Best Districts for Special Education

[Anonymous]

I would look at the different special ed laws in Virginia and Maryland as another factor. As a parent, I appreciate that VA is a parent consent state - only maybe two states are. No changes can be made to the IEP without your consent. You can partially consent if they remove a goal, accommodation or service: “I consent to all parts of this IEP except the removal of xx,” and xx continues. You need parent consent to add or take away eligibility. It helps me feel more comfortable.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s a crapshoot everywhere.

[Anonymous]

I have also heard great things about New Jersey.
My advice - you are playing the long game.
Find an advocate who can help advise in a collaborative way. Some advocates are very aggressive - some families need that given their child's needs OR the situation where they are with the school.
But early on - you are learning together in supporting your child's needs. In DC - the teachers and schools are not stable enough to say that X school has a strong program. Because they have it for 3 years and someone from central office comes in and decides to change things and it goes away. So everyone has a story of a school that worked for their child. I know a handful of kids who have what used to be called High Functioning Autism who graduated from DCPS and went on to be successful in college.

[Anonymous]

I have been thrilled with my son’s experience at Woodley Hills in Fairfax County (Mount Vernon area). They are able to dial up and down services as he needs and work closely with us. He has an IEP and all of his teachers (gen Ed, although they started him in the Special Ed class) are aware of the contents and reference it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whatever you do, do not go to Charles County (south of PG).

Why is this? We are new to Charles County and this is concerning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would look at the different special ed laws in Virginia and Maryland as another factor. As a parent, I appreciate that VA is a parent consent state - only maybe two states are. No changes can be made to the IEP without your consent. You can partially consent if they remove a goal, accommodation or service: “I consent to all parts of this IEP except the removal of xx,” and xx continues. You need parent consent to add or take away eligibility. It helps me feel more comfortable.

Consent right are important, but they only get you so far. You still have to get the IEP you want first, and consent rights can't help with that.

- special ed attorney

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child will need an autism program with smaller classes (any level of autism including HFA), Montgomery county has the best options. However, if your child will be fully mainstreamed, I wouldn’t recommend.

Agree. Mainstreaming kiddos on montgomery county get ignored and bullied by both students and teachers in montgomery county but if they will be in a contained program it's an okay place

Our mainstreamed ASD child with an IEP has never been bullied but I can echo the experience of being ignored by teachers. Most teachers don't have the time, expertise or resources to meet DC's needs and the in-school services are totally inadequate. I don't know which schools or systems do better with this population. I have read and heard positive reviews of many of MCPS' self-contained ASD programs.