SN/Gifted DD accused of cheating -- legal rights?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This year, DD again misunderstood instructions on a test. She was told she could bring a certain type of calculator into a test. She couldn't find her calculator on the morning of the test, so brought one that had more functions than were allowed. She, in her SN logic, thought that if she didn't use the functions, there wouldn't be a problem. After the test, she showed the calculator to her teacher and told her she hadn't used any of the functions that were not allowed. She made mistakes on the test that could easily have been corrected had she used the calculator.

DD's school has a zero tolerance policy regarding cheating. Her teacher lowered DD's grade, which I felt was appropriate because DD had not followed directions. However, because DD had a "prior" she was reported to the principal, who said DD had cheated (even though she had made no attempt to hide the calculator, and clearly had not used all its functions). Because it was DD's second offense, the principal said DD will have to go before a peer review panel who will decide whether or not DD will be suspended from school for a week, which is the school's standard punishment for cheating.

Your DD didn’t misunderstand the directions.

She understood them just fine. She understood that she didn’t have the right calculator so she came up with a crafty solution. Her line of thinking was pretty much consistent with a typical middle school student who forgot the right calculator and was hoping to get away with using a different one.

I give her credit for the creative idea but I think in general students at that age could easily think it was reasonable to do what she did. In fact, I think a peer review would be much easier on her than an adult review.

What your DD did misunderstand is that she got away with her crafty solution and she just needed to be thankful and not flaunt. Oh well, lesson learned for her.

Anonymous wrote: Her diagnosis is of a "mild" disability, and she has no diagnosis for anxiety because we have not had her evaluated for that. Her anxiety only appears under stressful situations, like tests, mostly.

Then she is in good company because at least 95% of the general population gets anxious in stressful situations. Really OP, don’t ever use that as an example out loud if you want someone to take the situation seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, I understand that you don't want to say where you live, but is your dd in a private school? The laws regarding IEP's ad 504 plans only apply to public schools.

If it's private she has no "legal rights" in this matter at all.

ADA and HIPPA applies everywhere.

Incorrect. Private schools do not have to comply with IEPs. Nor do colleges or universities, public or private. I don't think there is a HIPPA issue here. I've never heard of anyone using HIPPA in a school setting.

The ADA cannot be applied retroactively, as in, let me tell you about my disability in order to escape from this thing that is now happening to me. If you provide evidence of a disability, the school is responsible to provide accommodations for the future. It's not a get-out-of-jail-free card.

She is not applying it retroactively. The mother agrees there should be a consequence for using the wrong calculator decided by an intelligent and companionate adult.

Her daughter has a medical condition called "anxiety". It may be GAD or social anxiety I am not sure. Her medical condition makes it so she can not go in front a review board of her peer. My child with anxieties would begin having physical twitches and verbal tics in this situation. Usually my child would be fine with minor blinking. But put in this situation, his medical condition would cause dire medical consequences that could cause lasting affects.

Her daughter has anxiety and the peer review could cause depression or some other reaction.

She has the right to privacy.

To the poster above - it is not true that private schools and universities don't comply with IEPs.

See link to the accomodations provided by Georgetown http://guarc.georgetown.edu/disability/accommodations/request/.



This incorrect. Your are confusing your terms. IEPs do not follow the child to college or university. Read: ww.tcnj.edu/~technj/2004/transition.htm Trust me, I just lived the college app. experience. You cited to Georgetown University's "Accommodations". Yes, some colleges provide "accommodations". Almost all say they do - the trick to finding out if the college or university will be of any real help is to call the accommodations office and find out how many staffers they have available for counseling or tutoring. I have an entire book written about the accommodations provided at each cpllege school (forgot the name right now). We visited campuses that had strong accommodation offices and a reputation for really helping the kids function in the college atmosphere. What your child is supposed to do once in college (and, yes, we divulged in the essay the nature of the issue - child got in on EA) is to go to the accommodations office and self-advocate for what they need. Of course they may take their IEP with them and show them to demonstrate the nature of the problem. If the disability office is strong, they will help structure a college experience that will work for the student. Often the only perks a an Aspie or ADHD student might get is a copy of the professor's lecture notes. Or more time on an exam. Or extra time on turning in papers. Maybe tutoring if a strong office with many skilled tutors.

