Mcps Rara educator KICKED AUTISTIC elementary student

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is wild. I am an elementary school
arts teacher who teaches everyone in the school, including kids with autism and nonverbal. I would 100% never kick a child. But I would 100% definitely have a Diet Pepsi on my desk after lunch. I think parents have an unrealistic sense of what a school looks like.

Would you put that Diet Pepsi somewhere a child might be less likely to see it though? That’s where this adult went wrong. She had her whole meal out and the kids gathered around. I have a hard time believing this para didn’t know that her food and drink wouldn’t appeal to the children.

Happy to know you wouldn’t kick a kid over it!

You’re the biggest idiot on this thread.

God help us all if you’re an educator because damn are you rude as hell. Do you talk to people like this in person, too?

I've observed that the rudest people in MCPS threads on SPED tend to be a small group of elderly posters who ultimately want to kick students with special needs out of public schools. They pretend to be supportive of SPED until they reveal their real goal is segregation.

100%

And honestly as a parent of a child with high support needs, I can recognize that public schools aren’t always appropriate but the district makes it impossible for us to get our kids what they need without trying every single placement and putting teachers who may not be able to deal with behaviors/needs in an impossible position. It puts our kids and others in harm’s way. I’m tired of parents being blamed. Some of us are trying hard AF to get our kids into the placement they need.

And I’ve spent thousands of dollars on advocates and lawyers trying to get my kid’s basic needs met! MCPS sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is wild. I am an elementary school
arts teacher who teaches everyone in the school, including kids with autism and nonverbal. I would 100% never kick a child. But I would 100% definitely have a Diet Pepsi on my desk after lunch. I think parents have an unrealistic sense of what a school looks like.

Would you put that Diet Pepsi somewhere a child might be less likely to see it though? That’s where this adult went wrong. She had her whole meal out and the kids gathered around. I have a hard time believing this para didn’t know that her food and drink wouldn’t appeal to the children.

Happy to know you wouldn’t kick a kid over it!

You’re the biggest idiot on this thread.

God help us all if you’re an educator because damn are you rude as hell. Do you talk to people like this in person, too?

I've observed that the rudest people in MCPS threads on SPED tend to be a small group of elderly posters who ultimately want to kick students with special needs out of public schools. They pretend to be supportive of SPED until they reveal their real goal is segregation.

100%

And honestly as a parent of a child with high support needs, I can recognize that public schools aren’t always appropriate but the district makes it impossible for us to get our kids what they need without trying every single placement and putting teachers who may not be able to deal with behaviors/needs in an impossible position. It puts our kids and others in harm’s way. I’m tired of parents being blamed. Some of us are trying hard AF to get our kids into the placement they need.

If teachers could actually speak candidly without fear of losing our jobs we would say this. There are so many children in the wrong placement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is wild. I am an elementary school
arts teacher who teaches everyone in the school, including kids with autism and nonverbal. I would 100% never kick a child. But I would 100% definitely have a Diet Pepsi on my desk after lunch. I think parents have an unrealistic sense of what a school looks like.

Would you put that Diet Pepsi somewhere a child might be less likely to see it though? That’s where this adult went wrong. She had her whole meal out and the kids gathered around. I have a hard time believing this para didn’t know that her food and drink wouldn’t appeal to the children.

Happy to know you wouldn’t kick a kid over it!

If a child’s problem behavior includes something severe like food stealing then that child should automatically be staffed 1:1 due to this being a choking hazard as well as potentially ingesting something that’s not edible or even dangerous.

As you see from this incident, behavior like food stealing can also catch people off guard and they react instinctively (and sometimes aggressively or in a way that causes harm to the child, even if that was not the intent) if not properly trained.

This level of intensity and staffing is clearly beyond what MCPS is equipped to handle and if I were the parent I’d be demanding that child’s program be outsourced since MCPS clearly cannot handle the child’s needs appropriately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is wild. I am an elementary school
arts teacher who teaches everyone in the school, including kids with autism and nonverbal. I would 100% never kick a child. But I would 100% definitely have a Diet Pepsi on my desk after lunch. I think parents have an unrealistic sense of what a school looks like.

