A parent says her son was bullied at the grade school and then diagnosed with PTSD causing him to miss school.
GOREVILLE, Ill. (WSIL) -- A parent says her son was bullied at the grade school and then diagnosed with PTSD causing him to miss school. After a previous story by News 3, the mother says she's having issues with the district on an educational plan.
GOREVILLE, Ill. (WSIL) --- Some parents in Goreville are upset over how they say the school …
Jessica Cochran says she’s not backing down from helping her son receive the education he needs.
“I'm not going against his doctor's orders to please the school. This is my child's mental health,� Cochran said.
Cochran says her son has been out of school for over a month after he was diagnosed with PTSD from being bullied at the elementary school. She also said the school has marked her son unexcused for every day despite having a doctor's note.
She says she even provided the proper paperwork to the school for the homebound learning and reached out to the Regional Education Board over Goreville for help.
“Now they've got truancy reaching out to me; which I've called and emailed twice and still haven't heard back from them,� Cochran said.
Cochran says her family has experienced backlash for trying to protect her son.
“My main concern is getting my son better,� Cochran says. “This isn't how you treat a child. This is a 10-year-old little boy and you have taken away his rights and you're trying to fail him.�
Goreville Superintendent Steve Webb told us that the school would consider homebound education if that is the best course of action. But, Cochran is still upset with the school.
“I have been told they will retaliate if I don't take my social media down. But the problem is nobody wants to stand up and speak the truth,� Cochran says. “I'm here to speak the truth and I will stand for my son.�
Our team reached out to the ROE over the Goreville School District. We have not heard back from them, as of Tuesday evening.
The Goreville Superintendent Steve Webb did send our station a statement.
It reads:Â
Any child, especially one who is struggling with anxiety about being in a school setting and all of those children with a medical condition who need some type of accommodation in order to transition or function successfully in a typical school setting, are offered an opportunity to enter into a discussion on whether a 504 Plan is necessary. The 504 Plan basically looks at all of the circumstances and determines what we can do as parents and the school district to work together to help the child succeed in school. To that end, in the past two years Goreville Schools has added two additional counselors for a total of 3 school counselors as well as a school psychologist to work with parents and the school district in these plans and the daily communication with the children who need that extra help. For example, if the counselors, when working with parents, determine recess may be too much stimulation, schools can alter the recess times, space, etc. to accommodate that issue. To note, schools must be aware of the adverse situations in order to accommodate them and parents have the option to accept those additional services or not and when they refuse that extra help, schools are left with very few options. It truly is a team effort.
The Illinois State Board of Education also sent our station a statement.
It Reads:
Student safety and wellbeing is our number one priority, and we are committed to working with school districts to ensure every student learns in a safe and welcoming environment. We have received communication from a parent in Goreville CUSD 1 and are reviewing the matter. We have provided guidance to the parent regarding the district’s bullying policy and have reached out to the district to gather more information to ensure the district’s Bullying Prevention Policy is being implemented with fidelity.
Cochran says her son has not been bullied since he's been outside of school, but he still doesn't want to leave their home. She says the Johnson County State Attorney is investigating their case, and she is going to keep fighting until she helps her son.Â
