Bridge Services at Churchill

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is really discouraging and I’m scared for my daughter. She’s been in inclusion to this point but she needs a lot of one:one support and gets overwhelmed in large classes. She really needs friends and a community and I’m afraid she’s going to be stuck in a small group. She’ll probably find one person in the Bridge program that she’ll connect with - she always finds one person wherever she goes. But she’s wildly talented in art and theater and if she’s not included in those things she will not have a high school community.

This sounds like something to discuss with the IEP team. How can they support her in accessing art and theater classes and/or clubs? LRE means LRE, even if her academics need to be in a self contained environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is really discouraging and I’m scared for my daughter. She’s been in inclusion to this point but she needs a lot of one:one support and gets overwhelmed in large classes. She really needs friends and a community and I’m afraid she’s going to be stuck in a small group. She’ll probably find one person in the Bridge program that she’ll connect with - she always finds one person wherever she goes. But she’s wildly talented in art and theater and if she’s not included in those things she will not have a high school community.

This sounds like something to discuss with the IEP team. How can they support her in accessing art and theater classes and/or clubs? LRE means LRE, even if her academics need to be in a self contained environment.

Will the school tell you how many Bridge students participate in activities that your child is interested in? If the number is low, how can these programs provide opportunities for inclusion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HFA kids are more prone to bullying at any school- it is no worse at Churchill than other schools. There are great and welcoming kids there, but also mean and bullying ones. Just tike every school. I wouldn’t let what you are hearing here worry you. Your DD will be in a supportive place and can have as many mainstreaming options as she is comfortable with.

Bullying may be in every school. However that doesn’t mean that it should be overlooked or accepted as just a normal part of high school.

My DD was teased but didn’t say anything at first. It escalated till a student group began taunting her in the library at lunch. Then a male student pulled her chair backwards and the back of her head slammed on the floor. A student in the crowd caught it on a cellphone. When that posting surfaced my daughter showed it to me along with posts by students telling her she was stupid and should kill herself.

We filed the Bullying and Harassment form and showed the principal the tape. The only thing that was done was to tell the male perpetrator to not talk to my child. There was no effort to repair the harm, help her connect with others, or keep other students from continuing similar behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HFA kids are more prone to bullying at any school- it is no worse at Churchill than other schools. There are great and welcoming kids there, but also mean and bullying ones. Just tike every school. I wouldn’t let what you are hearing here worry you. Your DD will be in a supportive place and can have as many mainstreaming options as she is comfortable with.

Bullying may be in every school. However that doesn’t mean that it should be overlooked or accepted as just a normal part of high school.

My DD was teased but didn’t say anything at first. It escalated till a student group began taunting her in the library at lunch. Then a male student pulled her chair backwards and the back of her head slammed on the floor. A student in the crowd caught it on a cellphone. When that posting surfaced my daughter showed it to me along with posts by students telling her she was stupid and should kill herself.

We filed the Bullying and Harassment form and showed the principal the tape. The only thing that was done was to tell the male perpetrator to not talk to my child. There was no effort to repair the harm, help her connect with others, or keep other students from continuing similar behavior.

I’m so sorry this happened to you. This is the worst fear of a parent of a child with a disability.

- OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HFA kids are more prone to bullying at any school- it is no worse at Churchill than other schools. There are great and welcoming kids there, but also mean and bullying ones. Just tike every school. I wouldn’t let what you are hearing here worry you. Your DD will be in a supportive place and can have as many mainstreaming options as she is comfortable with.

Bullying may be in every school. However that doesn’t mean that it should be overlooked or accepted as just a normal part of high school.

My DD was teased but didn’t say anything at first. It escalated till a student group began taunting her in the library at lunch. Then a male student pulled her chair backwards and the back of her head slammed on the floor. A student in the crowd caught it on a cellphone. When that posting surfaced my daughter showed it to me along with posts by students telling her she was stupid and should kill herself.

We filed the Bullying and Harassment form and showed the principal the tape. The only thing that was done was to tell the male perpetrator to not talk to my child. There was no effort to repair the harm, help her connect with others, or keep other students from continuing similar behavior.

[Anonymous]

Churchill has a climate of exclusion and bullying for many student populations. While much focus (with little results) has been on racial incidents at the school, bullying and harassment of other student groups largely has been ignored. Sexual harassment and bullying of students with disabilities as well as LGTBQ+ have been largely ignored.

Are these issues at all MCPS high schools? Probably because there’s little focus on a culture of respect for all individuals from elementary, middle, and high school. The true number of incidents are under reported because students are afraid of retaliation for reporting such incidents and principals don’t want a black mark on school reports.