Would you put that Diet Pepsi somewhere a child might be less likely to see it though? That’s where this adult went wrong. She had her whole meal out and the kids gathered around. I have a hard time believing this para didn’t know that her food and drink wouldn’t appeal to the children.

Happy to know you wouldn’t kick a kid over it!

If a child’s problem behavior includes something severe like food stealing then that child should automatically be staffed 1:1 due to this being a choking hazard as well as potentially ingesting something that’s not edible or even dangerous.

As you see from this incident, behavior like food stealing can also catch people off guard and they react instinctively (and sometimes aggressively or in a way that causes harm to the child, even if that was not the intent) if not properly trained.

This level of intensity and staffing is clearly beyond what MCPS is equipped to handle and if I were the parent I’d be demanding that child’s program be outsourced since MCPS clearly cannot handle the child’s needs appropriately.

Correct. Being a parent of a child with high support needs, I would agree with the part that the child’s program should be outsourced especially if food SNATCHING (not stealing - as people with disabilities may or may not know the difference) is something that they aren’t able to consistently deal with appropriately. The following should go without saying, but if they were aware snatching was a behavior, and IF the child also had a one to one, they failed in several respects and the child SHOULD go elsewhere. MCPS loves to pretend they know what they’re doing though so I wouldn’t be surprised if this has not been considered. Happens all too often and I see the same situation over and over in my support groups.

[Anonymous]

Meleni Hoffman’s credentials according to a google search include being a behavior coach for children with disabilities prior to coming to MCPS. I’m sure MCPS thought she was capable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is wild. I am an elementary school
arts teacher who teaches everyone in the school, including kids with autism and nonverbal. I would 100% never kick a child. But I would 100% definitely have a Diet Pepsi on my desk after lunch. I think parents have an unrealistic sense of what a school looks like.

Would you put that Diet Pepsi somewhere a child might be less likely to see it though? That’s where this adult went wrong. She had her whole meal out and the kids gathered around. I have a hard time believing this para didn’t know that her food and drink wouldn’t appeal to the children.

Happy to know you wouldn’t kick a kid over it!

If a child’s problem behavior includes something severe like food stealing then that child should automatically be staffed 1:1 due to this being a choking hazard as well as potentially ingesting something that’s not edible or even dangerous.

As you see from this incident, behavior like food stealing can also catch people off guard and they react instinctively (and sometimes aggressively or in a way that causes harm to the child, even if that was not the intent) if not properly trained.

This level of intensity and staffing is clearly beyond what MCPS is equipped to handle and if I were the parent I’d be demanding that child’s program be outsourced since MCPS clearly cannot handle the child’s needs appropriately.

Correct. Being a parent of a child with high support needs, I would agree with the part that the child’s program should be outsourced especially if food SNATCHING (not stealing - as people with disabilities may or may not know the difference) is something that they aren’t able to consistently deal with appropriately. The following should go without saying, but if they were aware snatching was a behavior, and IF the child also had a one to one, they failed in several respects and the child SHOULD go elsewhere. MCPS loves to pretend they know what they’re doing though so I wouldn’t be surprised if this has not been considered. Happens all too often and I see the same situation over and over in my support groups.

The proper term is food stealing. You should know what the proper term is in case you want to look up some literature on the subject. Swiping is a different term, it loosely means taking an arm or hand and in one fell swoop knocking many items off a surface. Please support people doing this work and don’t ruin it by turning this into wokeness about stealing vs swiping when these are already two mainstream terms that mean different things.

[Anonymous]

This threat is wild. What shocks the most is people with 2 or more kids with significant issues. Then blame the school for issues that arise during the day as staff cares for their kids. Why don’t keep doing this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is wild. I am an elementary school
arts teacher who teaches everyone in the school, including kids with autism and nonverbal. I would 100% never kick a child. But I would 100% definitely have a Diet Pepsi on my desk after lunch. I think parents have an unrealistic sense of what a school looks like.

Would you put that Diet Pepsi somewhere a child might be less likely to see it though? That’s where this adult went wrong. She had her whole meal out and the kids gathered around. I have a hard time believing this para didn’t know that her food and drink wouldn’t appeal to the children.

