Tell me about suing DCPS for private placement

[Anonymous]

Your horror stories…your triumphs…what you wish you’d known beforehand if you’ve done it. Tell me everything.

Son is ASD, 5. Advocate has recommended paying for 1 year at school we want him at in the future (Ivy) to avoid DCPS shopping his file around if we secure funding in the future. Then we would sue DCPS next spring for funding going forward.

How likely are we to get funding if no ID or severe behaviors? Any tips? Lawyers you like? Child has only ever gotten private services so has no IEP. How soon would I need to begin that process of suing for next year?

I’m not looking for why I should consider public. I do not have confidence in DCPS for a host of reasons that are irrelevant to the matter at hand. Appreciate your wisdom.

[Anonymous]

If you read about how DCPS funded private placements 10+ years ago, the situation you describe was a slam dunk. You can do a search on the public school forum.

However, your chances of getting private funding especially for a child who never attended DCPS nowadays is likely zero. DCPS has programs for kids with ASD now which they did not when it was easy to get public funding for private schools.

You should plan on paying the tuition yourself at Ivymount. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you read about how DCPS funded private placements 10+ years ago, the situation you describe was a slam dunk. You can do a search on the public school forum.

However, your chances of getting private funding especially for a child who never attended DCPS nowadays is likely zero. DCPS has programs for kids with ASD now which they did not when it was easy to get public funding for private schools.

You should plan on paying the tuition yourself at Ivymount. Sorry.

Agree. Your chance is slim getting funding even when your child attends a self contained classroom in DCPS and it’s not working. Never having enrolled your child and suing for funding??? Less than 1% chance.

Are you using an advocate who has had any success with this strategy in the last 3-5 years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your horror stories…your triumphs…what you wish you’d known beforehand if you’ve done it. Tell me everything.

Son is ASD, 5. Advocate has recommended paying for 1 year at school we want him at in the future (Ivy) to avoid DCPS shopping his file around if we secure funding in the future. Then we would sue DCPS next spring for funding going forward.

How likely are we to get funding if no ID or severe behaviors? Any tips? Lawyers you like? Child has only ever gotten private services so has no IEP. How soon would I need to begin that process of suing for next year?

I’m not looking for why I should consider public. I do not have confidence in DCPS for a host of reasons that are irrelevant to the matter at hand. Appreciate your wisdom.

So you're looking to scam DCPS and are worried about their integrity? Okay

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your horror stories…your triumphs…what you wish you’d known beforehand if you’ve done it. Tell me everything.

Son is ASD, 5. Advocate has recommended paying for 1 year at school we want him at in the future (Ivy) to avoid DCPS shopping his file around if we secure funding in the future. Then we would sue DCPS next spring for funding going forward.

How likely are we to get funding if no ID or severe behaviors? Any tips? Lawyers you like? Child has only ever gotten private services so has no IEP. How soon would I need to begin that process of suing for next year?

I’m not looking for why I should consider public. I do not have confidence in DCPS for a host of reasons that are irrelevant to the matter at hand. Appreciate your wisdom.

You lost me at "no IEP." Do you even have diagnoses? How on earth is an advocate entertaining your ideas when you've done absolutely none of the procedural steps?

Also, the others are right. You're not getting into Ivymount.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I’m not looking to scam anyone. I am just trying to follow the advice my advocate gave me to get the support my kid needs. My child is very language delayed and has many skills at the 2.5yo level at 5years old. The advocate is a prominent one in MoCo who is used and trusted by many. DCPS proclaims to meet the needs of many children it cannot to avoid paying for proper support. I’m trying to give my kid the best chance I can for him to grow and learn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your horror stories…your triumphs…what you wish you’d known beforehand if you’ve done it. Tell me everything.

Son is ASD, 5. Advocate has recommended paying for 1 year at school we want him at in the future (Ivy) to avoid DCPS shopping his file around if we secure funding in the future. Then we would sue DCPS next spring for funding going forward.

How likely are we to get funding if no ID or severe behaviors? Any tips? Lawyers you like? Child has only ever gotten private services so has no IEP. How soon would I need to begin that process of suing for next year?

I’m not looking for why I should consider public. I do not have confidence in DCPS for a host of reasons that are irrelevant to the matter at hand. Appreciate your wisdom.

