What is going on with the Office of Special Education?

[Anonymous]

Was there an announcement for the new Acting Associate Superintendent? This is the second Acting Associate Superintendent in two years and Ty get new Acting Superintendent was the Resolution and Compliance Director hired by MCPS last October. So who is now the Director for Resolution and Compliance?

And what about all the vacancies for Special Education Teachers and Para Educators at the school level? Did MCPS just give up on finding employees for those positions as well?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was there an announcement for the new Acting Associate Superintendent? This is the second Acting Associate Superintendent in two years and Ty get new Acting Superintendent was the Resolution and Compliance Director hired by MCPS last October. So who is now the Director for Resolution and Compliance?

And what about all the vacancies for Special Education Teachers and Para Educators at the school level? Did MCPS just give up on finding employees for those positions as well?

McKnight brought in an enforcer. A lawyer with lots of litigation experience and zero experience in special education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was there an announcement for the new Acting Associate Superintendent? This is the second Acting Associate Superintendent in two years and Ty get new Acting Superintendent was the Resolution and Compliance Director hired by MCPS last October. So who is now the Director for Resolution and Compliance?

And what about all the vacancies for Special Education Teachers and Para Educators at the school level? Did MCPS just give up on finding employees for those positions as well?

McKnight brought in an enforcer. A lawyer with lots of litigation experience and zero experience in special education.

Source?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was there an announcement for the new Acting Associate Superintendent? This is the second Acting Associate Superintendent in two years and Ty get new Acting Superintendent was the Resolution and Compliance Director hired by MCPS last October. So who is now the Director for Resolution and Compliance?

And what about all the vacancies for Special Education Teachers and Para Educators at the school level? Did MCPS just give up on finding employees for those positions as well?

McKnight brought in an enforcer. A lawyer with lots of litigation experience and zero experience in special education.

Source?

The Acting Associate Superintendent’s legal record representing PG County Public Schools. Search Judiciary Case Search for the public record. She is a lawyer with a history of fighting the families in the school district she works in. It demonstrates the direction MCPS is taking Special Education and their desire to fight instead of educate students with disabilities.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately this has always been the culture of MCPS. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: 11 million spent in 2017 in outside counsel to fight families of children on IEPs. That is the school system you choose to support with your tax dollars? Well I don’t anymore. You shouldn’t either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was there an announcement for the new Acting Associate Superintendent? This is the second Acting Associate Superintendent in two years and Ty get new Acting Superintendent was the Resolution and Compliance Director hired by MCPS last October. So who is now the Director for Resolution and Compliance?

And what about all the vacancies for Special Education Teachers and Para Educators at the school level? Did MCPS just give up on finding employees for those positions as well?

They are still looking for candidates. But, let's be real: they aren't out there, who are good teachers, qualified, and willing to do so much work (in the classroom plus the endless paperwork), and put up with BS from MCPS. Meanwhile, the students suffer the consequences. It is tragic, and will cost big bucks in lawsuits, pulling even more funding from a demoralized school system

[Anonymous]

This is truly awful. What kind of scumbag hires a litigation attorney to be in charge of Special Education?

Special Educators need to be qualified in, oh, I don't know, maybe SPECIAL EDUCATION!!!

MCPS sorely needs a top-level enema.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, hiring a lawyer or other legal/college level trainer makes sense. Most of special Ed is about compliance with federal laws/regulations/shifting Education department guidance. Special ed teachers have endless training on compliance with the paperwork/meetings/student rights.

[Anonymous]

A simple LinkedIn search shows that she was a special ed teacher before she went to law school:

Special Education Coordinator
PGCPS

Mar 2000 - Jun 2008 8 years 4 months

Chaired middle school special education department


I don't know anything about her personally, but it's not like she's unqualified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was there an announcement for the new Acting Associate Superintendent? This is the second Acting Associate Superintendent in two years and Ty get new Acting Superintendent was the Resolution and Compliance Director hired by MCPS last October. So who is now the Director for Resolution and Compliance?

And what about all the vacancies for Special Education Teachers and Para Educators at the school level? Did MCPS just give up on finding employees for those positions as well?

McKnight brought in an enforcer. A lawyer with lots of litigation experience and zero experience in special education.

Source?

The Acting Associate Superintendent’s legal record representing PG County Public Schools. Search Judiciary Case Search for the public record. She is a lawyer with a history of fighting the families in the school district she works in. It demonstrates the direction MCPS is taking Special Education and their desire to fight instead of educate students with disabilities.

In all fairness, judiciary case search only shows the cases she agreed to litigate. It’s a fraction of her work. And there will always be cases that need to be litigated. You cannot make any legitimate assumptions based on what shows in judiciary case search.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A simple LinkedIn search shows that she was a special ed teacher before she went to law school:

Special Education Coordinator
PGCPS

Mar 2000 - Jun 2008 8 years 4 months

Chaired middle school special education department


I don't know anything about her personally, but it's not like she's unqualified.

OMG. This makes her look even worse. A special educator who then becomes a litigator against families? Where does MCPS find these lowlifes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A simple LinkedIn search shows that she was a special ed teacher before she went to law school:

Special Education Coordinator
PGCPS

Mar 2000 - Jun 2008 8 years 4 months

Chaired middle school special education department


I don't know anything about her personally, but it's not like she's unqualified.

The word teacher is nowhere in that job title.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A simple LinkedIn search shows that she was a special ed teacher before she went to law school:

Special Education Coordinator
PGCPS

Mar 2000 - Jun 2008 8 years 4 months

Chaired middle school special education department


I don't know anything about her personally, but it's not like she's unqualified.

OMG. This makes her look even worse. A special educator who then becomes a litigator against families? Where does MCPS find these lowlifes?

Litigation is all about presenting your perspective. Parents are fighting for what they believe they’re child is entitled to under FAPE. MCPS is fighting for what they believe they should offer under FAPE. What’s wrong with that? A special ed teacher who is a litigator is a smart hire for MCPS. This is someone that is familiar with SPED in the classroom, written IEPs, knows the requirements for compliance, and has litigation experience.

[Anonymous]

The real problem is that FAPE is under funded at the federal level. The federal govt only gives $7 billion a year for these underfunded mandates. We have spent about double that just in Ukraine for weapons this year already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A simple LinkedIn search shows that she was a special ed teacher before she went to law school:

Special Education Coordinator
PGCPS

Mar 2000 - Jun 2008 8 years 4 months

Chaired middle school special education department


I don't know anything about her personally, but it's not like she's unqualified.

The word teacher is nowhere in that job title.

A middle school special education department chair = a teacher