Happy to know you wouldn’t kick a kid over it!

You’re the biggest idiot on this thread.

God help us all if you’re an educator because damn are you rude as hell. Do you talk to people like this in person, too?

I've observed that the rudest people in MCPS threads on SPED tend to be a small group of elderly posters who ultimately want to kick students with special needs out of public schools. They pretend to be supportive of SPED until they reveal their real goal is segregation.

100%

And honestly as a parent of a child with high support needs, I can recognize that public schools aren’t always appropriate but the district makes it impossible for us to get our kids what they need without trying every single placement and putting teachers who may not be able to deal with behaviors/needs in an impossible position. It puts our kids and others in harm’s way. I’m tired of parents being blamed. Some of us are trying hard AF to get our kids into the placement they need.

If teachers could actually speak candidly without fear of losing our jobs we would say this. There are so many children in the wrong placement

DP. I mean, you're either part of the problem or part of the solution. I get the concern to a degree, but teachers have some of the strongest job protections out there. They're not nearly as vulnerable of the children and families in these processes. If the school staff on IEP teams aren't doing their jobs, they're not living up to their professional or ethical obligations. Yes, it can lead to conflict and difficult conversations with the principal and central administration staff, but their jobs are not at substantial risk in the vast majority of circumstances. The well being of the student certainly is, though.

I've heard this fear brought up many times on Dcum, and I strongly suspect it is the same few posters that write it every time. I think a lot of educators are advocating for their students, but their requests fall on deaf ears at central when the board and administrators aren't willing to budget appropriately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is wild. I am an elementary school
arts teacher who teaches everyone in the school, including kids with autism and nonverbal. I would 100% never kick a child. But I would 100% definitely have a Diet Pepsi on my desk after lunch. I think parents have an unrealistic sense of what a school looks like.

Would you put that Diet Pepsi somewhere a child might be less likely to see it though? That’s where this adult went wrong. She had her whole meal out and the kids gathered around. I have a hard time believing this para didn’t know that her food and drink wouldn’t appeal to the children.

Happy to know you wouldn’t kick a kid over it!

If a child’s problem behavior includes something severe like food stealing then that child should automatically be staffed 1:1 due to this being a choking hazard as well as potentially ingesting something that’s not edible or even dangerous.

As you see from this incident, behavior like food stealing can also catch people off guard and they react instinctively (and sometimes aggressively or in a way that causes harm to the child, even if that was not the intent) if not properly trained.

This level of intensity and staffing is clearly beyond what MCPS is equipped to handle and if I were the parent I’d be demanding that child’s program be outsourced since MCPS clearly cannot handle the child’s needs appropriately.

Correct. Being a parent of a child with high support needs, I would agree with the part that the child’s program should be outsourced especially if food SNATCHING (not stealing - as people with disabilities may or may not know the difference) is something that they aren’t able to consistently deal with appropriately. The following should go without saying, but if they were aware snatching was a behavior, and IF the child also had a one to one, they failed in several respects and the child SHOULD go elsewhere. MCPS loves to pretend they know what they’re doing though so I wouldn’t be surprised if this has not been considered. Happens all too often and I see the same situation over and over in my support groups.

The proper term is food stealing. You should know what the proper term is in case you want to look up some literature on the subject. Swiping is a different term, it loosely means taking an arm or hand and in one fell swoop knocking many items off a surface. Please support people doing this work and don’t ruin it by turning this into wokeness about stealing vs swiping when these are already two mainstream terms that mean different things.

LOL! Please support CHILDREN first and foremost. This is not about being woke. Sure, it’s stealing but the child may or may not understand it as stealing. The child was kicked over a damn soda, but yes, let’s support this para.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is wild. I am an elementary school
arts teacher who teaches everyone in the school, including kids with autism and nonverbal. I would 100% never kick a child. But I would 100% definitely have a Diet Pepsi on my desk after lunch. I think parents have an unrealistic sense of what a school looks like.

Would you put that Diet Pepsi somewhere a child might be less likely to see it though? That’s where this adult went wrong. She had her whole meal out and the kids gathered around. I have a hard time believing this para didn’t know that her food and drink wouldn’t appeal to the children.

