Transitioning to High School: A Playbook for Parents
Many students with special needs and their families feel tremendous anxiety about the transition to high school. Typically, this is because high schools are more populated, there are new (often confusing) social mores and expectations, and students face increased peer pressure and unfamiliar situations once they make the transition.
Expectations also increase dramatically in high school. Juggling classes in different locations and making use of a locker can be very stressful. Moreover, students are expected to make decisions about courses and, ultimately, what type of graduation to pursue (diploma or certification of completion). This question looms large in the background, never quite drowned out by students’ day-to-day concerns as they navigate their new school.
Our goal is to demystify the process by providing a Parent Playbook on how parents can best orient and organize themselves during this transitional time.
Parent Playbook
1. Visit the School(s): In NYC, where there are multiple high schools in every district, it is important for parents to get familiar with the application process and the NYC High School Directory, an expansive list that describes each school’s location, attributes, etc. It’s an incredibly useful document.
2. Get the School’s Handbook: The system in NYC is organized so that every school should be able to accept children with disabilities. Once a parent has identified a school, obtaining a copy of the school’s handbook will help the family understand the community’s expectations and guidelines. Communicating this information to the student in advance will help ensure later success.
3. Meet the School’s Staff: Meeting the staff prior to the start of school provides parents and their student the opportunity to discuss needs in person. A great self-advocacy tool, this conversation humanizes the family so they become more than an email address or a name on a piece of paper.
Once the school year begins, the family will begin to determine what is working and what needs to be adjusted. This is easier to do when a foundation has been built upfront.
Contact us with your questions.
Jonathan Gottlieb
Partner
195 Montague Street
14th Floor
Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
Jonathan@GottliebFirm.com
(646) 820-8506