April 8, 2025
ADHD ignorance keeps the status quo and what the education system does not want you to know.
Mom Is Very Involved: ADHD ignorance harms students
My blogs will continue to highlight the policies, procedures, legislation, and research that I feel are most relevant.
Using our experience, I will compare what is written to what is practiced and how these discrepancies perpetuate discrimination within our education system.
Never forget: You get to reach your conclusions.
Even if you do not feel that I am 100% correct, how much of this are you okay with?
Is any of what you are reading here acceptable?
You should know that I asked the school’s administration to read the information I am sharing with you many times.
Most refused, making statements such as they feared it would cause bias or they were not allowed to. Others ignored my requests completely. One high-level professional went as far as to say no because the information was only for the people who asked for it.
Let’s be clear, getting informed is not biased. Choosing to remain uninformed so you can believe what you want is biased.
ADHD ignorance should not be an option for educators.
Education should always align with the pursuit of knowledge, advancement, and meaningful change. It should never be used as a means to maintain inequality and the status quo.
Education is a determinent of health and a protected human right in Canada.
Grade 9, first Quadmester.
On October 5th, 2020, 30 days into the school year, I still had not received anything regarding my daughter’s individualized education plan (IEP). I called the Vice Principal (VP) and reached out to her first quadmester teachers.
The resource teacher quickly provided us with a copy of the IEP. Except, the IEP was missing most of the accommodations recommended by the psychologist.
This oversight allegedly occurred because the accommodations were in the small print.
There is no small print in a psychoeducational assessment. These accommodations are often the most important and usually found within the final pages.
I did not pursue this, it was October, new school, COVID, first quadmester, must be a glitch, surely they would not intentionally overlook ADHD impairments.
The IEP was finalized on October 25, 2020. This delay caused our daughter to struggle throughout the first quadmester because she was without the accommodations she needed to be successful.
The school missed its legal requirement to have the IEP updated and active within 30 days of the start of the school year.
They never acknowledged this.
Looking back, the first quadmester provided foreshadowing.
During the first week of the second quadmester, my daughter’s soon-to-be English teacher sent the following email to the resource teacher. On November 24, 2020, at 12:44 pm she wrote,
“I have been speaking with (my daughter’s name) while in art class this week and she has mentioned that she would like to do applied English instead of Academic as she does not like doing work. I have mentioned this to (guidance) who is going to chat with her. From what I have seen from her in art class I don’t think that academic is the place for her.”
Let’s take a moment to compare the English teacher’s assessment of my daughter’s capabilities to the requirements laid out in the Human Rights Code (the Code).
The Code states, “Conclusions about inability to perform essential requirements must not be reached without actually testing the ability of the student. It is not enough for an education provider to assume that a student cannot perform an essential requirement. Rather, there must be an objective determination of that fact. To this end, an individualized assessment will be necessary.”
The English teacher’s email came after the resource teacher had identified the need for all involved teachers to review my daughter’s IEP. The resource teacher highlighted the importance of ensuring my daughter understood what was being communicated. She identified the risk of misinterpretation. Lastly, the resource teacher stated, “Mom is very involved”, in other words, “heads up”.
“Mom is very involved”, was repeated often in the four years that my children attended this school. Hence the name of my blog.
Back to the teacher who had never instructed my daughter. She was an English teacher covering an art class while her colleague was on break. This teacher did not reach out to me nor re-approach my daughter to clarify what was meant by her alleged comment about not liking to do work.
In my opinion, this teacher was looking for evidence for what she had already decided was true. This is bias!
How could this have happened? How could ADHD ignorance be so blantant?
Did you know the Code acknowledges that “Students with disabilities may be perceived to be a “burden” on the educational system, teachers, instructors, fellow students, etc.”?
The guidance counsellor involved in trying to change my daughter’s learning stream was the same counsellor who wrote, “Parents will back her version of the story. Has difficulty with authority. Has a history of mean girl actions, as well as physical altercations.” Interesting right?
My daughter had strong marks in grade 8 English. Her grade 8 teacher felt confident that she was learning at the academic level. There were no indicators that my daughter could not be successful in grade 9 academic English.
My daughter was upset when she learned the English teacher attempted to transfer her to an applied class and came to me. I reached out to the VP.
On November 26, 2020, the VP documented this – (my daughter) was upset about the reference to a level change. Mom reached out – (my daughter) is feeling like her teacher doesn’t think she should be in an academic class = upset. Checked in with (teacher). Call to parents. Emphasis on urgency based on quadmester timing. The teacher has not had enough time to observe skills.
The administration’s focus on urgency was because of the quadmester system in place due to COVID. Funny how this urgency did not apply to completing her IEP in the first quadmester.
For the record, COVID did not null and void the Code.
I am thankful that the VP recognized the English teacher could not make this recommendation. I would have preferred a much stronger stance because it wasn’t that the English teacher did not have enough time, it was that she had no time. She had never taught my daughter before.
I believe this is another human rights violation.
That is two known violations in the first three months if you’re counting (I was).
I still wonder what could have been while holding space for all that I have learned from this.
If they had acted quickly to support my daughter and hold the teacher accountable.
If they had dared to name and tackle ADHD ignorance, bias, stigmatization, and discrimination.
I have learned that I need to be selective about how much time I spend reflecting on what could have been.
I have also learned that what could have been, should not be tossed aside entirely, because it can guide us to what is possible, what is right.
It is a tightrope walk though, so be careful.
Lynn