Mrs. Heckert held meetings to gather input but did not implement action. There’s very little communication from Mr. Taylor so his approach to problems is to not gather input because he probably won’t like what students and parents have to say. One thing is for sure, the lack of integration of many students with disabilities even in elective courses, extra curricular activities, and grade level programs promotes a lack of understanding and unequal treatment of students with disabilities within the school community.

[Anonymous]

I have one HFA child currently at Churchill. She receives significant IEP services, but she is not part of the Bridge program.

We have been very happy with the services that she has received. Her teachers are very friendly and have been receptive when I have reached out. All of her classes have a co-teacher in them. I know that Bridge is different, but I thought that you'd like to know about services in case your child can be mainstreamed.

My daughter has gotten involved with a couple of lunchtime clubs and has made a few friends. She has a couple of people to eat lunch with, but truthfully spends most of her lunches with teachers. All of her teachers allow her to come for "help" which for her is asking for a little help but mostly eating lunch in a small setting. There are after-school activities, but she needs downtime after school so she comes straight home.

She has not complained about any bullying, but she is just happy to have a couple of friends. To be honest, I don't really think the other kids notice her. She is content in her small world and others seem fine letting her be.

I know this is not Bridge, but overall we have been so happy with Churchill and the special education she has received.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have one HFA child currently at Churchill. She receives significant IEP services, but she is not part of the Bridge program.

We have been very happy with the services that she has received. Her teachers are very friendly and have been receptive when I have reached out. All of her classes have a co-teacher in them. I know that Bridge is different, but I thought that you'd like to know about services in case your child can be mainstreamed.

My daughter has gotten involved with a couple of lunchtime clubs and has made a few friends. She has a couple of people to eat lunch with, but truthfully spends most of her lunches with teachers. All of her teachers allow her to come for "help" which for her is asking for a little help but mostly eating lunch in a small setting. There are after-school activities, but she needs downtime after school so she comes straight home.

She has not complained about any bullying, but she is just happy to have a couple of friends. To be honest, I don't really think the other kids notice her. She is content in her small world and others seem fine letting her be.

I know this is not Bridge, but overall we have been so happy with Churchill and the special education she has received.

All classes, even electives, are co-taught? We were told at a Churchill IEP meeting this was not feasible because of the lack of staffing. The one co-taught class my child has is a teacher and a para educator. The para educator doesn’t know the curriculum so he is does basically nothing to teach my child. He seems to have no purpose other than the school can say it’s a co-taught class.

All teachers allow your child to eat lunch with them? Most of my child’s teachers only have their classrooms open for certain days and not for the whole class period. They expect lunch to be eaten before coming in for help, particularly since eating requires removing a mask. Most teachers laid out their “office hours” schedule and expectations during the online Back to School videos.

You are happy with the special ed services she is receiving at Churchill? Even through the pandemic? Churchill hasn’t fully implemented my child’s IEP in two years. Many services just wasn’t provided online and compensatory services are unavailable. I have had to pay for private services to make up for Churchill not providing what is in my child’s IEP. In all the years I have attended IEP meetings, the Churchill team has been the absolute most dysfunctional if any team we have dealt with. We meet to revise a document that simply is not followed.

You sound like a sock puppet trying to cover up what students with disabilities go through at Churchill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have one HFA child currently at Churchill. She receives significant IEP services, but she is not part of the Bridge program.

We have been very happy with the services that she has received. Her teachers are very friendly and have been receptive when I have reached out. All of her classes have a co-teacher in them. I know that Bridge is different, but I thought that you'd like to know about services in case your child can be mainstreamed.

My daughter has gotten involved with a couple of lunchtime clubs and has made a few friends. She has a couple of people to eat lunch with, but truthfully spends most of her lunches with teachers. All of her teachers allow her to come for "help" which for her is asking for a little help but mostly eating lunch in a small setting. There are after-school activities, but she needs downtime after school so she comes straight home.

She has not complained about any bullying, but she is just happy to have a couple of friends. To be honest, I don't really think the other kids notice her. She is content in her small world and others seem fine letting her be.

I know this is not Bridge, but overall we have been so happy with Churchill and the special education she has received.

All classes, even electives, are co-taught? We were told at a Churchill IEP meeting this was not feasible because of the lack of staffing. The one co-taught class my child has is a teacher and a para educator. The para educator doesn’t know the curriculum so he is does basically nothing to teach my child. He seems to have no purpose other than the school can say it’s a co-taught class.

All teachers allow your child to eat lunch with them? Most of my child’s teachers only have their classrooms open for certain days and not for the whole class period. They expect lunch to be eaten before coming in for help, particularly since eating requires removing a mask. Most teachers laid out their “office hours” schedule and expectations during the online Back to School videos.

