u/LawyerBea

Looking for something within an hour or so of Sacramento. Would ideally:

Be on/very near a body of water

Have & allow fire pit use (Camp Lotus in El Dorado already showing restricted campfire use)

Be able to park right at the tent site

Have real bathrooms

Is this a crazy list? I don’t mind booking a weeknight for the summer. I just want to take my kid on a fun overnight camping trip where we can cook hot dogs over a fire and make s’mores and wade in a lake/river.

My son is finishing up first grade in a California public elementary school.

I’ve heard a bit about his classmate “Henry” this year. It’s clear Henry has some emotional issues, possibly learning disabilities and other challenges. He has an aide with him in class. When Henry gets upset (most, if not every day) he does stuff like throws his chair, tips over his desk, elopes from the class, kicks his aide, etc. Today he spit on his aide and my son said it made him feel sick seeing him do that.

Last year my son was in kindergarten with “Evan” who had similar behavior issues. Evan and Henry were in separate kindergarten classes and separate first grade classes, probably by design. There are only two classes of first grade this year, almost certainly will be only 2 of second grade next year. So he’ll likely either be in class with Henry or Evan.

I know these kids have the right to public education and I support that. But at some point it affects my son and the other kids who have to witness these outbursts and try to focus on their work until the chaos is resolved. Kids who witness violence experience its effects even if they aren’t victims. I tell my son these kids are struggling, that their brains just work differently and he should mind his own business, but it’s hard to focus when your classmate is screaming, spitting, and throwing furniture.

Is there anything I can do? Are the principal’s hands totally tied here? If I start kicking up a fuss will I only be adding to the stress? I want my son to have a calm, positive learning environment but that doesn’t seem possible with his peers who behave like this. What can I, as a parent, realistically do? I otherwise like this school, and I can’t afford private school.