Also, it is expected that the college student herself or himself will do the advocating and will come to the accommodations office if they are in trouble. But there will be no written IEP, team teaching or other benefits that you may be used to with an IEP in a public school system. The student is supposed to take whatever is worked out with the accommodations and take it to their professor and explain, "Hi, I'm so and so and I have Asperger. I work very hard but my difficulties are x, y and z and I tend to overwork a project - or whatever the issue is". Then the Professor is supposed to take the lead and help by seating the student at teh front of the class, providing extra time on exams, etc. But the system is entirely student run. The college does not want velcro parents hanging around. If the professor does not comply, then the student takes the issue back to the Accommodations office. They may or may not take action. It really depends on the university.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a few strategic ideas.

If your daughter sees a therapist, perhaps that therapist can persuade the principal. The LD person on staff at the school might be an advocate for you as well. If not, is there a headmaster who can overrule the principal? Finally, the school will have a board of directors. Go them, explain the situation concisely, and ask for their help.

One last hope might be to ask the principal to defer the tribunal while you document your daughter's disabilities and establish the appropriate accommodations.

If you strike out on all of the above, I agree with your refusal to allow her to appear at the peer tribunal.

The logistics of refusing to attend will be challenging. The tribunal would probably occur during school hours and it would be difficult for your daughter to physically refuse to attend if she were summoned. So you would have to tell the principal in advance, and in writing, that you explictly do not consent to this. You may have to withdraw her from school to avoid it. Only you know if that would be worth it. I know some situations in which it would be, and some in which it would not be. It depends on your kid. If her emotions really can't sustain it, then move her now.

It sounds like you are not in DC. It may be worthwhile to find an educational attorney to advise you. If nothing else, you may want help in negotiating return of the balance of the year's tuition if you withdraw your daughter.

I feel for you, and your daughter. You both acknowledge the mistake and aren't trying to get out of appropriate consequences, but this peer review thing is inappropriate.

I am 17:29. I think this poster has some xlnt ideas about how to handle the situation at a private school (I posted about the public school process not knowing at the time that OP was in private). I just wanted to add that it is entirely likely that if you and daughter do not show up for the Draconian panel that she will be expelled. You must be prepared for this. Also, if expelled, you can't ask for any tuition refund because you failed to comply with the school's procedural rules. I have no idea what private you are in - some boards support their principals 100% and look the other way; other boards might take action. I like the idea of taking it up to the Board but really can't make the call whether to do it now or after you refuse to go to the panel. Only you know the politics in your school. It could backfire on you.

Do you think they want you gone? My gut is telling me that you have been marked as a "difficult mom" or the child has been so labeled - and that the school is really telling you that it is time to leave. Does that sound spot on? If so, again, my advice is to move her out ASAP. To another private or to public or homeschooling. Try to get a confidentiality agreement; I imagine the school has one or more already on file BUT READ THE LANGUAGE BECAUSE IT WILL FAVOR THE SCHOOL'S POSITION, so you can avoid a lawyer. Are you local? The only privates I can think of that might take a SN child mid-term is The McLean School in Potomac or Commonwealth Academy in Alexandria. But both are very very picky about who they take. McLean is much larger than Commonwealth Academy. Both take children with minor learning issues. They do not take behavioral problems which is why I think you need the confidentiality agreement. You won't get in if your principal says your child cheats or is dishonest. Wow. Good luck. Please post to let us all know what happened. Praying for a happy ending. Ours was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This year, DD again misunderstood instructions on a test. She was told she could bring a certain type of calculator into a test. She couldn't find her calculator on the morning of the test, so brought one that had more functions than were allowed. She, in her SN logic, thought that if she didn't use the functions, there wouldn't be a problem. After the test, she showed the calculator to her teacher and told her she hadn't used any of the functions that were not allowed. She made mistakes on the test that could easily have been corrected had she used the calculator.

DD's school has a zero tolerance policy regarding cheating. Her teacher lowered DD's grade, which I felt was appropriate because DD had not followed directions. However, because DD had a "prior" she was reported to the principal, who said DD had cheated (even though she had made no attempt to hide the calculator, and clearly had not used all its functions). Because it was DD's second offense, the principal said DD will have to go before a peer review panel who will decide whether or not DD will be suspended from school for a week, which is the school's standard punishment for cheating.

Your DD didn’t misunderstand the directions.

She understood them just fine. She understood that she didn’t have the right calculator so she came up with a crafty solution. Her line of thinking was pretty much consistent with a typical middle school student who forgot the right calculator and was hoping to get away with using a different one.

I give her credit for the creative idea but I think in general students at that age could easily think it was reasonable to do what she did. In fact, I think a peer review would be much easier on her than an adult review.