You lost me at "no IEP." Do you even have diagnoses? How on earth is an advocate entertaining your ideas when you've done absolutely none of the procedural steps?

Also, the others are right. You're not getting into Ivymount.

Yes, we have a dx from KKI and Children’s. The child attended the early childhood clinic at Ivymount for preschool before matriculating to a less restrictive setting and failing. He has no IEP because he has not received public education services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I’m not looking to scam anyone. I am just trying to follow the advice my advocate gave me to get the support my kid needs. My child is very language delayed and has many skills at the 2.5yo level at 5years old. The advocate is a prominent one in MoCo who is used and trusted by many. DCPS proclaims to meet the needs of many children it cannot to avoid paying for proper support. I’m trying to give my kid the best chance I can for him to grow and learn.

I understand your concern but DCPS has autism classrooms. You are not going to be able to say they can’t serve your child without trying. Please ask your advocate how much success they have had with this strategy in the last 1-3 years. I bet none and they are wasting your time and money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your horror stories…your triumphs…what you wish you’d known beforehand if you’ve done it. Tell me everything.

Son is ASD, 5. Advocate has recommended paying for 1 year at school we want him at in the future (Ivy) to avoid DCPS shopping his file around if we secure funding in the future. Then we would sue DCPS next spring for funding going forward.

How likely are we to get funding if no ID or severe behaviors? Any tips? Lawyers you like? Child has only ever gotten private services so has no IEP. How soon would I need to begin that process of suing for next year?

I’m not looking for why I should consider public. I do not have confidence in DCPS for a host of reasons that are irrelevant to the matter at hand. Appreciate your wisdom.

You lost me at "no IEP." Do you even have diagnoses? How on earth is an advocate entertaining your ideas when you've done absolutely none of the procedural steps?

Also, the others are right. You're not getting into Ivymount.

Yes, we have a dx from KKI and Children’s. The child attended the early childhood clinic at Ivymount for preschool before matriculating to a less restrictive setting and failing. He has no IEP because he has not received public education services.

Ask your advocate what lawyer she works with, and talk to the lawyer. You certainly won't be able to get funding without going to due process. Talk to the lawyer now so that you can take the steps you need to create the best case. That will probably include engaging with dcps now to get an IEP written, then rejecting it as insufficient. But talk to a lawyer, not DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I’m not looking to scam anyone. I am just trying to follow the advice my advocate gave me to get the support my kid needs. My child is very language delayed and has many skills at the 2.5yo level at 5years old. The advocate is a prominent one in MoCo who is used and trusted by many. DCPS proclaims to meet the needs of many children it cannot to avoid paying for proper support. I’m trying to give my kid the best chance I can for him to grow and learn.

Your advocate is misleading you. I hope you are not paying them a lot of $$$$$ but if it is who I think it is, you are paying them for outdated advice.

Your first step is getting your child an IEP

[Anonymous]

LOL Why don't you put that lawyer retainer into your private education fund. You're going to need it.

[Anonymous]

We got private placement 5 years ago and that was after 2.5 years in a charter school and DCPS not having an appropriate program for my DC. You need an IEP. Once you have one, you need to show that it can’t be met anywhere in DCPS. Then and only then would you even have a chance to go for private placement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your horror stories…your triumphs…what you wish you’d known beforehand if you’ve done it. Tell me everything.

Son is ASD, 5. Advocate has recommended paying for 1 year at school we want him at in the future (Ivy) to avoid DCPS shopping his file around if we secure funding in the future. Then we would sue DCPS next spring for funding going forward.

How likely are we to get funding if no ID or severe behaviors? Any tips? Lawyers you like? Child has only ever gotten private services so has no IEP. How soon would I need to begin that process of suing for next year?

I’m not looking for why I should consider public. I do not have confidence in DCPS for a host of reasons that are irrelevant to the matter at hand. Appreciate your wisdom.

You lost me at "no IEP." Do you even have diagnoses? How on earth is an advocate entertaining your ideas when you've done absolutely none of the procedural steps?

Also, the others are right. You're not getting into Ivymount.

Yes, we have a dx from KKI and Children’s. The child attended the early childhood clinic at Ivymount for preschool before matriculating to a less restrictive setting and failing. He has no IEP because he has not received public education services.

