Making Waves

It's only been 3 months since school started for Wes, and already I'm making waves. Ah, me.
The parking lot for the elementary school is quite a hike to the door for the preschool. There is a small parking lot near the door, so I've been parking there to drop off and pick up Wes. The buses for kindergarten and the preschool use the small driveway to drop off and pick up kids who have special needs or go to daycare after school. They are usually small buses or vans. It's been bitter cold here and it takes a year and a half to get Wes down to the car in the parking lot to go home or go to school. Not to mention in the morning there are lots of buses and parents dropping off so it's hard to maneuver. Wes still lacks the knowledge not to run in front of cars or buses so it's a big problem for me when I'm trying to get Casey out of the car and into a carriage. When we had Wes' first IEP, the teachers and the preschool coordinator told me that it would be alright for me to park back there because of Wes' situation and Casey's age.

Today, the principal of the school came out and scolded me in front of other parents who were picking up their kids. I was very embarrassed by her tact and tone. She told me I needed to move my car immediately and walk from the parking lot. Now mind you, I didn't exactly dress Casey appropriately. He didn't have mittens on and he took his hat off. The preschoolers were coming around the corner from being outside while I was trying to find a parking spot in the parking lot. His teachers came over to discuss the matter with me after the other parents left. I told them how appaling the principle just was. They told me another parent with a typical child and a 6 week old are allowed to park next to the door because she has an infant. How can they make an exception for one and not for another parent. Yes, Casey is a year old, but it's more like I have two 1 year olds and not a 3yr old and a 1yr old.

I immediately came home and sat down to send her an email with my disgust. I copied the school board, the superintendent, the assistant superintendent and the presidents of the PTO. No way am I going to jeopardize the safety of Wes and Casey because he doesn't take the bus. I'm working very hard at getting him accustomed to the bus so I don't have to pack up Casey to pick up Wes. I let her know how inappropriate and unprofessional she was to scold me in front of other parents that way and that if she wants to make an exception for one parent, she needs to do the same for others.

Ugh! A precursor to the politics of the school district.