What your DD did misunderstand is that she got away with her crafty solution and she just needed to be thankful and not flaunt. Oh well, lesson learned for her.

Anonymous wrote: Her diagnosis is of a "mild" disability, and she has no diagnosis for anxiety because we have not had her evaluated for that. Her anxiety only appears under stressful situations, like tests, mostly.

Then she is in good company because at least 95% of the general population gets anxious in stressful situations. Really OP, don’t ever use that as an example out loud if you want someone to take the situation seriously.

I agree. The situation described does not sound like a misunderstanding of directions at all but a 8th grader's solution for misplacing the correct calculator for the exam. She could have just as easily asked the teacher if it was *ok* to use the calculator she brought but instead decided to ask after the test (basically to cover herself). Compounded with the fact that this is not her first cheating offense, the school has every right to go with their standard administrative procedure (peer board).

OP, you are not doing your DD any favors by making excuses for her especially when you insist that her issues are "mild" and does not require any accommodations until now when she's in trouble.

[Anonymous]

I just wanted to add that it is entirely likely that if you and daughter do not show up for the Draconian panel that she will be expelled. You must be prepared for this.

Wow, I actually don't think that is likely at all, based on my experience working at a NYC private school. I think they will just impose the most severe penalty that the panel could have imposed, had she shown up for it.

[Anonymous]

One more question: What is my DD's right to privacy about her disability? (To clarify to the PP, I gave the school copies of the report from the licensed clinician stating that DD has a learning disability. There's nothing retroactive here. They knew DD has a disability before she set foot inside the school.)

If DD were to go before this peer panel and argue that her disability influenced her choice to use the incorrect calculator, she would be revealing confidential information about her medical condition to a bunch of 8th graders and some teachers she doesn't know.

I thought you said that she definitely was not going in front of the panel. If she did, why would she disclose any information about her disability? Why wouldn't she just explain that that was the only calculator that she had, that she did not use the forbidden functions, and show the panel that she did not use the functions based upon the answers/info on her test that you say evidences that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I just wanted to add that it is entirely likely that if you and daughter do not show up for the Draconian panel that she will be expelled. You must be prepared for this.

Wow, I actually don't think that is likely at all, based on my experience working at a NYC private school. I think they will just impose the most severe penalty that the panel could have imposed, had she shown up for it.

Oh no, I think this is entirely likely. Especially if the school is tired of the child or the mother and wants to move them out. When OP and parents entered the school, they undoubtedly signed a "no forgery, no misuse of computer, no bullying, etc. etc. agreement". The children are also asked to sign to indicate their understanding of the zero tolerance rule for lying, cheating, etc. OP says she did her job by handing in copies of the IEP, but the school is not bound by it. Nor has she even talked to the Learning specialist in the school. So no program was in place to address OP's daughter's needs. Tragic situation, I realize, but I'm sure the school's rules are spelled out in the entry forms. I don't like the idea of a peer panel at all and have no idea what school this is, but I do thinking they are setting OP and daughter up to fail. That's why I asked earlier if OP felt targeted as a "difficult mom". It does happen - then all the teachers pile on and next thing you know, parents and child have left. Since the procedures were undoubtedly in the handbook and they signed the standard "no cheating" paperwork, then the next step is, according to what OP has said, is the panel. That is the school's procedure. I don't think it is right for this girl to have to go through this experience but them's the rules, I guess. This is why I have been advocating to OP (hope she's not a troll, I've wasted a lot of time trying to help out on this today) that she get out ASAP. Perhaps she can work out an agreement of confidentiality with the principal. If she hints that there is a negligence or malfeasance claim, i.e., the school dropped the ball on processing the info from the IEP or passing it along to the Learning Specialist or otherwise failed to meet the needs of the child,, then she might even get a refund. But if she doesn't show up, I think there is a strong probability that they will be expelled. Put yourself in the principal's shoes. You have taken a position. Mother and child failed to show up. What do you do? That's why I posted that she really needs to be prepared for an expulsion should that happen.

I forgot when listing possible schools, the famous Lab school of Washington, http://www.labschool.org/landingpage?gclid=CNjR36n00rQCFVCd4AodKlAA3A. I have never set foot on it so can't tell OP anything about it although I thought it handled more severe disabilities than OP is describing. I'm sure there are many on this site who can fill in that info.

[Anonymous]

Especially if the school is tired of the child or the mother and wants to move them out.

