Teacher announces to the class that your child is on Med's 4 ADHD?How would you handle this?

Question

My son has recently been diagnose ADHD. He was mid way through 5th grade when he been medication for his disablity. Yesterday , he came home and told me how they were inELA( Engish Language Arts) a really tough subject for most kids . Well they were to write a 5 page essay. Prior to medication my son could not have completed this assignment. Another child was talking in a group and was in disageement about how spell a word. My son reached the point that he could no longer concentrate and asked the child to be quiet or maybe even to shut up. His teacher's responce was " nobody said that to you before you were on medication!" I am appaulled. I have held back and hav'nt said anything ..yet. I would like to interview an other child in the class to be sure my facts are true . I must say that this particular teacher has resisted in any accomadtions I have asked for my son. He is bright and does not qualify for an IEP and frankly I don't want one. I am going forward with advocating a504 plan

Answer 1

I would definitely call the principal and explain to him what your son told you.  Request to have a meeting with the principal and the teacher.  Hopefully the principal will be in agreement that her comment was COMPLETELY inappropriate and breaking many confidentiality laws.  It is literally illegal to discuss a child's "condition" in front of the entire class without prior consent.  She should be held accountable.

Answer 2

In the least I would ask her to refrain from mentioning your sons medication or diagnosis in front of any of the other kids.  If your son is doing well, then great!!  I guess I wouldn't want my child labeled by the other kids.  There's nothing wrong with having ADHD, but you know how kids can be.  Make sure you get everything you want included in the 504 plan and don't back down.  Once you have that paper, they are legally obligated to abide by it.  Good luck.

Answer 3

I would go directly to the prinicipal about the situation and let them bring the child in there while you are as well to get the story straight. The teacher has no right to tell anyone that he is on meds and why, that's an invasion of privacy.

Answer 4

i would go down there and start yelling

Answer 5

The first thing you do is call the school and make an appointment to speak with the principal, and the teacher. Let them know that you want the appointment ASAP! Do not back down! That was unproffessional and down right inappropriate behavior from a teacher. Get your son on a 504 plan this will help him and you out.

Children with ADHD are very smart children. I have two children with it. My son and daughter. The medication does help them with concentrating.

But the teacher was way out of line and do not wait any longer. Also you can contact special services at your board of education. You can also find child advocacy groups in your area which can also help you. I don't know if your child was tested by the child study team if so you can contact them too. If he was diagnosed by a doctor have them give you a letter indicating the diagnosis along with a "prescription" for the 504 plan. The doctor that dispenses his medication can do this.  As a parent you need to voice this out and make sure that this doesn't happen again to anyone. No matter what the situation is. The teachers are  not supposed to blurt this information and or act the way your son's teacher did.

When you call the principal to make an appointment make sure you have the names of the other children that were there so that the principal can conduct an investigation. Also you need this info so that if the principal doesn't do anything for you then you proceed to take the complaint to the superintendent of schools at the board of education. I know how you feel. Don't back down and your not alone. Good luck!

Answer 6

It was a breach of confidentiality and insensitive of the teacher to make that comment IN FRONT of the class.  He did need disciple for his remarks, though, just privately.

Honestly, I wouldn't be too hard on the teacher.  She is human and makes human errors in judgement.  I WOULD however, talk to her about it and ask her to be more sensitive and hold information confidential regarding his medical condition.

BTW, You son is eligible for consideration for Section 504 accommodations for his disability.  You can ask for a 504 meeting and YOU MUST BE INVITED to the meeting by law.

Answer 7

ok I'm a student now with disabilities i have ADHD and dyslexia and every child with a diagnosiage of ADHD should get a iep and special services i dont know if your state is different from illinois but he qualifies here. YOu might want to look into getting him tested for other things usually adhd comes with other stuff but sometimes not. GOod luck and tell the teacher that she was wrong go to the head of the school thats rediculous

Answer 8

My brother is 8 y/o and was going through the same thing last yr, if he was acting up in class, his teacher would publicly ask "Did you take your pill today?" He was very soon known to the kids as the r****d kid who was on pills... My mother had a conversation with the principal and teacher. The teacher was a bit more discreet with asking that, but the kids still made fun of him for the remainder of the year. This year is better, he has a better teacher and the kids have mostly forgotten about it. My mom was very seriously considering moving last year to help him get away from the teasing, but it didn't work out. Things are better now. Have a talk to the principal, and the school year is almost over, so you will have a new teacher for him. Things will get better, just talk to your child and be there for him. I know that you are mortified the teacher would say this, but I'm sure your son is going through some things too. He might need someone to talk to.

Answer 9

well i would take this up wit the principal and they can assist you with getting the other childs story and from there contact the board of education. she was out of order when she made that statement. and your son may not need an IEP, and something that i tell parents is that even if your child does have ADHD, thats something that can be controlled with medication, but an IEP follows you for life. I work with ADHD kids and adults and i find that those who have not been labeled and placed on a contracted plan seem to be more successful, than those who know that people are giving them attention because they have that IEP. so keep going strong like you are, and dont let go of this. comments like this can cause a child with ADHD or Autism to cause harm to themselves because they take the words of others very seriously.

Answer 10

Yes, I would definitely ask another student in the class what happened, as sometimes children can dramatize a situation or make them sound worse.  If the situation is confirmed, I would most definitely speak with the principal of your son's school in regards to the teacher's conduct.  Medical things like that should not be discussed openly with other classmates (by the teacher), and it is really unprofessional on her part.  Speak with the principal and see how it goes from there.

Answer 11

as a SEN trainee teacher, i know that the teacher is totally in the wrong here, she had no right to say that to your child in front of his classmates, she has no right to share inormation about your child with any one other than those who need to know i.e other teachers, certainly not the class.

if i was you i would definatley go to see the priniciple and explain to him what happened and tell him.her that you want the teacher to be dealt with accordingly, she cannot persicute your child because of something that is out of his hands. Please dont hold back and keep it to yourself, this teacher needs to know that he/she cannot get away with this type of behaviour.

Goodluck.

Answer 12

I would meet with the principal - something happened, whether it was this or not - he was made to feel very uncomfortable.  A teacher should NEVER disclose info like this - he is protected under HIPA laws...get to the bottom of what happened because regardless you do not feel satisfied with how this teacher has been working with him. Your taxes pay for his education AND her salary!!!   remind the principal and this teacher that she is there for him - to help him and other students feel good about school.

Answer 13

thats strictly confidential, that teacher has to be reported! he/she should be suspended. a similar thin happened to a teacher when i was a school, he got fired for it. if this teacher really did do this, they should not be allowed to be a teacher and should be stripped of their title.

Answer 14

That is a complete violation of your family's privacy.  First, I would call the principal and make an official complaint.  If the principal does not take any action, then send a letter to the superintendant of schools.  This is completely unacceptable.  What other information is she sharing about her students?