Is it time for private school vouchers in Montgomery County?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is in a non public placement. I went into CIEP already knowing the outcome. Whole meeting lasted 15 min. No lawyer, no advocate, no adversity. Every parent I’ve met at school has had a similar experience.

For as easy as they made it for my kid, I wonder if his needs are so significant that they significantly eclipse other kids or if parents of kids who are fighting for IEPs don’t have a realistic concept of FAPE and want “the best”

My kid was part of Covid virtual like everyone else. He didn’t do great during virtual, but he also didn’t fall off a cliff. Some of his goals were not able to be implemented but I worked with him where the school couldn’t. We’ve been offered compensatory services and while I think it’s lovely of them, I don’t think it’s necessary. The pandemic impacted everyone and somethings just had to be put on hold. School has offered us an option to repeat this year if I feel it’s necessary.

You have private placement. Is it at public expense or are you paying for the private placement?

Public expense. I’m not sure having a voucher would make a difference to me. I could not afford my kids school even if I had $10k off but had to pay the rest.

So your child is in private at public expense. The 11.9% of MCPS students still stuck in under staffed MCPS schools that are not implementing IEPs would like similar options to go to a school where our children’s needs can be met.

What would you do if MCPS pull the plug on the private placement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is in a non public placement. I went into CIEP already knowing the outcome. Whole meeting lasted 15 min. No lawyer, no advocate, no adversity. Every parent I’ve met at school has had a similar experience.

For as easy as they made it for my kid, I wonder if his needs are so significant that they significantly eclipse other kids or if parents of kids who are fighting for IEPs don’t have a realistic concept of FAPE and want “the best”

My kid was part of Covid virtual like everyone else. He didn’t do great during virtual, but he also didn’t fall off a cliff. Some of his goals were not able to be implemented but I worked with him where the school couldn’t. We’ve been offered compensatory services and while I think it’s lovely of them, I don’t think it’s necessary. The pandemic impacted everyone and somethings just had to be put on hold. School has offered us an option to repeat this year if I feel it’s necessary.

You have private placement. Is it at public expense or are you paying for the private placement?

I have private placement because MCPS knew they could not meet my kids needs. They didn’t even try. If MCPS pulled the plug on private, I would mortgage the house and drain the 529. Or maybe I wouldn’t and my kid would be in class with your kid. My point is that MCPS seems to know what it can and cannot provide. MCPS seems to think it can provide FAPE to the 11.9% that you reference. I wonder if the issue is in what the definition of FAPE means to a parent vs the school system.


Public expense. I’m not sure having a voucher would make a difference to me. I could not afford my kids school even if I had $10k off but had to pay the rest.

So your child is in private at public expense. The 11.9% of MCPS students still stuck in under staffed MCPS schools that are not implementing IEPs would like similar options to go to a school where our children’s needs can be met.

What would you do if MCPS pull the plug on the private placement?

[Anonymous]

I call connections to MCPS. (Employee, politician, or long time resident). Or I call significant failure - so severe MCPS didn’t think they could win in court. MCPS fights tooth and nail to prevent private placement… why else is Eig’s phone ringing off the hook if it were so easy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I call connections to MCPS. (Employee, politician, or long time resident). Or I call significant failure - so severe MCPS didn’t think they could win in court. MCPS fights tooth and nail to prevent private placement… why else is Eig’s phone ringing off the hook if it were so easy?

Long term residents are now classified as having an in with MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:11.9% is a sizable number of students with diverse needs that are being discriminated against by MCPS. There’s a lot of frustration and anger from this stakeholder group whose children were ignored during the pandemic closures, there’s been minimal discussion of compensatory services, and basically little help thus far to help the 40% of this population of students catch back up.

My son is one of those students who fell behind. I have spent $12,000 in private services over the last two years to try to carry him through. We are tired of waiting and we want school choice because our children are denied the things that MCPS agreed that they need. We are not asking for a Cadillac education. Right now our children aren’t even getting a Ford Pinto of an education.

Enough bs from MCPS is enough.

How would a voucher help you? SN schools are often $60K?

Many of us have spent much more than that one private services. Even if MCPS gives it to you, if your child is struggling you still need to pay for private services. And, if you go private, those schools don't provide services and those who do charge extra, so you'd still pay that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:11.9% is a sizable number of students with diverse needs that are being discriminated against by MCPS. There’s a lot of frustration and anger from this stakeholder group whose children were ignored during the pandemic closures, there’s been minimal discussion of compensatory services, and basically little help thus far to help the 40% of this population of students catch back up.

