Violence in Kindergarten- Sligo Creek Elementary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move your kids to private if you can. Don’t vote for BOE incumbents. Don’t vote for Apple Ballot. Do vote. Otherwise you are part of the problem.

Ah, now I understand the agenda here.

The agenda is to get the violence out of school. Why are you promoting a pro-violence agenda?

Why isn't the current BEO raising hell about this?
What are we paying these people for? They have one job!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The principal is in communication with central office and trying hard to get 1-on-1 supports for the student. It's very challenging because the student is K without an IEP.

There's no requirement for a child to have an IEP to put a paraeducator in the class. That's ridiculously irresponsible of the principal and central office.

Are you signing up to get beat by children? Why do you believe there is a line out the door and around the corner with people hoping to get paid $15/hr to get bitten and facebottled?

[Anonymous]

Even if the County approves additional staffing, there just aren’t people out there for these positions.

The shortage of teachers in general is awful. The shortage of special educators is becoming a disaster! There are teachers out there who are duel certified…special ed/gen ed…but the demands of special educators right now hasn’t been sustainable for a while. People are leaving much more quickly than positions can be filled.

As for moving students to alternative placements, the shortage of staffing is limiting the number of students that can be accepted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The principal is in communication with central office and trying hard to get 1-on-1 supports for the student. It's very challenging because the student is K without an IEP.

There's no requirement for a child to have an IEP to put a paraeducator in the class. That's ridiculously irresponsible of the principal and central office.

Are you signing up to get beat by children? Why do you believe there is a line out the door and around the corner with people hoping to get paid $15/hr to get bitten and facebottled?

Yet those positions get filled pretty quickly, mostly because the MCPS benefits are much better than what daycare centers provide their staff members.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do hope OP goes to the media. This needs to be investigated. I do understand why she may not be willing to do that as MCPS has a pretty strong vindictive streak.

I also hope OP is not spreading rumors (this is impossible to verify here). I am getting the impression that school safety is going to be a big issue in the BOE race and some candidates may be trying to stoke fear to win votes. I am concerned about school safety but exaggeration does nobody any good.

I can confirm at least the part about the kindergarten teacher leaving due to having a classroom of violent children

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even if the County approves additional staffing, there just aren’t people out there for these positions.

The shortage of teachers in general is awful. The shortage of special educators is becoming a disaster! There are teachers out there who are duel certified…special ed/gen ed…but the demands of special educators right now hasn’t been sustainable for a while. People are leaving much more quickly than positions can be filled.

As for moving students to alternative placements, the shortage of staffing is limiting the number of students that can be accepted.

Tell that to MCEA so that we can set up a separate pay scale. Or contract it out at a much higher rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had issues with the SCES principal last year for a different issue and she was awful to work with—gaslighting, offering empty solutions that sounded good but in reality did nothing, miscommunications galore. Eventually a group of parents in the class went above her head to complain to her supervisor. It was a well organized effort with more than a dozen parents behind it, and the issue was resolved within days of going over the principal’s head. I would recommend the K parents begin organizing and advocating in a similar way to get the kid removed or get a full time aid placed with him/her at all times. I can’t emphasize this enough: the principal will not do it on her own. You need to go above her.

Do not advocate for an aide. Advocate for immediate removal of ANY and ALL students who harm others

And do what with them? Lock them up?

The reality is that MCPS regularly refuses to provide students and teachers with the necessary supports and services.

Yeah, a lot of people on DC Urban moms do not understand free inappropriate public education and it shows. Unfortunately, there is no magic rubber room that you can throw kids into and removing them from general education takes a very long process and paper trail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do hope OP goes to the media. This needs to be investigated. I do understand why she may not be willing to do that as MCPS has a pretty strong vindictive streak.

I also hope OP is not spreading rumors (this is impossible to verify here). I am getting the impression that school safety is going to be a big issue in the BOE race and some candidates may be trying to stoke fear to win votes. I am concerned about school safety but exaggeration does nobody any good.

I can confirm at least the part about the kindergarten teacher leaving due to having a classroom of violent children

Which teacher?

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/sligocreekes/aboutus/directory/#Kindergarten

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe SCES continues to have no special educators in the building. As school base staff have to do all of the evaluations in order to get a student services, I’m certain that has slowed the process. I believe they have a contractor but I’m sure that person is scrambling to service the students who have IEPS.
https://moco360.media/2023/09/21/nearly-half-of-all-current-mcps-full-time-teacher-voids-fall-within-special-education-data-shows/

MCPS desperately needs to establish an elevated pay scale for special educators, but MCEA has shown signs that they'd fight it.

Why would they fight it? Aren’t they supposed to advocate for teachers rights?

They don't want some teachers to make more money than others. Basically, elementary and social science teachers are worried they'd lose out.

