The Acronym That Broke the Camel's Back

Over the past year+ I've learned, and even become conversant in, a long list of special needs and education acronyms. SN, SPD, ASD, OHI, OT, PT, IEP, CSE, CPSE, BOE, G&T, GT&E, NEST, ICT, CTT, SEIT, SETTS, OSIS...and then add in some numbers for good measure: 15:1:2, 12:1:2 and D15, PS 10, 230, 39, 395, 15, 32, 154...


I've learned all of these out of necessity in order to communicate effectively with my son's teachers, caregivers, education professionals, and other parents. Some I've learned even if they don't directly apply to us (ADHD, PPD-NOS...).


I've tried to keep all of this in perspective. Amused when an email to a parent coordinator has looked more like a recipe for a chemical compound rather than anything resembling conversation.


And yet there is one piece of paper, an FNR, that is proving to be so elusive, so ridiculously difficult to obtain that I fear I may BOMF*.


It's a simple piece of paper, just the name of school, the child's name, info, classification and services needed. A 'Final Notice of Recommendation.'


I was a lucky parent and had the IEP meeting for Fall 2011 in April. No school placement, but we had an idea of what we were looking for and how to get it.


[Note: I am skipping over volumes of painstaking detail here. You're welcome.]


In June we reconvened and at that time we were able to pull everything together. The school we wanted was going to have a seat for my son. All they needed was this FNR to complete his registration. Somewhere between the case worker/district rep and the district placement officer's desk there was a communication breakdown prompted by a new software system. The FNR arrived on the mail, but it had the old classification from the April IEP. This change required a trip to the BOE district office (not my first). But they of course said it wasn't them, it was the case worker. Called her. She pushed the 'final' button she needed to push. It took days for the central system to see that keystroke. Calls, emails to the DPO (see, it's hard not to do) with assurances they'd mail it to me – they could see the change finalized in the system and it was just a matter of printing it out and putting it in an envelope. And no, I couldn't come down to the office to get a copy. Since then (yes, the end of June), I have been assured several times that it was 'in the mail' and yet it has not arrived. I've even tried to have it faxed but in a cruel twist of technology the fax came to my office illegible. Luckily the school has taken the incorrect FNR as a placeholder. But they will need the corrected one before school starts in September.


Yes, I will be heading back to the BOE DPO office ASAP to get the FNR which confirms my DS IEP of OHI with CTT and OT for PS10. And then I will need a DRINK.


*See Star Wars, Episode I: Pavilion Movie Theater, May 1999.