Texas elementary school

[prof1]

5Th grade boy is very unhappy with school this year because the 3 teachers and principal grouped his class by math taks score results. This grouping put this child in a group of trouble makers and other distractions while, he was seperated from his best friends... Yes the boys math scores were barely passing but... his reading level at the beginning of school was 6.3

This boy has gone through a lot -- he now hates school, sees no reason to try because in his mind his group does not get the good grades... He thinks his self worth is nothing... (The math teacher explained the grouping based on Practice Taks score results to the 5th grade students and my son come home tears streaming down his face) and these teachers openly talk about the groups to their students! (This group did this and this group did that -- the teacher was upset one day because someone in group 3 called her the F word --- this is what I had to hear when I tried to talk to the teacher in the first meeting I had with her)

When I confronted the 3 teachers with this problem yesterday they were very negative and defensive. I told them that I thought it was illegal to group students by ablility in Texas and they yelled and stammered and said, well there are ways around that... like the class does not stay in the group all day long... they have a home room meeting???

Well, I just wanted to know if this was true... I think the principal is not certified and I think the superintendant might not be certafied... both were permoted to those spots when other administrators left. I think the principal was working on the certification and did not complete during the specified amount of time -- does this matter?

The boy is a very good sensative boy and this has really bothered him... I feel like he will have a hard time with school because of this grouping...He feels like he is stupid and he is nothing...he said he feels worthless and we have been dealing with this issue since the beginning of the school.

The high school counselor said she had proof that they ranked by ablility and said she also told them that she thought it was against the law. She said after she confronted them that they sprinkled the special education students around so it was not so noticable!

Where do I find out if they are breaking a Texas School Law or not and if so is there anything I can do about it? I am sad to report and my husband and I also work at this school (for the past 23 years) seperated only by the campus.. we are both high school teachers. I feel like if we will lose our jobs if we confront this matter... and it does not seem right to see my child so unhappy. I can not afford to send him to private school which is over 30 miles away and if I could afford it -- I can't work and drive him back and forth...

any suggestions would be helpful -- i am at the end of my rope
do I have a legal case?

Texas Education Agency
Office of Legal Services
1701 N. Congress Ave.
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-9720


Call them and ask for their formal legal opinion and/or intervention. If that does not work, let us know here.

[prof1]

i am afraid if i call TEA, I will get fired... i am a school teacher and years have demonstrated no matter what i do -- i am not viewed as a parent... only a teacher! any other suggestions?

Somebody else can call and ask as a hypothetical or for their own info