Kudos to District 68 for Working with Parents of Multiples

Here is another Mom's story. Kudos to District 68 for including parents in the decision. This is a model of what we wish for every school district in Illinois.

I live in Woodridge, District 68 schools. Here it is up to the parents to decide what to do, but the school recommends splitting them. My boys started 3 year old preschool last year and we split them because it was clear to us that is what was best. One guy is the leader and the other guy sort of a follower and was a little behind in speech and other things due to a heart defect which was then repaired but the recovery caused delays in development. We knew he needed to be in a different class so he could grow without his twin around. the boys had no issues being split and are best friends at home.

I'm sure for other parents the decision is much more difficult. Although in some cases I think some parents just want it easier - one teacher, one set of rules, homework, etc. I often wonder how I will do Curriculum Night when my twins start Kindergarten and my oldest is in 4th grade. One hour, three teachers. But in my case, I have helped in the classrooms for my oldest son, PTO board, and have gotten to know the teachers so I don't think it will be too difficult to manage three kids, three classes. Parents of multiple singletons do it so I can do.

We plan to keep them split unless they specifically tell us they want to be together and then we'll discuss it. We might not have a choice in Kindergarten because if there aren't enough kids to make two AM or PM classes, they'll be in the same class. But after that, they are split again. That has been our experience so far.

Letter to the Editor

We recently sent a letter to the editor as part of our effort to raise awareness of the issues parents of multiple face when trying to determine school placement. So far, we know the letter has appeared in many places. Recently, parents of twins sent me these two links:

Champaign-Urbana News Gazette

State Journal-Register

Have you seen the letter? If so, please send us the link. We'd like to try to keep track of where the letter is published.

We need your stories

We're starting to speak with Illinois legislators. Many of them are asking about what is happening in their districts. We need to hear your stories about your multiples in school.

Was the school administration supportive? Did you run into obstacles? If so, how did you overcome the obstacles? Or did you overcome the obstacles?

Please send your stories to Shari at slcs48n1 at yahoo.com. Please let me know where you live so I can keep track of which elected officials represent your district.

Response to the Northwest Herald Article

Shari,

I read the article in today's Northwest Herald. I have 5-year-old twins who will be in kindergarten this fall. When I registered my children at the elementary school, I wrote on the form that I wanted my children in the same classroom. The principal would not meet with me in person. After some weeks with no return phone call, I called again, and the principal spoke to me on the phone. This principal was so out of line in the way she spoke to me on the phone. She doesn't know me and doesn't know my children. She doesn't want to know us, and doesn't care about the reason I was asking my twins be placed in the same classroom. When I asked her why, her response was, 'because I said so'. When I asked if this was a rule for the district, she responded, 'it's my rule'. When I told her I had a recommendation from the pre-school my children attended, she said she doesn't care what anyone else says, she does what she wants and the district stands behind her. I said I thought I was making a simple request, she interrupted me and said, 'I don't take parent requests'.


I then requested a meeting with the superintendent. He wouldn't meet with me, but spoke to me on the phone, ending by saying he'd get back to me. He never got back to me, but had the principal write me a letter. The principal's letter was very toned down compared to the phone conversation I had with her, but in her letter basically said my children were not my responsibility when they were in her school.


This has been a horrible experience for me and my family. I will be writing my Senator about enacting the Twin Law. Until today, I didn't know this existed.


Though my husband and I cannot financially afford to send our children to a private school, there is no way we will send our children to the elementary school near our home (3 doors away!!). Since my conversation with this principal, I have heard so many bad occurrences involving this principal. And, I don't want to make a big stink about this and then have my children singled out or have my children be frightened in any way by anyone in the school, including the office staff. I just find it hard to believe the superintendent refused to meet with me in person, and another principal in the same district also refused to meet with me in person. I've been very polite and I don't understand why this is happening. Every child is an individual. Just like all children are not the same, all twins are not the same.


Thank you very much.


Sincerely,
Maria
(Crystal Lake)

Northwest Herald Article

A big thank you to Crystal Lindell for this great article.

http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2009/05/14/r_b4zvg9gxsisayr0husoaqq/index.xml

The really great thing about this article is that it is another example of how prevalent the issue remains. It's not something only a few parents in a few suburbs or rural school districts deal with. The question about whether or not to separate twins is universal.

Crystal also talks to several experts who give different dimensions to the issue. It's a great illustration of how the issue breaks down between parents and school districts.

Thank You Clusters!

I had fun last night with the Clusters club. These Moms of Multiples were fun and engaging. We talked about how I ended up with a story in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Twins and More. We chatted about Twins Law and several people shared their thoughts and stories.

At some point during my talk, I started thinking, "Oh #$*&! I don't have any business cards." Yes, in my most professional manner, I had to write my contact information on a scrap of paper. I know, it was impressive.

The Clusters moms were wonderful. Thank you very much for the opportunity to learn about your group and talk about the Twins Law campaign. I look forward to working together as the Twins Law campaign marches towards success.

Thank you Southtown Star!

We recently sent a letter to the editor regarding Illinois Twins Law. Shortly after, I spoke with Guy Tridgell about our efforts. Here's the article he wrote about Twins Law.

http://www.southtownstar.com/news/tridgell/1560268,050609tridgell.article

Of course, being a true journalist, he first spoke with the legislative reporter at the newspaper. While she wasn't aware of the Twins Law effort, she did know about the issue. She told him if he hadn't heard about the ongoing battle between parents and schools, he must not have friends with twins.

It's a fun and funny article. I especially like the beginning when he notes the other issues in front of the Illinois Legislature. I hope you enjoy it as well!