Yes, I do agree that if the above is true, they may expel her. Otherwise, I think they will not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - she does not have to reveal her LD to the panel at all. state her reasoning, however strange/stupid it may sound to fellow 8th graders. i honestly don't think one needs to have any LD to use the same reasoning as your DD's. we all make bad decisions under pressure.

OP, I agree that your child should NOT have to reveal her LD to the peer review panel.

But I am really not clear that her LD was the reason she thought it was OK to bring in the wrong calculator and just not use the forbidden functions. Honestly that is a mistake MANY 8th graders might make. They are still kids. They are young and can be foolish.

If you decide that the LD IS relevant to the incident, I think the best you can do is write a letter to the principal, explaining that your daughter has an LD and that you do not think it is appropriate for her to have to reveal this fact to her peers, who are minors and not educational professionals. You expect the staff to keep her private details private and not let them get spread around through the school. You appreciate that the principal believes the minor children selected for peer review will be discrete, but as he or she well knows, kids are kids, and can be foolish, even the best, most mature of kids.

I don't think you do have any rights, though, at a private school, beyond asking for compassion and understanding. It's a shame, but people choose private schools for many reasons and one of them is the fact that they DON'T have to follow the same rules public schools do. That works fine until it is your child who needs protection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Especially if the school is tired of the child or the mother and wants to move them out.

Yes, I do agree that if the above is true, they may expel her. Otherwise, I think they will not.

I disagree. Private schools do not expel for simple stuff like this. I have experience with multiple private schools.

[Anonymous]

Especially if the school is tired of the child or the mother and wants to move them out.

Yes, I do agree that if the above is true, they may expel her. Otherwise, I think they will not.

I disagree. Private schools do not expel for simple stuff like this. I have experience with multiple private schools.

I also have experience with multiple private schools, and it really depends on whether there were other issues or problems and whether the family was otherwise a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Your DD didn’t misunderstand the directions.

She understood them just fine. She understood that she didn’t have the right calculator so she came up with a crafty solution. Her line of thinking was pretty much consistent with a typical middle school student who forgot the right calculator and was hoping to get away with using a different one.

I give her credit for the creative idea but I think in general students at that age could easily think it was reasonable to do what she did. In fact, I think a peer review would be much easier on her than an adult review.

Finally! I was reading this thread, wondering if no one else was going to point this out. This is not literal or linear thinking, this is not misunderstanding the instructions – this is an 8th grader forgetting the right calculator, and concocting a rationale for using the wrong one, knowing that it WAS the wrong one.

Some other points:

For those of you who say that the OP and her daughter are willing to accept the consequences of her actions, that’s just not true. The peer review panel is PART of the consequences. Whether you agree with it or not, (and while I don’t love it, I don’t think it’s the middle school equivalent of waterboarding that OP and some of the more hysterical PPs believe it to be), the school has determined that the peer panel is (i) part of the consequences for the offender, and (ii) a valuable learning tool for the rest of the students. Presumably OP knew about this beforehand; complaining about it now is absurd.

OP, to suggest that the right to privacy regarding your daughter’s “condition” is implicated here is ridiculous. The panel won’t know a thing about her “issues” unless she chooses to disclose them. (Or unless you insist on making a federal case out of it.) Period. As another PP has said, she has a compelling story to tell: she forgot the correct calculator, she thought she’d be OK using the incorrect one if she didn't used the forbidden functions, she didn't use the forbidden functions (as evidenced by certain incorrect answers that would have been different if she HAD used the forbidden functions) – she may have made a mistake, but she didn't cheat. There’s no need to get into her “special needs” at all.

The fact that your daughter will be nervous going in front of the peer review panel has no bearing on whether she should or not. All kids would be nervous. Your description of the lifelong scars you claim this would cause is pretty out there.

Others may not feel this way, but you come across as a mother who wants to shield her daughter from the clearly laid-out consequences of her actions, which you both concede were violations of the rules for the test. Wouldn’t a better message be, “Honey, I know you misunderstood, but you broke the rules. This panel is part of the consequences. Let’s discuss how you’re going to explain your mistake.” Deciding on your own that she WILL NOT participate sends a terrible message to her. My 6 yo used to (and still does sometimes) believe that is she does something wrong, and says it’s an accident, that means it’s OK. That’s age appropriate behavior for her, but we have tried very hard to teach her that even though something is an accident, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have consequences. You’re doing a 13 yo no favors by telling her exactly the opposite – “well, since you misunderstood (which is BS, but whatever), you shouldn’t have to suffer the consequences of your actions that will suffer you distress.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I would like to very gently suggest that this perspective may be part of the problem. If your DD has LDs that create anxiety, make it hard to follow directions, etc., she needs and deserves the help and support of the school system. She can't get that if you are avoiding working with the school or getting her formal accommodations -- I know it's hard as you may not want to "label" her, but this is clearly not in her best interest. With appropriate accommodations, she might be able to shed a lot of her anxiety and be happier at school. My own DD struggles with similar issues regarding instructions on tests and she's also a very bright, honor roll student. But these struggles cause her a LOT of anxiety and stress, even though teachers might have no idea if she didn't have a 504.