Ask your advocate what lawyer she works with, and talk to the lawyer. You certainly won't be able to get funding without going to due process. Talk to the lawyer now so that you can take the steps you need to create the best case. That will probably include engaging with dcps now to get an IEP written, then rejecting it as insufficient. But talk to a lawyer, not DCUM.

All OP will be doing is wasting money on an advocate and lawyer. DCPS had autism classrooms now for all level of autism at this point and has had them for a decade at this point. OP should ask her advocate how well the strategy to get private funding by placing a child at a SN school and then suing for funding has worked in the past three yrs as another pp suggested.

Many advocates including prominent ones based in MoCo should not be advocating this as a winning strategy. It’s ridiculously outdated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your horror stories…your triumphs…what you wish you’d known beforehand if you’ve done it. Tell me everything.

Son is ASD, 5. Advocate has recommended paying for 1 year at school we want him at in the future (Ivy) to avoid DCPS shopping his file around if we secure funding in the future. Then we would sue DCPS next spring for funding going forward.

How likely are we to get funding if no ID or severe behaviors? Any tips? Lawyers you like? Child has only ever gotten private services so has no IEP. How soon would I need to begin that process of suing for next year?

I’m not looking for why I should consider public. I do not have confidence in DCPS for a host of reasons that are irrelevant to the matter at hand. Appreciate your wisdom.

You lost me at "no IEP." Do you even have diagnoses? How on earth is an advocate entertaining your ideas when you've done absolutely none of the procedural steps?

Also, the others are right. You're not getting into Ivymount.

Yes, we have a dx from KKI and Children’s. The child attended the early childhood clinic at Ivymount for preschool before matriculating to a less restrictive setting and failing. He has no IEP because he has not received public education services.

Ask your advocate what lawyer she works with, and talk to the lawyer. You certainly won't be able to get funding without going to due process. Talk to the lawyer now so that you can take the steps you need to create the best case. That will probably include engaging with dcps now to get an IEP written, then rejecting it as insufficient. But talk to a lawyer, not DCUM.

All OP will be doing is wasting money on an advocate and lawyer. DCPS had autism classrooms now for all level of autism at this point and has had them for a decade at this point. OP should ask her advocate how well the strategy to get private funding by placing a child at a SN school and then suing for funding has worked in the past three yrs as another pp suggested.

Many advocates including prominent ones based in MoCo should not be advocating this as a winning strategy. It’s ridiculously outdated.

Is there a list of the DCPS programs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your horror stories…your triumphs…what you wish you’d known beforehand if you’ve done it. Tell me everything.

Son is ASD, 5. Advocate has recommended paying for 1 year at school we want him at in the future (Ivy) to avoid DCPS shopping his file around if we secure funding in the future. Then we would sue DCPS next spring for funding going forward.

How likely are we to get funding if no ID or severe behaviors? Any tips? Lawyers you like? Child has only ever gotten private services so has no IEP. How soon would I need to begin that process of suing for next year?

I’m not looking for why I should consider public. I do not have confidence in DCPS for a host of reasons that are irrelevant to the matter at hand. Appreciate your wisdom.

You lost me at "no IEP." Do you even have diagnoses? How on earth is an advocate entertaining your ideas when you've done absolutely none of the procedural steps?

Also, the others are right. You're not getting into Ivymount.

Yes, we have a dx from KKI and Children’s. The child attended the early childhood clinic at Ivymount for preschool before matriculating to a less restrictive setting and failing. He has no IEP because he has not received public education services.

Ask your advocate what lawyer she works with, and talk to the lawyer. You certainly won't be able to get funding without going to due process. Talk to the lawyer now so that you can take the steps you need to create the best case. That will probably include engaging with dcps now to get an IEP written, then rejecting it as insufficient. But talk to a lawyer, not DCUM.

All OP will be doing is wasting money on an advocate and lawyer. DCPS had autism classrooms now for all level of autism at this point and has had them for a decade at this point. OP should ask her advocate how well the strategy to get private funding by placing a child at a SN school and then suing for funding has worked in the past three yrs as another pp suggested.

Many advocates including prominent ones based in MoCo should not be advocating this as a winning strategy. It’s ridiculously outdated.

Is there a list of the DCPS programs?

https://dcps.dc.gov/specialeducation


Programs and resource guide. Don’t focus so much on where or what school the programs are located. A lot of these programs are shifting before SY 2022/2023