You are happy with the special ed services she is receiving at Churchill? Even through the pandemic? Churchill hasn’t fully implemented my child’s IEP in two years. Many services just wasn’t provided online and compensatory services are unavailable. I have had to pay for private services to make up for Churchill not providing what is in my child’s IEP. In all the years I have attended IEP meetings, the Churchill team has been the absolute most dysfunctional if any team we have dealt with. We meet to revise a document that simply is not followed.

You sound like a sock puppet trying to cover up what students with disabilities go through at Churchill.

I am the PP and definitely not a sock puppet. My information is coming from a teenager, but I was just sharing her experiences. As to some of your points-

I truly don’t know if her photography class or PE has a para. She doesn’t need ones there, so I didn’t check. You are right that they might not. Her other classes do. Several of the teachers/paras help her a lot, so we are happy for the support. We did have to not have her take an AP class because it did not offer para support, but that was an okay compromise for me.

She mostly spends her lunches between her math and chemistry teachers. Both seem fine with her eating in there. I guess I shouldn’t have said all, but I was just trying to share that she does have places to go and warm adults when she is overwhelmed.

I think I’m okay with her IEP compliance. My DD seems content and teachers have reached out letting me know that she’s doing great. She gets a lot of additional support through the IEP math tutoring group and her teachers during lunch. She is very motivated and has A’s and B’s. However, I’m not in the classroom daily so I can’t confirm that she’s getting everything on her IEP.

I hope things get better!

[Anonymous]

This is OP. Thank you for the information but I do not think that how IEP’s are implemented at Churchill generally is relevant to Bridge because it will be a completely different IEP team. What is important to me, though, is the culture generally among students and parents toward kids with disabilities so this is helpful to some extent. I am mostly hoping to find out if my child will be included in extracurriculars and clubs. I’ll talk to the IEP team but I’m not confident MCPS generally finds this important to a kids education. We aren’t there yet, so maybe the individual team will help me with this.

[Anonymous]

All kids are allowed to participate in extracurriculars and clubs. Most of the clubs are held during lunch or during PRIDE time (similar to homeroom). Clubs are very welcoming. Drama is also a great group of kids.

There are also new sports options called Allied sports which are supposed to be an easier way in for kids with disabilities. I know there is handball and bocce. There might be others. My child did not participate in them, but I have seen emails.

From what I have heard, Bridge is a school within a school. It is in the Churchill building but their classes are mostly separate. That doesn't mean that kids that can handle it aren't allowed to mainstream, but it sounds like it is an IEP team decision. Therefore, there is as much or as little interaction with the other kids as your child wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have one HFA child currently at Churchill. She receives significant IEP services, but she is not part of the Bridge program.

We have been very happy with the services that she has received. Her teachers are very friendly and have been receptive when I have reached out. All of her classes have a co-teacher in them. I know that Bridge is different, but I thought that you'd like to know about services in case your child can be mainstreamed.

My daughter has gotten involved with a couple of lunchtime clubs and has made a few friends. She has a couple of people to eat lunch with, but truthfully spends most of her lunches with teachers. All of her teachers allow her to come for "help" which for her is asking for a little help but mostly eating lunch in a small setting. There are after-school activities, but she needs downtime after school so she comes straight home.

She has not complained about any bullying, but she is just happy to have a couple of friends. To be honest, I don't really think the other kids notice her. She is content in her small world and others seem fine letting her be.

I know this is not Bridge, but overall we have been so happy with Churchill and the special education she has received.

All classes, even electives, are co-taught? We were told at a Churchill IEP meeting this was not feasible because of the lack of staffing. The one co-taught class my child has is a teacher and a para educator. The para educator doesn’t know the curriculum so he is does basically nothing to teach my child. He seems to have no purpose other than the school can say it’s a co-taught class.

All teachers allow your child to eat lunch with them? Most of my child’s teachers only have their classrooms open for certain days and not for the whole class period. They expect lunch to be eaten before coming in for help, particularly since eating requires removing a mask. Most teachers laid out their “office hours” schedule and expectations during the online Back to School videos.

You are happy with the special ed services she is receiving at Churchill? Even through the pandemic? Churchill hasn’t fully implemented my child’s IEP in two years. Many services just wasn’t provided online and compensatory services are unavailable. I have had to pay for private services to make up for Churchill not providing what is in my child’s IEP. In all the years I have attended IEP meetings, the Churchill team has been the absolute most dysfunctional if any team we have dealt with. We meet to revise a document that simply is not followed.

You sound like a sock puppet trying to cover up what students with disabilities go through at Churchill.

