I read the parental letter about their child being unable to continue in yeshivah and being welcomed in public school.
In NY, for example, there is or was a movement to stop public schools from sending kids in third grade and below out of their school. When I saw that, I agreed.
You see, in my opinion, yeshivos should spot difficulties early so children can get tested by an OT, speech pathologist, or whatever through the Board of Ed. They could make sure that a child is set up with a tutor in academics and limudei kodesh and help the child so the child isn’t dropped out completely while the child could be out of school for a three-month period to attend evaluations and form a plan of support for that child.
It should feel to the parent like the yeshivah cares about the student and the parent and can reenter with supports for the child.
For parents new to the special ed parsha, the school needs to provide, recommend, and help out proactively to support that child so they can reenter in the three or even six months that this is occurring.
Because, in truth, when you have a record, you are not wanted by other yeshivos. Personally, I have observed kids having to change schools, even far away from where they live, as a result of a problem that was fixable. It is traumatic to the child and the family.
I also wish for, like we have for kashrus for food, an agency for the health and wellness of the students—a board of retirees publicly listing the schools that use their services and writing about the support or services provided.
There needs to be accountability. Public schools are protected by laws regarding expelling students. Making kids leave school entirely for undiagnosed issues is not done in the interest of the child. It is in the interest of the school and other students, but they are doing this in the wrong way.
By the way, there are kids who misbehave because they have a vision issue that the ophthalmologist missed, which is why there are behavioral optometrists with vision therapy, for example. This is correctable, and to traumatize the child and parents over this is wrong, but this is what is being done, and there is no accountability here for the principals and menahelim who do this.
It would be nice for Rabbanim to get together to formalize a decree, since we are “above” the laws that public schools follow, outlining the process exactly for parents and schools on how expelling or even suspending a child should be done.
Why can’t we have a regulating body over yeshivos, please?
Name withheld upon request.
The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.
7 Responses
K
Years ago there was a yeshiva in Boro park that kicked out all boys who hat a chup. Nebech these kids were sitting with their hands on their heads so that when the principal walked in he snhould not see their chups. They came from American families and because they all got kicked out they ended up not Frum and intermarrying. This yeshiva went down in students and is now struggling. Many of the Brooklyn families moved to Lakewood areas. This is just one example of the evil that goes on. Even if a kid does not belong to a certain yeshiva if it’s too advance they must find him a different yeshiva for his or her level. Throwing kids out for no reason is wrong. But if you do find him a place that they fit in. There are so many kids OTD on different levels including many adults. I don’t have to go into it. Everyone knows.
Who do you think is going to be on this body? You’re naive.
A other day, another rant.
Parents are ultimately responsible to be aware of their child’s difficulties & to seek solutions. There’s just so much a mainstream school can do.
Please stop the ranting about every communal institution we have.
You’re talking like someone who walks into a supermarket and starts telling the owner — who has fifty years of experience — What to purchase, how to stock the shelves. But let me explain why your assumptions are off.
A child registers in a yeshiva at age three or four and is usually interviewed by the menahel/ preschool director. Unless something is seriously wrong, the child is accepted — and from that point on, he becomes the yeshiva’s responsibility for the next ten or eleven years.
Nursery, kindergarten, and Pre‑1A are the most crucial grades in any yeshiva. This is where a morah or rebbi can see whether the child is interacting with peers, learning the alef‑beis, and then learning to read.
Here’s the real problem: what happens when the school suggests holding a child back, or recommends a different program like Petach or Gesher? Many parents fight it — and that is the issue, not the yeshiva.
These challenges can appear at any grade, especially when boys begin learning gemara. The child keeps moving up, and each year brings new learning demands and new difficulties.
Resource rooms are helpful, but as the child gets older, pulling him out of class means he misses what the rest of the class is learning. That creates its own set of problems.
Any teacher will be able to tell you about innumerable cases where the school recommended evaluations, OT, speech, etc. davka because they were noticing issues and the parent chooses not to pursue it. Schools don’t have a magic wand to wave and get children these services. It often requires significant initiative on the part of the parent to find providers, make appointments, and pay for testing that may not be covered by insurance. Many parents choose to avoid this and expect the teachers to support and accommodate the child in the classroom. Most teachers genuinely do their best to help the child, but they are not OTs, PTs, speech pathologists, doctors who treat ADHD, or people with a master’s in special ed. They are underpaid, possibly working a second job, and responsible for the learning of a whole class of kids, not just the one with the most challenges. Then, when the child’s struggles get worse because they aren’t getting the professional help they need, the parents blame the school.
There may be cases where a school expelled a child out of the blue. But the vast majority of the time, the school has probably been aware of the issue and trying different ways to address it, and trying to work with the parents for a long time unsucessfully, before the decision is made to expell.
Daas Toyrah guides our yeshivas and an attack on yeshivas is an attack on Daas Toyrah.