My son is one of those students who fell behind. I have spent $12,000 in private services over the last two years to try to carry him through. We are tired of waiting and we want school choice because our children are denied the things that MCPS agreed that they need. We are not asking for a Cadillac education. Right now our children aren’t even getting a Ford Pinto of an education.

Enough bs from MCPS is enough.

The fact that you use words like "stakeholder group" diminishes your credibility. What parent speaks like that about education?

While I understand that you are upset your son isn't meeting whatever "stakeholding" goals you've set arbitrarily for his development, everything you actually say is a mishmash of random statistics and bad analogies. Your son isn't getting a Cadillac education? Wtf is that?

Be specific. Use your words.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP you are citing multiple posters and trying to lump different arguments into one.

Many special populations - special needs students being one - fell disproportionately behind than other students according to MCPS data presented to the Board of Ed. MCPS was quick to remove the supports and services that these students legally need for accessibility. MCPS has been slow to provide services so special needs students can catch up. This equates to a two year decline for students with special needs. Enough is enough. We are tired of our students being treated as an afterthought by MCPS, and as one PP has expressed, not deserving of educational benefit. That’s taking a whole student group that gained rights under the ADA, Section 504, and the IDEA back to pre-Civil Rights level of discrimination.

Parents are tired with fighting with MCPS for basic services listed on IEPs that aren’t being provided. School choice would provide us a financial mechanism to be able to leave MCPS to a school that wants to educate them.

My child has an IEP. I haven't seen their issues not being addressed. True, their issues aren't very complicated compared to.some.

But you are speaking for your own family. Not for all of us. Like you, I assume, I'm also on the various SN list serves and Facebook groups. There's no groundswell of parents demanding school vouchers. And you don't seem to be complaining there about it.

At this point I think at least half a dozen different posters have explained to you why school choice isn't going to give your child a magic placement that will "fix" them. That horrible troll post about damaged kids had one element of truth in what they said that perhaps you need to hear:

Our kids aren't "normal," whatever that even means. It's ablelist for you to assume our kids can meet your arbitrary goals and that only some vast Moco conspiracy is what's holding them back. Maybe what's holding your child back is his father's massive sense of entitlement and privilege.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP you are citing multiple posters and trying to lump different arguments into one.

Many special populations - special needs students being one - fell disproportionately behind than other students according to MCPS data presented to the Board of Ed. MCPS was quick to remove the supports and services that these students legally need for accessibility. MCPS has been slow to provide services so special needs students can catch up. This equates to a two year decline for students with special needs. Enough is enough. We are tired of our students being treated as an afterthought by MCPS, and as one PP has expressed, not deserving of educational benefit. That’s taking a whole student group that gained rights under the ADA, Section 504, and the IDEA back to pre-Civil Rights level of discrimination.

Parents are tired with fighting with MCPS for basic services listed on IEPs that aren’t being provided. School choice would provide us a financial mechanism to be able to leave MCPS to a school that wants to educate them.

My child has an IEP. I haven't seen their issues not being addressed. True, their issues aren't very complicated compared to.some.

But you are speaking for your own family. Not for all of us. Like you, I assume, I'm also on the various SN list serves and Facebook groups. There's no groundswell of parents demanding school vouchers. And you don't seem to be complaining there about it.

At this point I think at least half a dozen different posters have explained to you why school choice isn't going to give your child a magic placement that will "fix" them. That horrible troll post about damaged kids had one element of truth in what they said that perhaps you need to hear:

Our kids aren't "normal," whatever that even means. It's ablelist for you to assume our kids can meet your arbitrary goals and that only some vast Moco conspiracy is what's holding them back. Maybe what's holding your child back is his father's massive sense of entitlement and privilege.

Except what MCPS is doing (not providing more than de minimus) is against federal law. Gosh, some of you are so dim! Just because your kids can memorize things quickly doesn’t mean our kids (who may have working memory issues) aren’t bright and are being ignored. (As an example).

MCPS is a despicable organization - but if your kid is in Blair Magnet - you wouldn’t even realize it. Or you work for the schools - Moco is America’s Venezuela… everyone works for the schools or the county.

Charters are one of the few ways to give a monopoly a signal - you are sub-optimal. With so many county workers as voters it’s challenging to change the status quo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I call connections to MCPS. (Employee, politician, or long time resident). Or I call significant failure - so severe MCPS didn’t think they could win in court. MCPS fights tooth and nail to prevent private placement… why else is Eig’s phone ringing off the hook if it were so easy?

Long term residents are now classified as having an in with MCPS?

