Hatred of All Things... Educational - Part 4/5

     This was the first year we had let him ride the bus.  I am extremely overprotective of Teagan, as you will eventually see in my posts, and I was scared to death that some older or meaner kid would pick on him, to which I would have to jerk that kid up by his or her ear and set them straight.  Anyway, it took me all summer to talk myself into it, since the school was out of the way for us, and because of finances, a lot of money would go for gas to and from school every day.  I finally allowed him to ride the bus.  About three weeks into the school year, I was sitting at the bus stop waiting to pick up Teagan, when this Hispanic woman, who spoke very little English -- I had spoken to her before about the bus being delayed, and though I am taking Spanish classes, it was difficult even relaying that little bit of information -- came up to me and in her broken English and Spanish told me that the bus driver had assaulted Teagan, and that her own son had told her about it 3 days before.  I was absolutely livid.  So, once the bus came, I went over to get Teagan, and with the mother, talk to the little boy.  I asked him if the bus driver that day was the same one, but he was a substitute.  All I can say is the bus driver in question was very lucky he was not driving the bus that day.  I would have jerked him right off the bus and thrashed him to near death.  Anyway, the boy said that Teagan was talking excessively, which Teagan does when he is overstimulated, and he loved riding the bus.  The bus driver told him to shut up several times, and when Teagan didn't, he went to his seat, jerked him up by the front of his shirt, dragged him down the aisle and shoved him into a seat at the front of the bus.  The little boy was very descriptive, and I was very pissed.  I immediately called the school and told them I was on the way to discuss this matter with them.  I told the principal and assistant principal about it, but I refused to put Teagan back on the bus, and it may be a very, very, very long time before I feel able to do so again.  Because policies had changed, it was now a law that the school had to report any incidents like that to the police, so a police report was filed, the bus driver was fired, and even though I didn't get to beat the daylights out of him, I was marginally satisfied with the results.
     After picking Teagan up many more times after Christmas break, I spoke to the acting principal, the one I can't stand was blissfully out on medical leave.  This woman was a godsend.  Apparently all other school administrators are idiots, or she was the only one in the entire district who had this knowledge, which I find hard to believe.  She informed me there was a behavior program -- now, first I will say that Teagan is not a behavior problem, not in the literal sense of the word.  His problem is lack of motivation and ability to stay focused in class, which stems from multiple diagnoses and lack of services.  Anyway, this behavior class was similar to a self-contained special needs classroom.  There is a teacher, an assistant, and a behaviorist in the classroom at all times.  They also provide individual, group, and if you wanted it, family therapy for every child in the program, as well as adhering to each child's IEP.  Whatever its label, this sounded like the perfect place for Teagan, and we at once set in motion the application process.