DCPS and special needs

[Anonymous]

Anyone in a DCPS with an IEP and using OT and Speech services there? What school and how has your experience been?

[Anonymous]

Bump

[Anonymous]

Not DCPS, but a DC charter so I'll answer this.

DD has an IEP receiving OT & Speech and I'm pretty pleased. I liked the services at her charter pre-school (Bridges PCS http://www.bridgespcs.org/) as they were absolutely first rate. I'm not as impressed with those at her elementary, but I suppose they're still okay. We've just been spoiled by good private therapy (Georgetown) as well as Bridges. Charter schools contract out to get service providers, and they reportedly like working for charter schools because they actually get paid. On time. I take that to mean DCPS isn't as good at paying the bills.

I can foresee this making a difference to a child because if DCPS allows bills to get too far in arrears I wouldn't be surprised if service providers refuse to show up until they get paid.

Bottom line is that if your child has special needs that require therapy services, I would strongly recommend you find a good charter who will provide those services instead of exposing your child to the whims of DCPS Special Ed.

[Anonymous]

Mixed. You are really at the mercy of these spec ed administrators. They want to give your child so much support so that he can get a higher test score on the DC-Cas test just to keep the schools averages up. It feels like whether your child actually gets a basic foundation of learning is rally beside the point. Lots of support for tests--meanwhile the details of what son learns on a day to day basis is completely falling through the cracks. The time of reckoning comes when your child has left elementary and the DCPS environment is more monolithic--severe learning differences become more crippling by 6-8th grade when your child is off with his peers most of the time and you or the teacher cannot be there to prod the ADD kid along. That is 2 years away for us--but it does give you pause about the gaps that are happening even now.

[Anonymous]

Our experience at Janney ES- OT is awesome--sweet open intelligent therapist. Speech--unbelievable waste of time--the person there now is substituting until the wonderrful woman who usually is there comes back in Jan. (hopefully). I saw Speech Therapist speaking harshly and nastily to a girl (looked to be about 9or 10) It was bizarre. I'm pretty sure she saw me staring at her--but she was so amped up it was like she just could not even stop.

[Anonymous]

Oh and as to who gets paid in a timely fashion I think that sound very unlikely. Charter Schools are here one year and gone the next--It's so shaky-- African Americans have been sold such truckload of bull----with that whole Charter School Propaganda. There a re maybe 3 viable ones.
I've had experience getting paid as contractor for DC-- it is slow and unreliable. DCPC's OT and Speech teachers are salaried teachers--they get paid ON TIME. Do you seriously think the Teachers Union would let their paychecks come whenever?

[Anonymous]

Only 3 viable charters??!! That's a laugh. Seriously, I've actually looked at the financials of several charters and you don't know what you're talking about. But, here's a narrative that may help you understand: one third of DC public school children are in charters and a lot of those middle & upper middle class parents will move to the suburbs before they let DCPS get their hands on them.