OP when I was in 1st grade a had a pus filled ingrown big toenail. Weeks stuffing cotton under it, soaking it, antibiotic creams. Not working. Finally doctor removed the nail and it healed and grew back fine.
Podiatrist can do this if you have not had it done already. When you get him home do this. You have time at home.

Lina2025 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does he have to go to boarding school?
Have him go to a private day school wherever you are currently living?

He actually isn’t away full-time. He stays at the school Monday through Friday and comes home on weekends. We chose this option because his English was very limited when we arrived, and we felt that full immersion during the week would help him adapt and learn much faster. He also really wanted to try this experience.

Just wanted to say that I am really sorry it turned out this way. What a disappointing introduction to school/the US. I hope his next experience is much better.

As far as what to do I would focus on getting my son out without it costing you any money. I wouldn't involve a lawyer unless the current school refuses to release your tuition or something.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great news! Your child can go to public school for free without any notice. Pull him now, put him in public school.

That's not necessarily a great option for middle school if they live in NYC and their zoned school in sub-par. There are private options for them that will likely be better.

A NYC public school is going to have an actual ELA program, plus just the normal interaction with lots of kids that should help this kid’s English. If that’s the primary issue, I don’t see a half year in public school hurting a 12 year old while they figure out a plan for next year. The public school would need to be truly horrific.

I meant ESL, not ELA

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great news! Your child can go to public school for free without any notice. Pull him now, put him in public school.

That's not necessarily a great option for middle school if they live in NYC and their zoned school in sub-par. There are private options for them that will likely be better.

A NYC public school is going to have an actual ELA program, plus just the normal interaction with lots of kids that should help this kid’s English. If that’s the primary issue, I don’t see a half year in public school hurting a 12 year old while they figure out a plan for next year. The public school would need to be truly horrific.

Anonymous wrote:Great news! Your child can go to public school for free without any notice. Pull him now, put him in public school.

That's not necessarily a great option for middle school if they live in NYC and their zoned school in sub-par. There are private options for them that will likely be better.

Boarding school in the USA for kids under about 8th grade is for either problem children or kids without a good home life. I would not start before 8th grade due to the classmates having issues.

Beyond that, it is unreasonable to expect boarding schools to manage your kid’s medical appointments and the required transportation and supervision for them. In this case, it isn’t even a full time boarding program but a part time one. OP is completely unreasonable.

Another layer of complexity is the weak English language skills which makes me question what is wrong with OP for doing this to their kid.

What town are you living in? The public school is almost certainly adequate to finish out this year - NY public schools are generally good to great, depending on the district. If it’s bad, look at the local Catholic school if private schools don’t have a midyear slot. As most others have noted, boarding school at 12 is not common in this country. The good schools don’t board at that age here. Bring him home, put him in public school and let him do things like watch tv, game with other kids, play sports, and he’ll pick up the language quickly. When I was a kid, I started out in NYC public schools and they didn’t really have strong ESL - they had kids coming in all the time from all kinds of countries. They would just throw the kids in the classes, and in six months those kids would be speaking English. The biggest challenge with foreign language learners is when they are not literate in their native language - you have to try to adapt to two issues at once.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would expect 12 year old boarding school kids to be brats who the parents couldn’t tolerate keeping at home. Why are you putting a nice kid there?

To all those criticizing OP for sending DC to a boarding school.
Boarding school for 12 year olds is very common in other countries. I grew up in England where boarding school does not mean a problem child and is common for 12 and up.

No! It is not common even in England.

Yes it is, my friends in England both have their kids in boarding-type programs. They are away during the week and home on weekends.

That doesn't make it common. It is extremely uncommon in England. Your friends are not normal, even in England.

IOP-.you already have enough info to know this is a terrible situation for your child. I'm a child psychologist- Boarding school are ripe with abuse -- children are very vulnerable away from their guardians-particularly this young. This is very damaging to parent- child attachment.

Pull your kid out and find a better situation. Millions of kids are plopped into US schools without speaking the language. You have the resources to aid your child as they accelerate to a public school settong.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would expect 12 year old boarding school kids to be brats who the parents couldn’t tolerate keeping at home. Why are you putting a nice kid there?

To all those criticizing OP for sending DC to a boarding school.
Boarding school for 12 year olds is very common in other countries. I grew up in England where boarding school does not mean a problem child and is common for 12 and up.

No! It is not common even in England.

Yes it is, my friends in England both have their kids in boarding-type programs. They are away during the week and home on weekends.

But they all speak English fluently. Even in England nobody puts their kid in boarding at that age for immersion. That’s a recipe for disaster.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would expect 12 year old boarding school kids to be brats who the parents couldn’t tolerate keeping at home. Why are you putting a nice kid there?

To all those criticizing OP for sending DC to a boarding school.
Boarding school for 12 year olds is very common in other countries. I grew up in England where boarding school does not mean a problem child and is common for 12 and up.

So what? That doesn’t make it right, or smart.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would expect 12 year old boarding school kids to be brats who the parents couldn’t tolerate keeping at home. Why are you putting a nice kid there?

To all those criticizing OP for sending DC to a boarding school.
Boarding school for 12 year olds is very common in other countries. I grew up in England where boarding school does not mean a problem child and is common for 12 and up.

No! It is not common even in England.

Yes it is, my friends in England both have their kids in boarding-type programs. They are away during the week and home on weekends.

Great news! Your child can go to public school for free without any notice. Pull him now, put him in public school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would expect 12 year old boarding school kids to be brats who the parents couldn’t tolerate keeping at home. Why are you putting a nice kid there?

To all those criticizing OP for sending DC to a boarding school.
Boarding school for 12 year olds is very common in other countries. I grew up in England where boarding school does not mean a problem child and is common for 12 and up.

No! It is not common even in England.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would expect 12 year old boarding school kids to be brats who the parents couldn’t tolerate keeping at home. Why are you putting a nice kid there?

To all those criticizing OP for sending DC to a boarding school.
Boarding school for 12 year olds is very common in other countries. I grew up in England where boarding school does not mean a problem child and is common for 12 and up.

I have family members who went at 11 in the UK, but they were a different profile than Op's kid. Kids like my cousins typically have 1. Native or near-native fluency in English. Even the international kids in English boarding schools usually either grow up in English-speaking homes OR attend English-language day schools starting with preschool. and 2. Before enrolling in boarding school, most go to schools that send a lot of kids to boarding schools (either in the UK or internationally) and therefore have a curriculum that emphasizes "readiness" for boarding school. In other words, a lot of lessons are focused on executive functioning and independence.

Dropping a kid with poor English skills who can't care for himself independently in a boarding school at that age is a recipe for disaster.