You can't insist she has a learning disability that everybody knows about (except they don't) and thus that excuses the behavior when you don't have an IEP. I can't even follow your logic here.

You ask about legal rights. The only legal rights here I think are for you to get a formal 504 and IEP and go forward on a prospective basis based on that.

But I don't think you can now pull the "but she has a SN" card out of the deck and try to play it. You kind of have to have the baseline there already. Formally.

Totally agree with these PP. Especially with bolded section.


I totally agree with the above but I SO feel for you OP. I know exactly what you are going through but you are not helping your daughter by trying to mainstream her when she is not ready. You have said your are not in MCPS or FCPS so I am assuming you are in D.C. or some other public school system. I can speak only to FCPS which has been terrific for my DS but you must work your way through the system to get the accommodations your daughter needs. Your daughter sounds exactly like my son - instructions often confuse him, especially instructions that have two or three steps to them such as "clean your room, take your laundry downstairs, wash your laundry." He might get one but forgets the other two. No he is not lazy - he just can't process the various steps.

If you can do it - and again I am assuming you are in a public school system - is to immediately start the 504/IEP process. You really can't ask the principal for "specials" if you haven't done your homework. In FCPS there is a compliance officer and it is his/her duty to make sure the district is in full complianvcrewith the Americans with Disabilities Act, etc. You need to locate that person and say you need help. Send them the email you posted here - it's well written and clear. Ask him or her what to do. Hopefully the compliance officer will put off the panel until the system can evaluate your daughter. Once you have asked for a 504/IEP the school, by law, has a certain number of days by which it has to respond to your request for a 504/IEP - but it is slow.

If that doesn't work, I'm afraid to say that you need to lawyer up, which is a pity because of the cost but you are stuck between a wall and a hard place. I don't think an educational consultant or advocate is going to help here (I'm a lawyer, and no, I don't have anyone to recommend).

Our approach to getting what DS needed was a longer round-about process. Prior to entering the FCPS system, we had DS tested for the 4th time. Previous testing results had indicated a genius I.Q. but slow processing skills - two standard deviations below norm. I asked for blind testing, meaning I wasn't asking the private tester to come up with anything nor did I allow him to see any of the prior testing. If you say "does my kid have ADHD?", the tester will find ADHD. Everyone has ADHD nowadays. After three days of testing, the testing was evaluated by a psychiatrist who gave us the sad but absolutely correct news that DS has high functioning Aspergers. Also comorbities of ADHD and anxiety. The diagnosis was dead-on. I did say to the shrink, "but he does maintain eye contact" and the psychiatrist said I was too close to the situation to notice it. That turned out to be true. The testing also indicated that DS is super smart, as is your daughter, in fact he scored so high on the ACT that he can join MENSA if you are in to that sort of thing - but organizing his locker or bedroom? Forget it.

Then we applied to FCPS for an IEP (BTW, a 504 is worthless in the FCPS system - they have so many kids that the system works really well for the very gifted because of the extraordinary AP courses the high schools provide. The system also works well for the kids with an IEP because an IEP is enforceable in court - it's the kids with the 504 or "average kids" who sometimes get lost in the FCPS system). I have been told numerous times by wiser parents that 504s are ignored by the FCPS system and my personal experience tells me this is correct info. You want an IEP because you can sue if the school does not provide the accommodations your kid needs.

Then, after reviewing our file, FCPS wanted to do some of its own testing, which included auditory and some other personality testing.

Then we had to go before a board. Depending on your school district. an advocate for the district may show up to fight the IEP. The nasty little secret is that the public schools don't want to hand out IEPS because it means more staff and money expended on the school,sometimes the Special Needs Officer actually acts as a gatekeeper to keep kids out of the IEP system. Not in compliance with the spirit of the IDEA, but they do it. Also, there has been some alleged abuse of the system because IEP kids can qualify for extra time on exams, so high schools, in particular, notice this uptick in IEP requests just before freshman year so that Sally can get extra time on the PSATs or ACTs. So now the school systems REALLY review the paperwork for an IEP. So you will need an advocate at that meeting - usually a psychiatrist or a lawyer. That person will tell the board why your child needs an IEP. Our shrink did a fantastic job.

