504 plans and the DISABLED student who is the bully

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What do you do when it is the disabled student who is bullying students and teachers? I find plenty of information about disabled students being bullied, but what happens when it is the other way around? What do you do when they have one of these special plans?

Specializes in kids.
They have a disability and may NOT be able to control their behavior!!!!! They need help and structure, not discipline. Many autistic children have behavior issues. Are you all saying they should be disciplined for their DIAGNOSED disability. I am greatly saddened at the attitudes displayed here. I am a parent of a child with a medical and behavioral disability. I am also a nurse (not a school nurse) now after being a teacher specializing in special children. I understand the frustration, but the kids deserve to have an advocate that understands their MEDICAL conditions. I am glad some of you are not nurses in my child's school.

I hear you I personally was referring to a kid with a physical diagnosis not at all related to a learning disability or on the spectrum. The parent wanted every accomodation in the book to make it easier for him. I get that. I advocate for that.

BUT, she also wanted him to have ABSOLUTELY NO REPSONSIBILITY FOR ANYTHING.

She wanted and extra set of books due to the weight, but wanted him to play baseball. She wanted him to have extra time between classes but play baseball. Again, he had a condition that caused him discomfort but wanted him to be an active part of a varsity baseball program. This was not just wanting him to "be a part" of the team. She and he fully expected that he be a starting player on the varsity squad, without any expectation that the physical demands be altered for him. Nope, she just wanted him to not have to do his work or be accountable to anyone.

When there was a 504 meeting, she only cared if something wasn't done correctly on our end. It mattered not what the result of that was, she looked to "catch" us.

She fortunately is in the minority. Many, if not most, parents are wponderful advocates for their children and most school nurses are tremendous advocates as well, but we do not live in a perfect world.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.
They have a disability and may NOT be able to control their behavior!!!!! They need help and structure, not discipline. Many autistic children have behavior issues. Are you all saying they should be disciplined for their DIAGNOSED disability. I am greatly saddened at the attitudes displayed here. I am a parent of a child with a medical and behavioral disability. I am also a nurse (not a school nurse) now after being a teacher specializing in special children. I understand the frustration, but the kids deserve to have an advocate that understands their MEDICAL conditions. I am glad some of you are not nurses in my child's school.

I don't know that instituting a behavior plan, as some of us suggested, is really considered discipline. But at the end of the day, no, I am not going to stand there and allow a student to act out and potentially cause harm to themself or another student or staff member because the student is not able to control their behavior. I don't think that standard disciplinary measures are appropriate for disabled students - perhaps in certain circumstances selected standard disciplines are appropriate for some students who happen to have disabilities, but in general there needs to be a different approach. But there has to be some sort of cause and effect or teachable moment or safeguard or whatever you want to label it - something needs to be in place to address the behavior - particularly if it is dangerous or destructive.

Yes, it is about advocating for the children - ALL the children.

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If a child is out of control, hitting other students, loudly cursing students, teachers and administrators, and tearing up school property, then what do you suggest should be done? Really? If you have any good ideas, please share them!!

The answer might not be punishment, but every child deserves some sort of guidance. If not, then you are CERTAINLY setting that child up for FAILURE in the future. Every child deserves better than that!!

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

That is why there are counselors, behavior plans, medication. Parents sometimes need to be educated that it may be necessary for medication. Unfortunately there are those that just think that it needs to "beat out of the kid" as discipline. Child could be being abused at home or bullied. I totally agree that out of control behavior should not be tolerated, but the tone of this thread at the beginning was that the kids were acting out and parents were using the system to get around consequences. Having been on both sides of the fence, I understand how defensive parents can get and why. In the end, it is always the child that suffers when resolutions are not found, or attempted.

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Well I am sorry. There are some (probably a few, but some) parents who DO use the system to get around consequences for themselves and their children. My main concern is when children are allowed to be a danger to themselves, staff, and other students because they have a 504 or something like that.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

They shouldn't. The 504 plan is not a get out jail free card. It is a protection for them and the other kids. If a kid is that violent, the is usually an alternative placement. My child has one and he knows there are still consequences fro his actions and he may have be removed from a setting if need be, for safety, but there are also things in place to to find the source (for example, he type 1 diabetic and BG changes can affect behavior in very odd ways). It is a process to find out what works. I have a friend with an autistic child and she has nothing but trouble with the school system where she lives. Her child was constantly being punished, inappropriately, for behaviors that are classic autism. He has no control over some of what he does. They don't work the system, but they make sure that his ADA rights are not violated. That is where Wrights Law has helped them.

Like I said earlier, I know there are people that ruin it for everyone, but to make sweeping generalizations is dangerous. Especially from a nurse. We should know better, I have great respect for school nurses. Would not, could not be one, but I have seen the good and the bad.

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I don't think anyone made sweeping generalizations. We just pointed out that there are disabled children that are the bully, and sometimes it is not addressed because of their disability. No one said all children with 504s and other such similar plans are bullies. I am personally glad that there are protections and plans in place for disabled children.

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