One of the most powerful oppression tools that people use to make someone go away is DELAY.
Creating delay, ongoing, constantly extending, makes people give up like nothing else because they start to feel hopeless that anything will ever be resolved.
So…..They go away feeling tired and defeated.
Delay is like a magic wand. It sucks the life out of people. And they KNOW it.
Even outside of education and other various government systems that are dealing with people’s complaints, they systematically and strategically delay people. They make “mistakes” that extend time. Things get lost or misplaced. Filed incorrectly. People are “confused” and use that as a delay tactic. Technology problems. It is incredible how much this is used. All Intention. I have seen forms being intentionally altered to re-route a complaint to an inappropriate department. Delays work especially well for them on the most vulnerable people. Many, many times, these “mistakes” are not innocent. But most of the time, it’s so difficult to prove intent, which makes it such a powerful strategy.
Delay works like magic for them.
If you are in a position of advocacy, get ready. You will 100% be dealing with this.
You will see a variety of delay tactics. Even ones that seem positive, they can turn them into delays. The duty to consult can be used as a delay tactic, and it takes friggen forever to organize the consultation, and it just goes on and on. Multiple issues with the consultation process just keep happening. An investigation can be a delay tactic. Extending the investigation for a variety of reasons that make it look like they are doing a good job. Dealy. Waiting for you to lose interest in the outcome. It appears that things are being done.
On a systemic level, not funding systems to manage the high volume leads to delay. People will self-select themselves out of systems, wondering if their complaint is worth it or not. It alters the data and shows a decreased need.
When you are advocating, they will not respond to emails. When they do, they will tell you that they will respond next week, and then don’t. They will ask for extensions due to schedule conflicts.
The skill in the delay tactic is to make it look reasonable. How can you complain? If you do, you are the one who looks unreasonable.
Keep your eye out for delay tactics. Keep a log. Dates. What they did. Being able to connect the dots and pull everything together may be very useful one day.
So how do we combat delay? We need to be pleasantly persistent.
Sometimes you just have to ride the wave. Just be aware of what is happening. Document. You’ll learn patience like no other.
But know this. They are delaying things for a reason. The delay has a purpose. You have hit a nerve. You are onto something. They are nervous.
To Do:
- GO UP THE CHAIN: When you email them, give them a timeline. If you don’t get a response, go up the chain and include other people or organizations. You literally need to be politely up their butt. They need to see you and hear you. The most stubborn and patient people will most likely be successful in dealing with delay strategies.
Remember: Access delayed is access denied.
Not making a decision is still making a decision.
Being ignored is communication. Silence can be a form of violence.
If you were to give the system a human form, it would be a narcissistic person using coercive control tactics on you.
Here is a page on how to deal when schools are ignoring you.
2. FILE COMPLAINTS. A Section 11 complaint can help speed up the process, as there is a 45 day time limit. External complaints can be a way to hold them accountable. But be prepared, external complaint systems are long. There are ways to fast-track your complaint. But filing a complaint or letting them know that you will be doing so can speed up their sense of urgency. You may need to give them a reason for them want to resolve this ASAP.
3. CREATE & COMMUNICATE EVIDENCE. Document the harm and communicate the harm to the school. It will put add pressure. Especially if they think a human rights complaint could be coming down the line. They will want to limit their damage period.
4. BRING SUPPORT. By bringing in an education support person to witness all the goings-on and them knowing an extra set of eyes on them can help reduce the delay tactics. Also hiring a lawyer has kicked a district into response mode. You don’t need to hire a lawyer thought, an extra set of eyes can do the trick. Here is my education advocacy help directory.
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito.” African proverb quoted by the Dalai Lama
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” – Alice Walker