The, should they clear you for an IEP, you have the pleasure of sitting down with your local public school and write the IEP. This is supposed to be a joint effort. You will need to read up on what you can ask for in an IEP. Dave Angel's books are good on this.

And, after that is all done, when your child gets in trouble, you may have to continue to remind the teachers that your child has SN and an IEP and that they have to help her.

It's not fun - but you have to help your daughter and get the proper paperwork done. But I sure feel for you.

BTW, kids with Aspergers (yeah yeah, i know it's now part of the "spectrum", don't lay it on) are usually very law abiding, honest kids who see things in black and white. There is no gray for them. Our DS is honest to a fault and will not let us help with homework or do anything that is against "the rules". I read a lot of Aspie behavior in what you posted. Aspies also have difficulty with processing instructions - that has been very difficult when it comes to homework unless it is printed on the school's blackboard - sometimes Aspie and ADHD kids just can't process all the info coming in at them in class and forget to write the assignment down. I completely believe your daughter was acting honestly. She just didn't "get it" as sometimes DS "doesn't get it". Sometimes Aspies will go off on their own "tic" and remember only that part of the assignment, as in "draw a character from Mark Twain's book and then a 250 word-essay on the book". Well, they process only "draw a character" and then will obsess about it for days. They will completely forget about the essay part. And so they are knocked down a grade. Aspies can also freeze, or "get stuck" on homework due to the anxiety. We have to watch for that because DS spends almost all of his "free" time on homework - often that's where the anxiety can be crippling, so they will do something stupid like cheat, copy something, or make excuses because they are completely frozen in fear and don't know how to get themselves out of the box. That's where you have to be vigilant and they call your child's caseworker at the school and say "DS is stuck on this essay and can't get it done. He's spent ten days on it and keeps rewriting it. I need you to communicate this to the teacher and find out what the original assignment was and help DS to figure out how to get unstuck".

I wish I could give you more advice but I so understand what you are going through. My DS has had problems of this kind and they were totally misunderstood by the school. Wr had to move him. He's now making honor roll every single semester.

You are in my prayers.

Good luck!

You're a lawyer? I hope you never have to write a brief with page limits. Good grief.

[Anonymous]

And just what are you adding to the discussion 12:45? You repost stale long posts written when we were trying to help OP and thought she was in a public school. How does your offering in 12:45 in any way help OP? Reposting and then throwing in a snark does nothing to help the mom and adding further clutter to the site.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This year, DD again misunderstood instructions on a test. She was told she could bring a certain type of calculator into a test. She couldn't find her calculator on the morning of the test, so brought one that had more functions than were allowed. She, in her SN logic, thought that if she didn't use the functions, there wouldn't be a problem. After the test, she showed the calculator to her teacher and told her she hadn't used any of the functions that were not allowed. She made mistakes on the test that could easily have been corrected had she used the calculator.

DD's school has a zero tolerance policy regarding cheating. Her teacher lowered DD's grade, which I felt was appropriate because DD had not followed directions. However, because DD had a "prior" she was reported to the principal, who said DD had cheated (even though she had made no attempt to hide the calculator, and clearly had not used all its functions). Because it was DD's second offense, the principal said DD will have to go before a peer review panel who will decide whether or not DD will be suspended from school for a week, which is the school's standard punishment for cheating.

Your DD didn’t misunderstand the directions.

She understood them just fine. She understood that she didn’t have the right calculator so she came up with a crafty solution. Her line of thinking was pretty much consistent with a typical middle school student who forgot the right calculator and was hoping to get away with using a different one.

I give her credit for the creative idea but I think in general students at that age could easily think it was reasonable to do what she did. In fact, I think a peer review would be much easier on her than an adult review.

What your DD did misunderstand is that she got away with her crafty solution and she just needed to be thankful and not flaunt. Oh well, lesson learned for her.

Anonymous wrote: Her diagnosis is of a "mild" disability, and she has no diagnosis for anxiety because we have not had her evaluated for that. Her anxiety only appears under stressful situations, like tests, mostly.

Then she is in good company because at least 95% of the general population gets anxious in stressful situations. Really OP, don’t ever use that as an example out loud if you want someone to take the situation seriously.

21:59- I agree with your entire post.