Lately I have been seeing on social media that there is some belief that having an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is something that can be used to avoid consequences to things that deem consequences in the educational system. As one who received consequences in my journey through the education system, I can guarantee you that it is not a “get out of it” pass when something occurs to a student that warrants the required discipline.

I can tell you that I was suspended twice in my public-school journey. Each in school years back-to-back and in the same Junior High School that I attended. They are things that could have in today’s standards have been able to be better prevented for sure, but that was decades ago when there was a complete misunderstanding and lack of understanding of how my brain works, regardless of the issue, there has always been an understanding between myself and my parents that when rules are broken, you must endure the consequences that are given.

I do have to say that while I was suspended from school, that I enjoy myself, but that was rather used in a way that allowed me to be therapeutically educated in order to be able to allow my brain to get the skills and knowledge that there are expectations that must be met when going to school. Indeed, when things occur that there is a “zero-tolerance policy” in place, indeed without question the IEP does not serve as a “get out of it” pass because it is one of those things that requires us as individuals to meet certain expectations, regardless of the inability to control ourselves.

Indeed, when a student has an IEP, there will be a conference when a suspension is given to work towards the next steps to avoid the situation from happening again. At the last suspension, my mother had quit the team at this meeting, I mean having every seat in that conference room taken with those collaborating with me so they could be on the same page in order to make the rest of the school year a success. Granted, both of my suspensions in Junior High School were toward the end of the school year. I do believe that with all the intense changes, bullying and many other issues that is common in that level of education, I had just had my fill of having to withstand a very challenging educational environment along with just being diagnosed with a host of challenges that no one had a clue how to best help me in the educational environment. Some did the best that they could and others did what they needed to squelch my needs, but once I was out of there, and indeed not too long after that last suspension, I did head off for a psychiatric hospital for a long time, but it still reminded me that even though I acted in the way that I acted, there must be consequences for such a behavior and having something such as an IEP in place does not mean that it eliminates the consequences that are given to me and I must adhere to them.