MCPS is executing significant changes to special education that directly affect autistic students and their families.

[Anonymous]

Special Ed is being dismantled. They have sliced several coordinator positions across other areas - speech for example. I'm not sure if they are going to rearrange these positions or they are just gone for good. More work for the staff involved in a system that is already overloaded. Nobody asked me (staff member in a special education program) how to reduce the budget/increase work efficiency. I have plenty of thoughts on this but in all of my 27 plus years, no one has ever asked me. And those BS climate surveys don't count.

[Anonymous]

Which were the two full-time positions that were cut?

[Anonymous]

And meanwhile the Board is going to have to spend way more on outside counsel fees because with all these reductions in programming more and more families are going to be filing due process complaints.

Seems insane. Also seems there are other really low hanging things that can be cut first but that aren't touched because that's just the way things have always been. Why does every secondary school need an attendance secretary, for example? What does that staff person do that couldn't be performed by software? That's 65 jobs right there. Shift that funding to autism and boom. Done.

[Anonymous]

This sounds like they are going to dump even more children into mainstream elementary classrooms who have no business being in one. It helps nobody except the bottom line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think in Montgomery County the Autism program was a racket like the Minneapolis fraud.

I think they were labeling kids that weren't autistic as autistic so they could get federal funds. Now they are afraid of getting busted.

As someone who worked in special ed in MCPS you could not be more wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And meanwhile the Board is going to have to spend way more on outside counsel fees because with all these reductions in programming more and more families are going to be filing due process complaints.

Seems insane. Also seems there are other really low hanging things that can be cut first but that aren't touched because that's just the way things have always been. Why does every secondary school need an attendance secretary, for example? What does that staff person do that couldn't be performed by software? That's 65 jobs right there. Shift that funding to autism and boom. Done.

Will they? They might happily agree to pay for private placement. They won't have to pay anything until a slot opens up.

[Anonymous]

I have a child who is getting injured at school due to a lack of appropriate supports. How do I go about making MCPS pay for his medical care? I suppose it isn't enough to get them to pay for the co-pays, because my health insurance would make me pay for the whole visit if a third party is deemed responsible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think in Montgomery County the Autism program was a racket like the Minneapolis fraud.

I think they were labeling kids that weren't autistic as autistic so they could get federal funds. Now they are afraid of getting busted.

Oh yeah, because it is famously known that parents want their kids to be labeled autistic and it is so easy to get an IEP!

[Anonymous]

Our school psychologist is terrible. She refuses to do her own evaluations, meet with parents, teachers or students and denies evaluations of outside professionals. Losing her would be a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a child who is getting injured at school due to a lack of appropriate supports. How do I go about making MCPS pay for his medical care? I suppose it isn't enough to get them to pay for the co-pays, because my health insurance would make me pay for the whole visit if a third party is deemed responsible.

I would not be sending my child to that school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And meanwhile the Board is going to have to spend way more on outside counsel fees because with all these reductions in programming more and more families are going to be filing due process complaints.

Seems insane. Also seems there are other really low hanging things that can be cut first but that aren't touched because that's just the way things have always been. Why does every secondary school need an attendance secretary, for example? What does that staff person do that couldn't be performed by software? That's 65 jobs right there. Shift that funding to autism and boom. Done.

The attendance secretary actually does a lot including signing the kids in and out, notes, emails. Ours works nonstop in high school.

The issue is the mismanagement. Taylor last year said they were increasing sped funding and now they are reducing it. Blame him and the BOE. It was easy to see this coming as they have gone after the most vulnerable students for many years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most concerning, the Autism Unit has been reduced by roughly half. Two positions were eliminated, and five psychologists with autism-specific assessment expertise were reassigned to general caseloads, dispersing specialized knowledge that has long supported schools and IEP teams. At its peak, the Autism Unit included 21 full-time specialists serving 73 schools. The unit’s longtime supervisor, Kristin Ericson, is also departing after 43 years at MCPS, representing a major loss of expertise and institutional knowledge.

https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2026/01/breaking-taylor-proposes-major-cuts-to.html?m=1

She’s allowed to retire after 43 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in Montgomery County the Autism program was a racket like the Minneapolis fraud.

I think they were labeling kids that weren't autistic as autistic so they could get federal funds. Now they are afraid of getting busted.

Oh yeah, because it is famously known that parents want their kids to be labeled autistic and it is so easy to get an IEP!

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most concerning, the Autism Unit has been reduced by roughly half. Two positions were eliminated, and five psychologists with autism-specific assessment expertise were reassigned to general caseloads, dispersing specialized knowledge that has long supported schools and IEP teams. At its peak, the Autism Unit included 21 full-time specialists serving 73 schools. The unit’s longtime supervisor, Kristin Ericson, is also departing after 43 years at MCPS, representing a major loss of expertise and institutional knowledge.

https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2026/01/breaking-taylor-proposes-major-cuts-to.html?m=1

She’s allowed to retire after 43 years.

It wasn’t her choice. She was forced out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child who is getting injured at school due to a lack of appropriate supports. How do I go about making MCPS pay for his medical care? I suppose it isn't enough to get them to pay for the co-pays, because my health insurance would make me pay for the whole visit if a third party is deemed responsible.

I would not be sending my child to that school.

You're assuming there's an alternative. Even if we had money for private, which we don't, there's no open spots anywhere.