Suing DCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 10th grader has been without a Spanish 2 and honors English teacher all year. Anything to be done about that?

what school?

Don't worry - DCPS Central says they have the long-term substitute teacher problem well under control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want to sue DCPS because my son has gone to many good schools and is currently in the 3rd grade and his comprehension level is at a Kindergarten level and the school is dragging their feet to asset him for an IEP/504. He continues to be bullied and reprimanded for his actions; whether warranted or not. And we've only been there less than 30 days. Emotional distress/ Maltreatment and Educational negligence.

I had a similar experience. DCPS refused to give us the special ed designation. They said my kid wasn't far enough behind grade level. Meanwhile, he was in 4th grade and couldn't read at all and his handwriting was illegible. We got an advocate and won our case. We got the special ed designation, we got x number of tutoring hours, and they paid for psychological testing. Oh, and my son got an IEP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I want to sue DCPS because my son has gone to many good schools and is currently in the 3rd grade and his comprehension level is at a Kindergarten level and the school is dragging their feet to asset him for an IEP/504. He continues to be bullied and reprimanded for his actions; whether warranted or not. And we've only been there less than 30 days. Emotional distress/ Maltreatment and Educational negligence.

I doubt a civil suit would go anywhere, but you might talk to an ed attorney about filing for due process and/or if there's a way to ask for evaluations more effectively.

There's a process. Once you request a screening, IN WRITING, there's a timeline they must follow. First they screen to see if he needs to be evaluated. Sounds like he does so that will go well. Then he needs to be evaluated to see if there's an issue that warrants a 504/IEP. It sounds like there might well be. If the evaluation does not find there to be a problem, you have the right to have an independent evaluation and petition to have the system pay for it. In the meantime you'd be wise to get on waitlists of any private evaluators who take your insurance. Private evals are almost always better than public.

Once you get services, if they don't give them or they don't work, etc. etc., then you can file a due process complaint to indicate that the school is not adequately serving your child.

In the meantime I would make sure to have his hearing and eyesight checked. Rule out any other sort of thing that might be happening that's impacting his learning. His pediatrician can screen for ADHD which could explain the struggles at least somewhat.

Since he's so far behind and they're dragging their feet, I would recommend at least getting an advisor in place if not an advocate. I don't think you need a lawyer yet.

Good luck! I know it's really hard.

This is so refreshing to see. A helpful and honest answer on DCUM without the snark or judgement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want to sue DCPS because my son has gone to many good schools and is currently in the 3rd grade and his comprehension level is at a Kindergarten level and the school is dragging their feet to asset him for an IEP/504. He continues to be bullied and reprimanded for his actions; whether warranted or not. And we've only been there less than 30 days. Emotional distress/ Maltreatment and Educational negligence.

Document everything in writing. Names, dates, descriptions of incidents, plus all correspondence with the school.

Being behind isn't enough to warrant an IEP. Does your child have a diagnosed learning disability? If you suspect your child is disabled, get on the list at Kennedy Krieger or Children's National for a neuropsych eval. DCPS won't budge until they have a piece of paper written by a doctor telling them that a child needs support. Don't trust DCPS to provide that for you. They have no incentive to do so. There are plenty of LDs and DDs that can lead to difficulty around language, including autism and ADHD. Plus auditory and visual issues. Get it sorted out and make it harder for DCPS to say no.

However, if your child doesn't have a disability and is just behind, you have very little recourse outside of hiring a tutor on your own. Half of DCPS can't read.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like an education advocate could help you get better services before suing. If you Google 'education advocate DC' some names will pop up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want to sue DCPS because my son has gone to many good schools and is currently in the 3rd grade and his comprehension level is at a Kindergarten level and the school is dragging their feet to asset him for an IEP/504. He continues to be bullied and reprimanded for his actions; whether warranted or not. And we've only been there less than 30 days. Emotional distress/ Maltreatment and Educational negligence.

