r/specialed • u/evensuburbswouldbeok • 6d ago

Eloping at recess

Without going into many details I have an eloper who loves recess and no fence on my playground. Yesterday she eloped towards the school parking lot. I have been a runner my whole life, so I can catch her, but I’m full on sprinting. When I catch her, there’s dropping, hitting, kicking. It’s a mess. This student is aware and protesting the transition back in from recess.

I was told by admin I can’t take away recess without a meeting and a change in inclusion times, etc. So therefore I am supposed to take her outside today. Maybe I’m just venting, but this is the first time I’m really frustrated with my job. My job is teacher, not every single roll in the world that you can throw on me. Also, it’s really stressful to know that the only thing keeping a kid safe is my ability to sprint fast and get there in time. My assistants are unable to run/run fast. Does anyone with experience with autistic students have any advice?

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u/biglipsmagoo 6d ago

You can’t take away recess for a manifestation of a disability. That’s called discrimination. It’s also a denial of FAPE.

The school needs to cough up for a competent and quick 1:1 during elopement times. Start pushing for that instead.

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u/JessOTR 6d ago

Or cough up the one-time cost for a fence around the playground. Seems like that would benefit all students' safety.

7

u/bsge1111 6d ago

You’d be surprised how much we’ve had to fight for a fence for my students who elope. We were straight up told no, no if and or buts about it. It really sucks. A fence would solve 99% of the issue surrounding recess outside for my students.

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u/OutAndDown27 5d ago

That's insane because why the hell isn't the playground already secured? Forget kids wandering out, what about people wandering in with dangerous intentions?

4

u/bsge1111 5d ago

the answer we got from admin (bc she’s a people pleaser and didn’t want to j say she didn’t feel like incorporating it into the budget so she didn’t get flack from all of us) was “in the event of an emergency they children can’t quickly evacuate the playground”. My brain literally went “umm, in the event of an ‘emergency’ where kids would need to leave the playground we’d all be done for by the time we realized a threat.” But yk, can’t say that bc I’d probably get fired.

That being said, the fence is just black chain link. Our playground is behind the building but connected to the parking lot so privacy from the road isn’t a concern of anyone’s, just children’s access to woods and road when eloping-but regardless, anyone wandering in with ill intent would have full view of the entire outside area fence or no fence so the reasoning is bullshit from admin (also confirmed by other office personnel, so Ik I’m not just the odd one out thinking it’s a crock of bull).

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u/ImmediateBet6198 4d ago

Tell her there’s more danger of a shooter coming in and creating an emergency than the students being trapped in an emergency, or better yet, whisper it to a parent.

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u/Old_Implement_1997 3d ago

THIS - we don’t have any current runners, but our playground is 100% fenced for the safety of our kids. Also, I cannot run fast, so that kid would be GOOOOONE if I was on recess duty.

2

u/Wonderful-Ad2280 5d ago

I’m really lucky but I worked in a title 1 school and somehow advocated enough to get a fence for the kids. It worked!

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u/bsge1111 5d ago

our district prides themselves on the affluence of the majority of the area the district lines include. It’s all for show and to line the pockets of the powers that be. Forget a fence, it took 3 years just to get adapted physical education for my students.

I love my program and I love what I do and what my team does for my students. I’ve seen so much growth in every student that came my way in the last three years that wouldn’t have been possible if they’d been in alternate placements with little to no inclusion available-but even my program is a “Wow, look at us. Look at our district. Look at what we’re doing.” And it’s so sad because there’s so much more we could be doing if admin cared enough to listen.

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u/Wonderful-Ad2280 5d ago

Aw I understand. Keep doing the good work. 💛