Yes. You have connections that you pull when needed. The fact you don’t know this is just gaslighting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I call connections to MCPS. (Employee, politician, or long time resident). Or I call significant failure - so severe MCPS didn’t think they could win in court. MCPS fights tooth and nail to prevent private placement… why else is Eig’s phone ringing off the hook if it were so easy?

Long term residents are now classified as having an in with MCPS?

Yes. You have connections that you pull when needed. The fact you don’t know this is just gaslighting.

This is conspiracy level thinking. Spoiler alert - no conspiracy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP you are citing multiple posters and trying to lump different arguments into one.

Many special populations - special needs students being one - fell disproportionately behind than other students according to MCPS data presented to the Board of Ed. MCPS was quick to remove the supports and services that these students legally need for accessibility. MCPS has been slow to provide services so special needs students can catch up. This equates to a two year decline for students with special needs. Enough is enough. We are tired of our students being treated as an afterthought by MCPS, and as one PP has expressed, not deserving of educational benefit. That’s taking a whole student group that gained rights under the ADA, Section 504, and the IDEA back to pre-Civil Rights level of discrimination.

Parents are tired with fighting with MCPS for basic services listed on IEPs that aren’t being provided. School choice would provide us a financial mechanism to be able to leave MCPS to a school that wants to educate them.

My child has an IEP. I haven't seen their issues not being addressed. True, their issues aren't very complicated compared to.some.

But you are speaking for your own family. Not for all of us. Like you, I assume, I'm also on the various SN list serves and Facebook groups. There's no groundswell of parents demanding school vouchers. And you don't seem to be complaining there about it.

At this point I think at least half a dozen different posters have explained to you why school choice isn't going to give your child a magic placement that will "fix" them. That horrible troll post about damaged kids had one element of truth in what they said that perhaps you need to hear:

Our kids aren't "normal," whatever that even means. It's ablelist for you to assume our kids can meet your arbitrary goals and that only some vast Moco conspiracy is what's holding them back. Maybe what's holding your child back is his father's massive sense of entitlement and privilege.

Except what MCPS is doing (not providing more than de minimus) is against federal law. Gosh, some of you are so dim! Just because your kids can memorize things quickly doesn’t mean our kids (who may have working memory issues) aren’t bright and are being ignored. (As an example).

MCPS is a despicable organization - but if your kid is in Blair Magnet - you wouldn’t even realize it. Or you work for the schools - Moco is America’s Venezuela… everyone works for the schools or the county.

Charters are one of the few ways to give a monopoly a signal - you are sub-optimal. With so many county workers as voters it’s challenging to change the status quo.

I don't have a child at Blair and I don't work for the schools. Or the county. I don't work for any organization that gets rich from government contracts, either. And I bet you do, what with your business school lite vocabulary.

You throw in a lot of catch phrases. I expect that makes you feel smart. But it's not the county's fault.yoir child has a poor working memory. And your vitriol and disdain for your community and your child"s educators might be one reason they're flailing. That kind of toxicity leaves a mark.

I sent my kid to a charter school I'm DC for years, btw. I have friends who work at them and some friends who even helped found one. I have friends who send their kids to one. I agree there are some pros and cons. I'd even venture to admit I think the Moco schools, especially high schools, are too big. I am annoyed there's no real art school.

But this thread is about private school vouchers, which are another thing entirely.

And no private school will have an obligation to educate your child. Nor will 16k a year be enough money for them to do so effectively.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:11.9% is a sizable number of students with diverse needs that are being discriminated against by MCPS. There’s a lot of frustration and anger from this stakeholder group whose children were ignored during the pandemic closures, there’s been minimal discussion of compensatory services, and basically little help thus far to help the 40% of this population of students catch back up.

My son is one of those students who fell behind. I have spent $12,000 in private services over the last two years to try to carry him through. We are tired of waiting and we want school choice because our children are denied the things that MCPS agreed that they need. We are not asking for a Cadillac education. Right now our children aren’t even getting a Ford Pinto of an education.

Enough bs from MCPS is enough.

The fact that you use words like "stakeholder group" diminishes your credibility. What parent speaks like that about education?

While I understand that you are upset your son isn't meeting whatever "stakeholding" goals you've set arbitrarily for his development, everything you actually say is a mishmash of random statistics and bad analogies. Your son isn't getting a Cadillac education? Wtf is that?

Be specific. Use your words.

They are trolls

[Anonymous]

No, it is not time for vouchers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP you are citing multiple posters and trying to lump different arguments into one.