File your own complaint with the feds.
Http://www.Ed.gov/ocr


Read about recent DCPS complaint to the feds.
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/investigations/more/11221561-a.pdf

Read about the resolution
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/investigations/more/11221561-b.pdf


Pending disability discrimination investigations by feds
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/investigations/open-investigations/index.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 10th grader has been without a Spanish 2 and honors English teacher all year. Anything to be done about that?

Yes and no. For classes like English, we are going to need to increase class sizes to 30-45 (which means little to no grading for writing assignments). For Spanish, we could go to 100% online learning or simply cancel language requirements.

I suspect many schools will eventually go to a model that is online. You can have 100 kids sit in an auditorium and listen to someone on a screen, with a TA or monitoring for general supervision. With so few teachers applying, this is a consequence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you know anyone who has ever sued DCPS?

Why did they do it?

What was the outcome?

I do. It was over treatment of special needs child in a mainstream class. They won but mainly just lawyer fees (around $10k I think) and choice of new placements

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 10th grader has been without a Spanish 2 and honors English teacher all year. Anything to be done about that?

Yes and no. For classes like English, we are going to need to increase class sizes to 30-45 (which means little to no grading for writing assignments). For Spanish, we could go to 100% online learning or simply cancel language requirements.

I suspect many schools will eventually go to a model that is online. You can have 100 kids sit in an auditorium and listen to someone on a screen, with a TA or monitoring for general supervision. With so few teachers applying, this is a consequence.

Agree that tech is the most reasonable solution to deal with man hammers top headaches - unqualified educator and educator shortage.

This tech will be 100X better at assessing the students learning progress.

Students won’t be in an school classroom or auditorium though. They’ll be home or somewhere else. School campuses as we know it will become extinct.

[Anonymous]

Man hammers = management’s

[Anonymous]

Special Education Law Firm

James E Brown & Associates, PLLC
1220 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want to sue DCPS because my son has gone to many good schools and is currently in the 3rd grade and his comprehension level is at a Kindergarten level and the school is dragging their feet to asset him for an IEP/504. He continues to be bullied and reprimanded for his actions; whether warranted or not. And we've only been there less than 30 days. Emotional distress/ Maltreatment and Educational negligence.

You mention two separate issues. First - academic level and special ed evaluation. Have you requested an evaluation in writing? What does "dragging their feet" mean, especially if he's only been at his current school for less than a month? If you've requested an eval in writing and they have refused to evaluate, this is worth consulting with a lawyer or advocate.

Second - bullied and reprimanded for his actions. Again, what does this mean? Bullied and by students and reprimanded by staff for how he responds? Both by staff? Being reprimanded for one's actions is not something you can sue for. If the school hasn't responded appropriately to bullying then you should follow up on this - not sure if you can sue. We need more info.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 10th grader has been without a Spanish 2 and honors English teacher all year. Anything to be done about that?

Yes and no. For classes like English, we are going to need to increase class sizes to 30-45 (which means little to no grading for writing assignments). For Spanish, we could go to 100% online learning or simply cancel language requirements.

I suspect many schools will eventually go to a model that is online. You can have 100 kids sit in an auditorium and listen to someone on a screen, with a TA or monitoring for general supervision. With so few teachers applying, this is a consequence.

Maybe pay teachers more? How about starting salary at 100K and max out at 200K? Do you think you'd get any candidates?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 10th grader has been without a Spanish 2 and honors English teacher all year. Anything to be done about that?

They cannot force people to take a teaching job. My kids’ HS is patiently waiting on teachers through the visa program. We have a demographic nightmare on our hands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 10th grader has been without a Spanish 2 and honors English teacher all year. Anything to be done about that?

Yes and no. For classes like English, we are going to need to increase class sizes to 30-45 (which means little to no grading for writing assignments). For Spanish, we could go to 100% online learning or simply cancel language requirements.

I suspect many schools will eventually go to a model that is online. You can have 100 kids sit in an auditorium and listen to someone on a screen, with a TA or monitoring for general supervision. With so few teachers applying, this is a consequence.

Maybe pay teachers more? How about starting salary at 100K and max out at 200K? Do you think you'd get any candidates?

I’m all for it. Do you think people will pay more in taxes?