If your child attends a special needs school and comes home being regularly bitten & scratched by other kids?

The thing with injuries, including bites, is that they can happen faster than teachers can deal with it. Children who bite tend to be really sneaky about it. And I don't know of any school that has a 1:1 adult:student ratio, meaning the teachers and paras can't be with every child all the time.

If you're concerned, have your grandson's parent (unless you are the legal guardian) bring it up with the school. If you're not the legal guardian, there's not a lot you can do because of confidentiality. Even as a grandparent, you won't be allowed any information (I can't even give information to non-custodial parents unless they're on the signed forms to receive confidential information).

Was this special needs school the placement assigned him in his IEP? If you are this child's legal guardian then you (or whoever is the legal guardian for him) need to contact the school and ask for an IEP team meeting to discuss the child's placement (meaning, where it is that his IEP is going to be carried out). You could easily argue that your grandson's educational needs cannot be met effectively in this environment where he is always afraid of being injured by other children.

You should argue that he needs to be assigned a different placement, whether that is in a different classroom with kids who don't have aggressive behaviors, whether that is with a one-on-one special education teacher in a special education classroom in a mainstream public school, or wherever you think would be the "least restrictive environment" where his IEP could be carried out effectively.

Here is more information where you can read about placement: http://nichcy.org/schoolage/placement/overview

Apart from that, since you say this is happening regularly, and I am assuming they know which children are prone to aggression, then I am not sure that the staff are doing everything in their power to prevent injuries to other children. Personally, when I work with children with disabilities who are often aggressive towards their peers, I supervise them very closely whenever they interact with peers and very rarely does the peer actually get injured. This is because I am watching closely enough that I can intervene when I see that the child is displaying warning signs that they might soon get aggressive, and in most cases I am quick enough to block the child's aggression before the peer gets injured.

It is part of my job that I will pretty routinely be injured in this way, and I know that, but it should not be expected of parents that their child will always come home injured.

I suggest you call for a special education meeting with the express purpose of discussing your concerns. Specifically ask for a school psychologist to be in the meeting to help come up some ideas to help your child with this situation. I would request that the biter has a behavior management plan written. The school likely will not discuss another child's plan with you but I would bring this up as a solution. I hope they already have a plan, but ask the teacher what she does to the biter when it happens. If there is no consequence, then that should be addressed.

It is unfortunate that he continues to get bitten. Perhaps he is seen as a push over or perhaps he cannot express his displeasure except by crying. If that is not the case, that is he can express himself, role play with him and teach him to defend himself. First, I would teach him to look out for the person who bites and show him the kind of posture or look on the face of the biter. So, you are trying to teach him to avoid being bitten. If he is bitten, teach him to bite back. I know that may go against the grain but if he is constantly being bitten you have to do something differently. I would not broadcast this to his teachers even though your child may tell them you said to do it.

I definitely would not let this go on any further. If it does not change after you meet with the school and you have taught him to defend himself, I would ask for a new class in that school or in another school. Go to www.wirghtslaw.com and you can learn a lot about special education law.

I wish you the very best.

In my school we have to document anything that another student had contact with and that includes the other student involved..

Does this school make any kind of documentation regarding your sons physical contact with another student? Sometimes you have to send a student to the nurse for antibacterial ointment on skin. This could lead towards infections on behalf of your son.

Please start with contacting the head teacher of the room, then the nurse, and if you feel they are not helpful, then please talk with the school principal about your concern.