Thanks!

Sincere thanks to all of you who took the time to reply either here or over on Facebook! I very much appreciate all the input, advice and encouragement!

So. Here's what I've come to after all that...I think the underlying problem here is that the program hasn't decided whether it's going to run as an extension of the local public school district (a "special" school program) or whether it's going to run as it's own homeschool thing that just happens to operate under the school district. While I understand that this is obviously a tricky thing, I find that I really need a decision to be made so that I can set my expectations accordingly.

If we take that first option and decide to be an extension of the school district, that's fine. If that's the case, I'm going to expect a lot more to be provided by the school district...lunch supervision, basic supplies, a better facility, etc. If that's the case, my emails regarding this situation will start going to the district and pointing out things like liability and lack of disclosure and proper email protocol (blind cc, folks...it's a privacy issue to keep sending me emails with everyone's address) and the like (yes, that Duke Law degree still influences how I think about things, lol). If that's the case, I'll have an easier time of not taking it personally, as many of you pointed out I was doing. :) (Thanks for that! Seeing that helped me sort through this more. :) And, yes, I made sure to have multiple people proof my emails for objectivity before sending them.)

But. If we take the second option...the one I've been operating under for the past four+ years...I find that I do take it personally. Because this has been a program run collaboratively between parents and staff/administration...our input has been valued and requested. I've deliberately chosen to put aside a variety of concerns that I'd bring up to a school district because the overall program benefits, flexibility and personal touch still outweighed the inconvenience and annoyance. It was actually a big deal last spring when we finally decided to stick with this program and not switch to the Fort Collins program that appeared to be MUCH better organized, would be in a great facility, and would not require parents to supervise lunch. We chose to stay because we LIKE these people, this administrator. It was personal.

(And, yes, I have taken steps over the years to try to be a liaison between parents and the program...volunteering to create a monthly newsletter and calendar for them to help get word out. Of course, even given this, I still find myself finding things out at the last minute because teachers and administration didn't think ahead and bother to mention it so that it could go out to parents sooner than last minute. Case in point, January's newsletter was completed on Dec 18 and emailed to the administrator for distribution. (I try to run the newsletters a month ahead so people can put things on their calendars...because I believe in providing advance notice about things. Apparently, I'm crazy like that.) Classes were the next day, Dec 19. Do you suppose something about the lockdown policy could have been included in the newsletter? Course, the administrator didn't get the newsletter distributed anyhow for whatever reason (though I know she received it). It's not the end of the world. Only one teacher bothered sending me any information, and the administrator's only note was about something she needed information from folks on before break.)

So. Let's put aside the initial failure to communicate to parents, which is blaringly wrong in both situations...whether we're part of the school district or our own thing. Even putting that aside, to blatantly ignore my request for more information (which was signed by six other families, too), when I did you the courtesy of approaching you directly rather than going to your superiors, is personal. 

What's next? I honestly still don't know. I was hoping I'd see an email today now that break's over. Classes are Wednesday...