I am the PP and definitely not a sock puppet. My information is coming from a teenager, but I was just sharing her experiences. As to some of your points-

I truly don’t know if her photography class or PE has a para. She doesn’t need ones there, so I didn’t check. You are right that they might not. Her other classes do. Several of the teachers/paras help her a lot, so we are happy for the support. We did have to not have her take an AP class because it did not offer para support, but that was an okay compromise for me.

She mostly spends her lunches between her math and chemistry teachers. Both seem fine with her eating in there. I guess I shouldn’t have said all, but I was just trying to share that she does have places to go and warm adults when she is overwhelmed.

I think I’m okay with her IEP compliance. My DD seems content and teachers have reached out letting me know that she’s doing great. She gets a lot of additional support through the IEP math tutoring group and her teachers during lunch. She is very motivated and has A’s and B’s. However, I’m not in the classroom daily so I can’t confirm that she’s getting everything on her IEP.

I hope things get better!

What is the IEP math tutoring group? I haven’t heard of that before and my child has serious gaps from online learning that seems to have stalled moving forward in math. I would be interested in asking for this service at the next IEP meeting. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All kids are allowed to participate in extracurriculars and clubs. Most of the clubs are held during lunch or during PRIDE time (similar to homeroom). Clubs are very welcoming. Drama is also a great group of kids.

There are also new sports options called Allied sports which are supposed to be an easier way in for kids with disabilities. I know there is handball and bocce. There might be others. My child did not participate in them, but I have seen emails.

From what I have heard, Bridge is a school within a school. It is in the Churchill building but their classes are mostly separate. That doesn't mean that kids that can handle it aren't allowed to mainstream, but it sounds like it is an IEP team decision. Therefore, there is as much or as little interaction with the other kids as your child wants.

NP. If Bridge is a school within a school, do the Bridge kids change classes with the rest of the students. I could forsee my kid having an issue with the number of kids in the halls in between classes and not understanding that when he gets jostled, it's not someone hitting him, it's just people moving fast through the halls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All kids are allowed to participate in extracurriculars and clubs. Most of the clubs are held during lunch or during PRIDE time (similar to homeroom). Clubs are very welcoming. Drama is also a great group of kids.

There are also new sports options called Allied sports which are supposed to be an easier way in for kids with disabilities. I know there is handball and bocce. There might be others. My child did not participate in them, but I have seen emails.

From what I have heard, Bridge is a school within a school. It is in the Churchill building but their classes are mostly separate. That doesn't mean that kids that can handle it aren't allowed to mainstream, but it sounds like it is an IEP team decision. Therefore, there is as much or as little interaction with the other kids as your child wants.

NP. If Bridge is a school within a school, do the Bridge kids change classes with the rest of the students. I could forsee my kid having an issue with the number of kids in the halls in between classes and not understanding that when he gets jostled, it's not someone hitting him, it's just people moving fast through the halls.

OP here. My understanding is that Bridge is a hallway all on it's own and the self-contained classes are only Bridge kids, so your kid would not have to deal with the masses in switching classes. But, my understanding (which I hope is true) is that they can join clubs that meet during lunch or take electives or other classes in the mainstream school if they want to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All kids are allowed to participate in extracurriculars and clubs. Most of the clubs are held during lunch or during PRIDE time (similar to homeroom). Clubs are very welcoming. Drama is also a great group of kids.

There are also new sports options called Allied sports which are supposed to be an easier way in for kids with disabilities. I know there is handball and bocce. There might be others. My child did not participate in them, but I have seen emails.

From what I have heard, Bridge is a school within a school. It is in the Churchill building but their classes are mostly separate. That doesn't mean that kids that can handle it aren't allowed to mainstream, but it sounds like it is an IEP team decision. Therefore, there is as much or as little interaction with the other kids as your child wants.

NP. If Bridge is a school within a school, do the Bridge kids change classes with the rest of the students. I could forsee my kid having an issue with the number of kids in the halls in between classes and not understanding that when he gets jostled, it's not someone hitting him, it's just people moving fast through the halls.

OP here. My understanding is that Bridge is a hallway all on it's own and the self-contained classes are only Bridge kids, so your kid would not have to deal with the masses in switching classes. But, my understanding (which I hope is true) is that they can join clubs that meet during lunch or take electives or other classes in the mainstream school if they want to.

My son went to ESESES which is also a self contained program within a school. In theory kids could join clubs and participate in after school activities. But in reality it had to be approved by the IEP team. They could also take classes in the regular school with IEP team approval. My son got approval to take theater in the regular school but he didn’t make it long. He was pretty ostracized. The other kids all had their groups and he knew no one. It’s really not that easy to go from self contained into the mainstream. Maybe if your DD takes the same school bus as the other Churchill kids, she won’t have the same issues. My son had his own bus and didn’t have a chance to meet kids outside the program.

Not sure if Bridge is the same but thought I’d share.