Carl's Story

At eight years old Carl was on the brink of entering the foster care system because his parents didn’t have the skills they needed to safely raise him. To keep the family together and get the skills they needed, they were working with a social worker. At that time Carl was really struggling in school due to his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s a struggle to get him to slow down and pay attention long enough for the simplest of tasks, from chores to school work. His parents requested special services for him for three years, but their requests went nowhere.

During a recent incident at school, Carl refused to see his school mentor, but after a phone call to his Mom, he changed his mind. Unfortunately they hadn’t thought ahead to make specific plans for Carl to stay after school, so when the meeting was over he refused to stay when the principal asked him to. This made the principal so angry that he expelled Carl for over four months.

The social worker was very concerned about the impact this expulsion would have on Carl’s education and his family, so she called a Treehouse Advocate for help.

Our advocate reviewed the situation and knew how to help. She immediately drafted a letter appealing the expulsion to the district on behalf of Carl’s parents. The district administrator responded to the letter and a meeting was set-up. Before the meeting, our advocate coached the social worker on what was going to happen and how she needed to respond in order to get Carl the help he needed.

Thanks to Treehouse, the social worker was able to successfully represent Carl and his family. Carl’s parents had the chance to explain, in a safe place, their side of the story. They explained how they’d tried to request the right services and follow the school policies, but they’d never received any of the testing or supports they’d requested. And they were able to explain that they felt Carl was being harassed because the teachers kept asking him to do things they knew he couldn’t do because of his ADHD.

The administrator listened carefully and then did a comprehensive evaluation of Carl’s case. He discovered that, in fact, Carl’s parents were telling an accurate story. He immediately offered Carl a spot in a school that could support him. After a few months in his new school Carl, the administrator, advocate, social worker, and parents attended a special education meeting to discuss Carl’s progress. There were still some areas where Carl needed help and the social worker was able to help Carl’s family unite the school with their cause to support Carl. Carl is now doing better academically, and his new school says he hasn’t had any behavioral problems since he got there.

Our advocate helped Carl and his social worker better understand how to get the right educational services in place for foster kids. Carl’s parents also learned valuable skills so they can continue advocating for him in the future.

Learn more about our Educational Advocacy program.