...a neighbor of mine - a local doctor - told me the story of how his daughter wound up in private school. He and his wife became very concerned because she started not wanting to go to school and her grades began dropping after she started the fourth or fifth grade. She came home from school angry almost every day. She had always been enthusiastic and enjoyed school before that.

A discussion with another parent revealed that there was a kid in her classes who was a huge behavioral issue. He was older and much larger than the other kids in the class. His behavioral issues were so bad that he was assigned his own teacher's assistant just to try and keep him under control. He constantly disrupted class, bullied other kids and the teacher, and had even thrown desks around the class. He was terrifying the doctor's daughter and keeping the entire class from learning.

The doctor went to the school and demanded that they remove his daughter from that class. They informed him that they had already moved several kids and could not move anyone else. Also, since she was a top student they could not move her without risking dropping the test scores below the level required to meet certain guidelines. They also told him that their hands were tied on dealing with the troubled boy because his mother had hired an attorney who successfully fought having him moved to any kind of special education.

My neighbor left with his daughter that day and moved her to a private school. She never returned to public school. She is now a college graduate and, I believe, is studying medicine.