Happy to know you wouldn’t kick a kid over it!

You’re the biggest idiot on this thread.

God help us all if you’re an educator because damn are you rude as hell. Do you talk to people like this in person, too?

I've observed that the rudest people in MCPS threads on SPED tend to be a small group of elderly posters who ultimately want to kick students with special needs out of public schools. They pretend to be supportive of SPED until they reveal their real goal is segregation.

100%

And honestly as a parent of a child with high support needs, I can recognize that public schools aren’t always appropriate but the district makes it impossible for us to get our kids what they need without trying every single placement and putting teachers who may not be able to deal with behaviors/needs in an impossible position. It puts our kids and others in harm’s way. I’m tired of parents being blamed. Some of us are trying hard AF to get our kids into the placement they need.

If teachers could actually speak candidly without fear of losing our jobs we would say this. There are so many children in the wrong placement

DP. I mean, you're either part of the problem or part of the solution. I get the concern to a degree, but teachers have some of the strongest job protections out there. They're not nearly as vulnerable of the children and families in these processes. If the school staff on IEP teams aren't doing their jobs, they're not living up to their professional or ethical obligations. Yes, it can lead to conflict and difficult conversations with the principal and central administration staff, but their jobs are not at substantial risk in the vast majority of circumstances. The well being of the student certainly is, though.

I've heard this fear brought up many times on Dcum, and I strongly suspect it is the same few posters that write it every time. I think a lot of educators are advocating for their students, but their requests fall on deaf ears at central when the board and administrators aren't willing to budget appropriately.

Thank you for this. I appreciate teachers so much. It’s disgusting what the people in power do to ensure that they continue to make big bucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is wild. I am an elementary school
arts teacher who teaches everyone in the school, including kids with autism and nonverbal. I would 100% never kick a child. But I would 100% definitely have a Diet Pepsi on my desk after lunch. I think parents have an unrealistic sense of what a school looks like.

Would you put that Diet Pepsi somewhere a child might be less likely to see it though? That’s where this adult went wrong. She had her whole meal out and the kids gathered around. I have a hard time believing this para didn’t know that her food and drink wouldn’t appeal to the children.

Happy to know you wouldn’t kick a kid over it!

You’re the biggest idiot on this thread.

God help us all if you’re an educator because damn are you rude as hell. Do you talk to people like this in person, too?

I've observed that the rudest people in MCPS threads on SPED tend to be a small group of elderly posters who ultimately want to kick students with special needs out of public schools. They pretend to be supportive of SPED until they reveal their real goal is segregation.

100%

And honestly as a parent of a child with high support needs, I can recognize that public schools aren’t always appropriate but the district makes it impossible for us to get our kids what they need without trying every single placement and putting teachers who may not be able to deal with behaviors/needs in an impossible position. It puts our kids and others in harm’s way. I’m tired of parents being blamed. Some of us are trying hard AF to get our kids into the placement they need.

If teachers could actually speak candidly without fear of losing our jobs we would say this. There are so many children in the wrong placement

Some of it is placement, but far more often problems are the result of insufficient supports and services in their existing placement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is wild. I am an elementary school
arts teacher who teaches everyone in the school, including kids with autism and nonverbal. I would 100% never kick a child. But I would 100% definitely have a Diet Pepsi on my desk after lunch. I think parents have an unrealistic sense of what a school looks like.

Would you put that Diet Pepsi somewhere a child might be less likely to see it though? That’s where this adult went wrong. She had her whole meal out and the kids gathered around. I have a hard time believing this para didn’t know that her food and drink wouldn’t appeal to the children.

Happy to know you wouldn’t kick a kid over it!

You’re the biggest idiot on this thread.

God help us all if you’re an educator because damn are you rude as hell. Do you talk to people like this in person, too?

I've observed that the rudest people in MCPS threads on SPED tend to be a small group of elderly posters who ultimately want to kick students with special needs out of public schools. They pretend to be supportive of SPED until they reveal their real goal is segregation.

