Lafayette Principal

[Anonymous]

This is good to hear about Lafayette. We are a Murch family who was redistricted into Lafayette. Our child has some learning issues and has had an IEP since pre-k. We met with the team at Lafayette to see if we wanted to change schools. It was honestly like dealing with special ed teacher think from the 1970s. It was really sad and scary to know that was going on at that school. The thought of inclusion was foreign to them.

Stayed at Murch -- not in self contained classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is good to hear about Lafayette. We are a Murch family who was redistricted into Lafayette. Our child has some learning issues and has had an IEP since pre-k. We met with the team at Lafayette to see if we wanted to change schools. It was honestly like dealing with special ed teacher think from the 1970s. It was really sad and scary to know that was going on at that school. The thought of inclusion was foreign to them.

Stayed at Murch -- not in self contained classroom.

Except the classes and staff being added are self-contained. Whether it changes a thing for IEP students who don't need a self-contained classroom is an open question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are countless stories of how both Dr B and her predecessor had a "not in my backyard" approach to SN kids. Just go ask some of the ed advocates and lawyers in town about how many Lafayette parents they hear from about the refusal to provide appropriate services. Murch and Janney are supposed to be better.

Quoting from today's Lafayette Tuesday Bulletin on this subject, verbatim from Dr B:

'As we look forward to August, we are excited to share that we will be opening up two new special education classrooms that will serve students with a variety of disabilities. The K-2 classroom (Early Learning Support or ELS) will be taught by Jasmine Rogers. The 3rd - 5th grade classroom (Specialized Learning Support or SLS) will be taught by Ashley Swartz. We are also adding a new special education coordinator, Monica Arce and a new social worker, Sophia Carre. We are ecstatic to welcome these incredibly talented women to our team. Over the course of the summer, we will be sharing more information about the new students and families that will be joining us. It excites me to think that Lafayette is continuing to expand our inclusivity and working to educate and involve all students in the amazing things we do.'

I am glad to hear more children with disabilities will be at Lafayette. BUT, segregating kids because of their disability and putting them in self-contained classrooms away from their typically developing peers is the absolute opposite of inclusion. They may be in the same building, but they are not part of the same culture. I really, really hope Dr B has some tricks up her sleeve to integrate these children into Lafayette life in meaningful ways.

[Anonymous]

I am a member of the Oyster Adams community and I can say with certainty that the principal has made it her personal agenda to push out low income special education students. It's easy to quietly pressure parents who don't know how to advocate for themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is good to hear about Lafayette. We are a Murch family who was redistricted into Lafayette. Our child has some learning issues and has had an IEP since pre-k. We met with the team at Lafayette to see if we wanted to change schools. It was honestly like dealing with special ed teacher think from the 1970s. It was really sad and scary to know that was going on at that school. The thought of inclusion was foreign to them.

Stayed at Murch -- not in self contained classroom.

When was this and who did you meet with? I know a lot of the staff there and most kids are taught in an inclusion setting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is good to hear about Lafayette. We are a Murch family who was redistricted into Lafayette. Our child has some learning issues and has had an IEP since pre-k. We met with the team at Lafayette to see if we wanted to change schools. It was honestly like dealing with special ed teacher think from the 1970s. It was really sad and scary to know that was going on at that school. The thought of inclusion was foreign to them.

Stayed at Murch -- not in self contained classroom.

When was this and who did you meet with? I know a lot of the staff there and most kids are taught in an inclusion setting.

I agree. If anything, the problem is that they want to do all push-in services and won't pull out when a parent thinks it appropriate.

[Anonymous]

Sorry if I missed this (have not read all 11 pages of this thread) but why are they moving to self contained classes?! It segregates students and isolates them general classroom ciriculum. I though hardly any schools did this anymore. It seems like going backwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry if I missed this (have not read all 11 pages of this thread) but why are they moving to self contained classes?! It segregates students and isolates them general classroom ciriculum. I though hardly any schools did this anymore. It seems like going backwards.

A small percentage of students still need this (e.g. medically fragile or students with autism who are nonverbal). Some are there for just a portion of the day. Parents have to agree to the placement.

DCPS used to privately place virtually all such students and send them dozens of miles from home to school. Now they are putting self-contained classrooms in a couple schools in each ward, so that these students aren't bussed so far from home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry if I missed this (have not read all 11 pages of this thread) but why are they moving to self contained classes?! It segregates students and isolates them general classroom ciriculum. I though hardly any schools did this anymore. It seems like going backwards.

This isn't a Lafayette decision. DCPS is moving an existing classroom, previously at Mann, to Lafayette because there is more space. There is no change for current Lafayette students with IEPs.