deserve

[Anonymous]

OP, I think you should look into a smaller private school who is willing to support your child. Get some recommendations from your current school. Your school will be willing to help you explore some options and write teacher recommendation letters for your child. Your child will be supported that way.
Also, ask them whether your child can apply back when the current medical issue is resolved. Depending on your situation, your child may only need to be away for a temporary period, say 6 months or a year. Ask these specific questions to your school.