When to register with MCPS

[Anonymous]

Earlier I posted asking about starting an IEP process before enrolling at an MCPS elementary school (moving from a private kindergarten to public 1st) and you all helpfully told me to start with the private/parochial special ed office. We are in process there, but now my question is when should we register at the new elementary? I don't want to wait too late and make things harder for the school, but I don't want to interrupt the process we've got going. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

You don’t have to register until the last minute. But I’d check with the people you are working with. Their role will stop when your child gets into MCPS but exactly when, well they would know.

[Anonymous]

I’d speak with an educational advocate asap

[Anonymous]

Register with your home school. Depending on the kid's needs that may not turn out to be the school he attends.

[Anonymous]

You don’t need to till the summer.

[Anonymous]

You are doing the school a disservice by waiting til the last minute. Schools are trying to figure out how many K classes for the next year and how much staff. Don't complain about overcrowded classrooms if you wait. There's a reason schools put up road signs (they are all over my area right now) about K reg.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are doing the school a disservice by waiting til the last minute. Schools are trying to figure out how many K classes for the next year and how much staff. Don't complain about overcrowded classrooms if you wait. There's a reason schools put up road signs (they are all over my area right now) about K reg.

Came along to say this. Please register as early as possible. My son had an IEP from K to 11th grade in MCPS. They set up the first meeting the summer before K, and I brought paperwork from his preschool evaluations, as well as a report from his developmental ped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are doing the school a disservice by waiting til the last minute. Schools are trying to figure out how many K classes for the next year and how much staff. Don't complain about overcrowded classrooms if you wait. There's a reason schools put up road signs (they are all over my area right now) about K reg.

If registering with the school earlier causes a delay in getting evals done, OP may be doing her child a disservice by registering now. OP’s obligation is to her own child. The school will figure it out.

[Anonymous]

PP and OP are both wrong-headed in seeing these two processes as somehow conflicting. One has nothing to do with the other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP and OP are both wrong-headed in seeing these two processes as somehow conflicting. One has nothing to do with the other.

I think the question is will registering with MCPS halt an IEP process that is for non-MCPS students.

I doubt it since the process is started, but I don't know for sure, and OP probably shouldn't trust anonymous DCUM posters on this.

My experience is with the IEP process for an incoming kindergartener, and in no universe did the school set up an IEP meeting before school started. If you have to go through the individual MCPS school I would not have the expectation that they will set up an IEP meeting before school starts. OP is much better off completing the process with the private/parochial office. If that means registering for kindergarten at the last minute that is really not OP's fault, nor should OP spend a single second worrying about whether that is okay. Every parent should do what is best for their kid, within reason. And delaying registration in order to have an IEP in place when the school year starts is well within reason.