More dangerous jobs have always earned a premium. Hazard pay, imminent danger pay, combat pay…..there is a reason dangerous jobs have a premium—no one wants the job so the higher pay is the incentive. Elementary and social science teachers are welcome to be trained as SP ED teachers if they’re interested in the job.

[Anonymous]

Now is a good time to go to the media. Classrooms are out of control. Just add this incident to the pile.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/prince-georges-county/fight-game-in-elementary-school-classroom-caught-on-video/3563074/?amp=1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe SCES continues to have no special educators in the building. As school base staff have to do all of the evaluations in order to get a student services, I’m certain that has slowed the process. I believe they have a contractor but I’m sure that person is scrambling to service the students who have IEPS.
https://moco360.media/2023/09/21/nearly-half-of-all-current-mcps-full-time-teacher-voids-fall-within-special-education-data-shows/

MCPS desperately needs to establish an elevated pay scale for special educators, but MCEA has shown signs that they'd fight it.

Why would they fight it? Aren’t they supposed to advocate for teachers rights?

They don't want some teachers to make more money than others. Basically, elementary and social science teachers are worried they'd lose out.

More dangerous jobs have always earned a premium. Hazard pay, imminent danger pay, combat pay…..there is a reason dangerous jobs have a premium—no one wants the job so the higher pay is the incentive. Elementary and social science teachers are welcome to be trained as SP ED teachers if they’re interested in the job.

Some categories of teachers get extra pay in acknowledging for extra work they're doing outside of their contract hours. Librarians, reading specialist and staff development teachers, for example, get paid some hours during the summer and acknowledgment for all the work they're doing. I think the same should be extended to special education teachers because they often have to work outside of contract to get all the paperwork completed

[Anonymous]

I'm a gen ed teacher and think sped teachers should be paid double what gen ed teachers make. I don't think that will help solve the severe sped staff shortage, but it would help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do hope OP goes to the media. This needs to be investigated. I do understand why she may not be willing to do that as MCPS has a pretty strong vindictive streak.

I also hope OP is not spreading rumors (this is impossible to verify here). I am getting the impression that school safety is going to be a big issue in the BOE race and some candidates may be trying to stoke fear to win votes. I am concerned about school safety but exaggeration does nobody any good.

I can confirm at least the part about the kindergarten teacher leaving due to having a classroom of violent children

Which teacher?

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/sligocreekes/aboutus/directory/#Kindergarten

Presumably Joanne Ymele-Leki, since the others have been there in previous years, but she seems pretty old to be a first-year teacher. I'm not sure this story is adding up.

You’re not buying that a teacher quit? Or something else? I also heard this story from friends whose children were affected by the classroom reshuffle.

To clarify I don’t know the teacher’s name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do hope OP goes to the media. This needs to be investigated. I do understand why she may not be willing to do that as MCPS has a pretty strong vindictive streak.

I also hope OP is not spreading rumors (this is impossible to verify here). I am getting the impression that school safety is going to be a big issue in the BOE race and some candidates may be trying to stoke fear to win votes. I am concerned about school safety but exaggeration does nobody any good.

I can confirm at least the part about the kindergarten teacher leaving due to having a classroom of violent children

Which teacher?

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/sligocreekes/aboutus/directory/#Kindergarten

Presumably Joanne Ymele-Leki, since the others have been there in previous years, but she seems pretty old to be a first-year teacher. I'm not sure this story is adding up.

You’re not buying that a teacher quit? Or something else? I also heard this story from friends whose children were affected by the classroom reshuffle.

I find it more likely that the story is made up than that the school immediately updated the staff webpage.

Teachers' employment is a matter of public record. If this is real, name the teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do hope OP goes to the media. This needs to be investigated. I do understand why she may not be willing to do that as MCPS has a pretty strong vindictive streak.

I also hope OP is not spreading rumors (this is impossible to verify here). I am getting the impression that school safety is going to be a big issue in the BOE race and some candidates may be trying to stoke fear to win votes. I am concerned about school safety but exaggeration does nobody any good.

I can confirm at least the part about the kindergarten teacher leaving due to having a classroom of violent children

Which teacher?

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/sligocreekes/aboutus/directory/#Kindergarten

Presumably Joanne Ymele-Leki, since the others have been there in previous years, but she seems pretty old to be a first-year teacher. I'm not sure this story is adding up.

You’re not buying that a teacher quit? Or something else? I also heard this story from friends whose children were affected by the classroom reshuffle.

I find it more likely that the story is made up than that the school immediately updated the staff webpage.

Teachers' employment is a matter of public record. If this is real, name the teacher.

Just guessing it’s the teacher listed on the kindergarten page but not on the directory. There were 5 classrooms, now there are 4.