504 for small class sizes
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Anonymous
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DD will be entering K next year. She does not need special Ed, but has issues that the doctor recommended small class sizes. There are other modifications as she has a physical disability related to mobility.
We have paperwork and recommendations for 504. I’ve heard bad things about the process for getting a 504 in MCPS. The idea of having to fight it out is stressful. Our home school is over crowded and chaotic. If possible, we’d like to Cosa to a neighboring school that is under capacity. Where do you start? Is MCPS good with these things, or will we have to fight for placement? |
Anonymous
| Small class sizes are only available in Title I or Focus schools. A non-Title I or Focus school, even if underenrolled will have max class size, unless you get super lucky and reach a particular sweet spot of enrollment |
Anonymous
| That will be tuff to do. Try a small private. |
Anonymous
If your child has a physical disability she will definitely qualify for a 504. I don’t think there is any way you would able to get small class size as accommodation on a 504. There are plenty of other ways the school could accommodate a mobility issue. They may approve a COSA to a Title 1 school based on your child’s needs, which has lower class sizes. |
Anonymous
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A doctor can’t mandate smaller class size as an accommodation. My child with adhd would do so much better in a class of 15 instead of 27. So would Almost every single student with SN’s.
Try to think of things that are more specific like so many feet are needed to maneuver walker/wheelchair so aisles need to be so many feet apart. That will limit how many desks which limits how many students. |
Anonymous
| A 504 doesn’t change the instructional model (small group). That requires an IEP. A 504 is for things that can be done in a gen Ed setting—extra time, frequent breaks, bathroom access, etc. |
Anonymous
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So, I think there are some thing you are going to need to figure out.
You can absolutely try for a COSA if the physical plant of a neighboring school is going to be easier for your child to navigate. While every MCPS school is *technically* ADA compliant, some are very old and the ADA-compliant solutions are difficult to navigate. What you can't do is advocate for a small mainstream classroom. It's simply not one of your choices. You can advocate for a non-mainstream placement, which is likely to have smaller ratios, but those are hard to get and maybe not the best choice for a child whose main issue is mobility. There's also going to be a need to shift expectations. MCPS is not obligated to provide your student (or any student) with the optimal educational environment. As PPs have said, a lot of kids with and without special needs would do better in smaller classes but that's not on the table for most kids, in part because there isn't enough space/teachers to go around and in part because creating a small class of SN kids is going to be a FERPA violation in a lot of cases. The task is to figure out what your child needs rather than what would be optimal and make sure you get those things. |
Anonymous
It's easy to get a 504 with a documented medical issue. I would start right now with your home elementary school and ask for a review for entering K. Get the 504 in place first, before you try changing schools. However, why are you so sure your home ES cannot meet your DD's needs? I would give K a try at the home school, and then if it isn't working out, apply for the COSA for 1st grade. You will have actual data of a problem, rather than a "wish". Depending on your daughter's actual needs, it is possible that the school recommends shifting from the 504 to an IEP. That would give the team more options to recommend specific program placement. |
Anonymous
| Private. You will never get this in public. |
Anonymous
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If your daughter has a disability that is documented and accommodations that can be made in the class, I think it will not be hard to get a 504. It wasn't for us. The real fights are for IEPs.
That said, a small class size would require placement at another school presuming you are not at a focus/title 1 school, and as such that's not an in-class accommodations. The accommodations we have are things that can be done in the class -- sitting near the teacher, getting extra time on tests, etc. -- for my child's documented ADHD. So think about what can be done once your child is aleady placed in a class. |
Anonymous
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We're in a focus ES, and our class sizes are 18 in the lower grades and 23 in the higher ones. Hardly "small." And there's no way to affect that--it's based on the number of students in the school, which then creates an algorithm for the number of staff. If DD needs pull-outs, that's IEP, not 504, as PPs have correctly remarked.
Our DC's 504 was essentially automatic as soon as we turned in our diagnostic paperwork (which I have to admit looked pretty comprehensive to me, even though I am not a professional). We have never had to fight or argue for either accommodations or implementation. Our ES has been fantastic all the way through. |
Anonymous
Same poster, indicating that the class size numbers are something I am quoting from memory from a recent PTA meeting! |
Anonymous
| Small class size is a choice, not an accommodation. |