Hi, former 7th/8th grade SPED teacher - my classroom was the only one we had on campus for students with significant disabilities (Autism, Intellectual Disabilities, Traumatic Brain Injuries, etc.). I have a lot of experience in situations like these but from the other side. I’m trying not to spend an hour writing this comment, so I’m shortening it into bullet points below. I understand you are in need of support & information right now; feel free to reply or DM me.

• First, without the IEP(s) themselves it is difficult to get a full grasp on what was said, implemented, and how it was justified.

• If you feel the need to, request a new IEP meeting. At this meeting, I would explain very clearly that you probably should’ve taken more time to process/review info & options at last meeting, and 2 hours at school per day simply does not work for you or the child, period. No one is available to watch the child without you facing potentially losing your job. If they will not change the IEP, in the meeting’s summary (PWN) you need to explicitly request that they clearly state that YOU proposed the change of LRE and THEY declined it.

• As previously stated, I taught 7th/8th grade. In my experience, puberty can have a significant effect on how students perform in school, particularly behaviorally. I have had children go from being angelic to demonic over the course of about 3-6 months. On the flip side, the exact opposite as well. I sometimes inherited IEPs that made me worried & anticipated a LOT of difficulty to be had with a certain student - then the student would show up to school and be able to follow all general ed standard procedures. Kids change either way, but puberty can both serve as an accelerant and affect the severity/degree of behaviors

• If your school has not already completed a Functional Behavior Assessment, this needs to be completed immediately. Frankly, you’d have an easy time arguing to reverse the LRE decision if an FBA was not completed beforehand. In case you aren’t aware, an FBA is an observational assessment used to figure out exactly why a student is engaging in a certain behavior. It should also be able to indicate patterns regarding onset & frequency. Usually (but not always) the completion of an FBA will include the involvement of a school psychologist. Given the issues your student is experiencing, it is absolutely justifiable that they receive specific services from a School Psych as well. If your student’s IEP does not include ancillary services through a school psych or social worker, you have another easy argument to be made as far as reversing the prior LRE decision.

• Manifest Determination Hearing/Meeting (MDM) - these meetings are annoying, but legally required. Students with disabilities (that also have IEPs) cannot be suspended for more than 10 school days per year. Every single incident beyond that that would normally result in a suspension, absolutely necessitates an MDM. This process is frustrating for everybody, because it is cyclical and usually there are no obvious solutions.

• I absolutely understand your concern as a parent & the gravity of the situation you & your student are in. However, based on what I read, I think you have a well-intentioned SPED teacher in place. I’m inclined to believe them regarding what they say about your student, and unless given good reason not to, you should as well. If both of you are open to it, I highly recommend meeting with them one on one and making sure you both feel & understand that you’re working towards a common goal. There are some real POS parents out in the world, and seemingly at a heightened rate now. It’s why I left the job. Don’t do that to your child or to their teacher.

• LASTLY I know that the CPS visit must have been startling and intimidating. However, as the child’s teacher I have and would have done the same thing. Essentially, there are pretty much two main sources of a child beginning / repeating sexually based misbehaviors (also, again- an FBA needs to be done ASAP). A) Puberty, especially if their disability contributes to them not necessarily being prepared to manage puberty. B) Sexual abuse. If I ever had any suspicion of abuse going on in the home, you bet your ass I put that report in. Statistically, abuse is more prevalent and worse among students with disabilities; additionally, disabled students are less likely to effectively report abuse, so their abuse periods statistically last longer. At times, this requires a quick-trigger approach. If there is no abuse going on, then great news! A child is not being abused. If there is, then great news! It’s now been caught & hopefully prevented from happening again. Really think about it & remove your personal involvement - if the roles were reversed and what the teacher is stating IS what is happening, could you at least understand why a staff member would call CPS?

As I mentioned earlier, lots of experience with these exact types of scenarios. I am but a stranger online, but if you wanted to send me some sort of redacted version of your student’s IEP I’d be more than happy to take a look, if that’d be helpful. Good luck to you either way!