100%

And honestly as a parent of a child with high support needs, I can recognize that public schools aren’t always appropriate but the district makes it impossible for us to get our kids what they need without trying every single placement and putting teachers who may not be able to deal with behaviors/needs in an impossible position. It puts our kids and others in harm’s way. I’m tired of parents being blamed. Some of us are trying hard AF to get our kids into the placement they need.

If teachers could actually speak candidly without fear of losing our jobs we would say this. There are so many children in the wrong placement

DP. I mean, you're either part of the problem or part of the solution. I get the concern to a degree, but teachers have some of the strongest job protections out there. They're not nearly as vulnerable of the children and families in these processes. If the school staff on IEP teams aren't doing their jobs, they're not living up to their professional or ethical obligations. Yes, it can lead to conflict and difficult conversations with the principal and central administration staff, but their jobs are not at substantial risk in the vast majority of circumstances. The well being of the student certainly is, though.

I've heard this fear brought up many times on Dcum, and I strongly suspect it is the same few posters that write it every time. I think a lot of educators are advocating for their students, but their requests fall on deaf ears at central when the board and administrators aren't willing to budget appropriately.

Thank you for this. I appreciate teachers so much. It’s disgusting what the people in power do to ensure that they continue to make big bucks.

Pp here. It isn't fair to blame it entirely on the administrators, either. They can't approve things they don't have the budget to pay for. The real issue is the Board of Education, and the voters and political action groups that support them.

Though, if the administrators were more honest about the scope of the problem at board meetings, there might be more public support to do something about it. (Probably not, though. Don't ever underestimate the "I got mine" atttitude of Montgomery County voters.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This threat is wild. What shocks the most is people with 2 or more kids with significant issues. Then blame the school for issues that arise during the day as staff cares for their kids. Why don’t keep doing this?

What do you expect parents with multiple kids with special needs to do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is wild. I am an elementary school
arts teacher who teaches everyone in the school, including kids with autism and nonverbal. I would 100% never kick a child. But I would 100% definitely have a Diet Pepsi on my desk after lunch. I think parents have an unrealistic sense of what a school looks like.

Would you put that Diet Pepsi somewhere a child might be less likely to see it though? That’s where this adult went wrong. She had her whole meal out and the kids gathered around. I have a hard time believing this para didn’t know that her food and drink wouldn’t appeal to the children.

Happy to know you wouldn’t kick a kid over it!

If a child’s problem behavior includes something severe like food stealing then that child should automatically be staffed 1:1 due to this being a choking hazard as well as potentially ingesting something that’s not edible or even dangerous.

As you see from this incident, behavior like food stealing can also catch people off guard and they react instinctively (and sometimes aggressively or in a way that causes harm to the child, even if that was not the intent) if not properly trained.

This level of intensity and staffing is clearly beyond what MCPS is equipped to handle and if I were the parent I’d be demanding that child’s program be outsourced since MCPS clearly cannot handle the child’s needs appropriately.

Correct. Being a parent of a child with high support needs, I would agree with the part that the child’s program should be outsourced especially if food SNATCHING (not stealing - as people with disabilities may or may not know the difference) is something that they aren’t able to consistently deal with appropriately. The following should go without saying, but if they were aware snatching was a behavior, and IF the child also had a one to one, they failed in several respects and the child SHOULD go elsewhere. MCPS loves to pretend they know what they’re doing though so I wouldn’t be surprised if this has not been considered. Happens all too often and I see the same situation over and over in my support groups.

Not everyone wants private placements. MCPS should be capable of appropriately accomodating the vast majority of students with special needs. They just don't want to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is wild. I am an elementary school
arts teacher who teaches everyone in the school, including kids with autism and nonverbal. I would 100% never kick a child. But I would 100% definitely have a Diet Pepsi on my desk after lunch. I think parents have an unrealistic sense of what a school looks like.

As an arts teacher, you might not be seeing the most challenging situations. I know at my kids' school, paraeducators often float to students during specials. You have a very different environment than the home room.

At our elementary, all kids of all ages are dropped off at their specials — no teacher, no para. So kids with autism, developmental delays, ODD, and more. No adult stays with them other than the art/music/PE teacher. My job would be so much easier with another adult in the room.