Reply to Should I tell parent that LT friendship with her DD is now a burden for other girl?

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Reply to "Should I tell parent that LT friendship with her DD is now a burden for other girl?"

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[quote=Anonymous]I teach a pair of new-to-MS girls who have been friends since toddlerhood. Both are nice girls. One has SN (ADD, possibly some ED) and is entirely socially dependent on the other girl. She also relies on her for "reminders" (forgotten passwords, lost items, etc). The first week of school, the parent of the girl with SN specifically asked me to sit them together and put them in the same cooperative learning groups. Not knowing the entire situation, I agreed. 
Now, we are 5 weeks into the quarter and I am beginning to regret it. The NT friend is frequently distracted during instruction by the girl with SN asking her questions or attempting to socialize. I will redirect her, but within 5 minutes, it happens again. Last week, the NT girl slipped me a note asking to be moved to the back of the classroom. I asked her to stay after class to discuss her request. She burst into tears and expressed that she feels very stressed by the girl with SN. She said that she no longer considers them to be friends, but doesn't know how to walk away without being mean. She doesn't want to spend class helping her and sitting alone with her at lunch. She said that she felt awful about it, but she just wants to enjoy middle school. She was worried that she was a bully for wanting to stop being friends.
I admit that I myself am stumped by this one. Should I just separate the girls? Do I say something to the other mom? Is it even ethical to help a student dump a friend with special needs? Should I hand the entire mess over to the guidance counselor and run away even though the student confided in me?[/quote]

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