Parents of gifted kids often remain uninvolved. They believe their child will 'do fine' in school because
they are gifted. There is no need. Or parents worry they will be thought of as 'whiners' by their
district. Being 'Gifted' in this area defines a need, not a trait. A gifted child sitting in a classroom, watching
others learn, throughout the school day, each school day, each school year is not a good thing. Please read
the two articles shown to the right.
That is a question only you can answer. To answer it you need to understand your district, their obligations, and, more
importantly your child's gifted educational needs. Whether you choose to actively involve yourself in planning
their education or not depends on two things:
1) Your perception of your child's educational needs
2) Your understanding of the district's ability to identify,
then meet,
those needs.
Please read the PA Department of Education's (PDE) Parents Guide to Special Education for the Gifted.
It takes about twenty minutes to read and is linked below. If you read it and are satisfied with your gifted child's progress
in school - if things are 'good enough' - you may decide to remain uninvolved. The district is meeting your
child's needs.
Some people rely on their district to do a good job educating the gifted child simply because they
are 'the district'. Those people might be right. Until a person spends twenty minutes learning about gifted
education in PA for themselves they will never really know.
As an advocate who specializes in these issues, I can help you during
the most critical time, when you're first learning how to advocate for your child and what to ask for.