Many special populations - special needs students being one - fell disproportionately behind than other students according to MCPS data presented to the Board of Ed. MCPS was quick to remove the supports and services that these students legally need for accessibility. MCPS has been slow to provide services so special needs students can catch up. This equates to a two year decline for students with special needs. Enough is enough. We are tired of our students being treated as an afterthought by MCPS, and as one PP has expressed, not deserving of educational benefit. That’s taking a whole student group that gained rights under the ADA, Section 504, and the IDEA back to pre-Civil Rights level of discrimination.

Parents are tired with fighting with MCPS for basic services listed on IEPs that aren’t being provided. School choice would provide us a financial mechanism to be able to leave MCPS to a school that wants to educate them.

My child has an IEP. I haven't seen their issues not being addressed. True, their issues aren't very complicated compared to.some.

But you are speaking for your own family. Not for all of us. Like you, I assume, I'm also on the various SN list serves and Facebook groups. There's no groundswell of parents demanding school vouchers. And you don't seem to be complaining there about it.

At this point I think at least half a dozen different posters have explained to you why school choice isn't going to give your child a magic placement that will "fix" them. That horrible troll post about damaged kids had one element of truth in what they said that perhaps you need to hear:

Our kids aren't "normal," whatever that even means. It's ablelist for you to assume our kids can meet your arbitrary goals and that only some vast Moco conspiracy is what's holding them back. Maybe what's holding your child back is his father's massive sense of entitlement and privilege.

Except what MCPS is doing (not providing more than de minimus) is against federal law. Gosh, some of you are so dim! Just because your kids can memorize things quickly doesn’t mean our kids (who may have working memory issues) aren’t bright and are being ignored. (As an example).

MCPS is a despicable organization - but if your kid is in Blair Magnet - you wouldn’t even realize it. Or you work for the schools - Moco is America’s Venezuela… everyone works for the schools or the county.

Charters are one of the few ways to give a monopoly a signal - you are sub-optimal. With so many county workers as voters it’s challenging to change the status quo.

+1 million

This is exactly ir.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP you are citing multiple posters and trying to lump different arguments into one.

Many special populations - special needs students being one - fell disproportionately behind than other students according to MCPS data presented to the Board of Ed. MCPS was quick to remove the supports and services that these students legally need for accessibility. MCPS has been slow to provide services so special needs students can catch up. This equates to a two year decline for students with special needs. Enough is enough. We are tired of our students being treated as an afterthought by MCPS, and as one PP has expressed, not deserving of educational benefit. That’s taking a whole student group that gained rights under the ADA, Section 504, and the IDEA back to pre-Civil Rights level of discrimination.

Parents are tired with fighting with MCPS for basic services listed on IEPs that aren’t being provided. School choice would provide us a financial mechanism to be able to leave MCPS to a school that wants to educate them.

My child has an IEP. I haven't seen their issues not being addressed. True, their issues aren't very complicated compared to.some.

But you are speaking for your own family. Not for all of us. Like you, I assume, I'm also on the various SN list serves and Facebook groups. There's no groundswell of parents demanding school vouchers. And you don't seem to be complaining there about it.

At this point I think at least half a dozen different posters have explained to you why school choice isn't going to give your child a magic placement that will "fix" them. That horrible troll post about damaged kids had one element of truth in what they said that perhaps you need to hear:

Our kids aren't "normal," whatever that even means. It's ablelist for you to assume our kids can meet your arbitrary goals and that only some vast Moco conspiracy is what's holding them back. Maybe what's holding your child back is his father's massive sense of entitlement and privilege.

Except what MCPS is doing (not providing more than de minimus) is against federal law. Gosh, some of you are so dim! Just because your kids can memorize things quickly doesn’t mean our kids (who may have working memory issues) aren’t bright and are being ignored. (As an example).

MCPS is a despicable organization - but if your kid is in Blair Magnet - you wouldn’t even realize it. Or you work for the schools - Moco is America’s Venezuela… everyone works for the schools or the county.

Charters are one of the few ways to give a monopoly a signal - you are sub-optimal. With so many county workers as voters it’s challenging to change the status quo.

+1 million

This is exactly ir.

+1000 - There are many reasons why parents are unhappy. How students with disabilities are discriminated against is one reason parents want alternative options.

If you are happy with MCPS (particularly if MCPS is paying for your child’s private education) then count your children blessed. Some disabilities are more appropriately addressed by MCPS than others. Some schools do a better job than others. It doesn’t mean the voice of complaints aren’t valid. The State complaint losses are piling up. The OCR complaints are piling up. Due Process is a longer venue and the last result, so they will begin piling up as well.

Even though some PPs have clear implicit bias about educating students with disabilities, all students deserve FAPE - a Free Appropriate Public Education.