My oldest son starts school on Monday. Middle school. Dun dun duuuuuuuuun. For two years, he's been in a special class, in a special school, with just four other boys. It was great for him. He's continuing with the middle school at this special school.

 

Now? There will be girls. Heh.

 

He's excited about starting - he really loves his school. But I have to say... His school is making it very difficult to prepare him in advance. Let me say that again. The special needs school is making it very hard to prepare the special needs kids in advance for his major change. Doesn't make sense.

 

They send all the paperwork home on the first day of school, so I can't tell him what to expect during the day. They haven't given us any info on the cafeteria, so I guess I send him with money and hope for the best. They haven't requested supplies so I'm sending him with an empty backpack. His transportation hasn't decided when they're going to be here yet. You know, for Monday morning. I finally tracked down someone who told me when the middle school, you know, STARTS in the morning. I even had to track down the first day on the district website. So, you know, I knew when the school year starts.

 

We went through this last year, too. And when I ask these kinds of questions, I get this bewildered kind of response, like I'm supposed to know all this already. How, exactly? I mean, seriously. The school's own website calendar is EMPTY. Hence my searching out the first day of school on the district.

 

I've prepared my son as best I can. We've moved to the school year bedtime. I've explained what I know and what I don't. He'll be fine. I just find it... curious that a special needs school would choose to begin the year with chaos that is preventable.

 

But - this is the only criticism I've ever had for them, so I suppose it's nothing in the grand scheme of things.