Do you think schools/teachers are *formally* told to try to reduce/limit IEP services?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having had a child with issues go through a large public school system, every teacher we had was doing their absolute best! Sure I was frustrated/disappointed at times but it was never with the individual teacher but the system.

We need to pay teachers more, increase staff, decrease class size, extend year( still have breaks). The system we have does not work but I completely understand that most of the issues are not from the teachers.

So much to disagree with here, not even funny - not at all our experience in MCPS. Cold hearted folks left parents on IEPs weeping - and in our case - our child too.

[Anonymous]

Special Ed para who makes about $26k per year. Who routinely works unpaid OT. Who has so many "non-working, no pay" days, like Monday, which is only for teachers. And yes, have several years experience. I do it for the kids, am doing the best I can, and yet, it is never enough. Our school is short staffed for paras, special ed paras, special ed teachers, etc.

As long as there continues to be no respect for teachers and the education professionals, until there is more autonomy, until there is more money, it will continue to get worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I’ve never been told to do this. I will admit that it can be overwhelming. In a typical year, I may have 150 student overall. 40 of them may have an IEP or 504. I’m overwhelmed. It’s hard to respectfully follow each student’s plan. For example, one test may require 6 different versions to accommodate different needs. I have to create those tests. Some need to be given under different scenarios. (This student needs me to write for them. This student needs me to read all questions out loud.) I have to stay after school to accommodate that. I’m already working 60+ hours a week. Yes, some things slip through the cracks. I’m trying. I’m always trying. I’m just one person, however, and I’m being asked to do the work of three. No, I’m not ignoring IEPs and 504s. I just can’t do it all.

If you can’t do it all, then why aren’t general education teachers advocating for students to have more para educator and special education teacher hours? Those hours would supplement the time spent administering the tests with appropriate accommodations.

We are! We’re always asking for more support. The problem is there aren’t enough special education teachers or para educators. We are facing massive shortages. That means these responsibilities fall on us, the general educators. I am a meticulously organized person, yet I can’t keep up with the demands of my classroom. One test equals about 15 hours of accommodations that I have to meet. I’ll be completely honest: I’m always looking for other jobs. I love what I do, but I can’t give of myself more than I already am. This job takes, and then takes more.

If you can’t keep up you’re violating federal law, or the school is. I’d write the principal and superintendent a nicely worded letter telling them you will no longer be part of that and they need to give you help or you’re going to regular Ed effective x date. Or just quit like everyone else has.

Blow off, PP. You and people like you, who try to penalize and threaten the few who are trying to do the work of many ARE the major problem. People like you who demand more and more from the people who are doing the work are making it so that other teachers are not willing to enter the field. People like you are making the job even more miserable than it already is. These teachers work as much as they possibly can, most of them giving way too much of their personal time to take care of the many special needs and special accommodations that are being requested. They do the best they can. But people like you demand more and insult the people who are doing the work when they don't give more.

Your ideas and comments stink. I hope you aren't a parent, but you probably are one of the ones that make teachers lives miserable.

Perfectly stated.

Genuine question here, if my child needs specialized education services, such as reading or math bc they have SLD, should we ( as parents) not be expecting services bc there is a lack of staff? Are teachers upset if a parent asks for testing and special Ed services bc they already feel like they are doing everything they can? If so, do we just send our kid to school and have no expectation that they learn anything in those two areas?
I am not being combative , I am a NP and agree the PP should not have said quit like everyone else. I am truly interested in a teachers point of view about this.

As a teacher I wouldn’t be mad at you in the slightest! It’s neither parent nor teacher fault that we’re here now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a SN parent, the part that really bothers me is that the frustration truly doesn’t stem from the teachers “ not doing enough”.I feel like it is sometimes misinterpreted by teachers in that way. I know our school system isn’t funded properly and the pay is well below acceptable levels. That is what is so frustrating to me, teachers could be supported much better and students as well. I really do feel like SN parents need to legally address this with the school system as a whole. That is the only way change will happen unfortunately.

THIS

Change only ever happens when parents start lawyering up for IEP meetings and getting more services and thus force school systems to create more schools, outsource help, etc. It really needs to start at a state/local level before school age though if you want it to work well. Early intervention for children with a Pre-diagnosis to eliminate/counteract long wait times for evaluations is where I’d start. States I’ve worked in that focus on that also have had overall better presschool and school age programs for children with IEPs and they found ways to fulfill them.

From a teaching perspective and neurodevelopmental perspective early intervention is going to be much more critical/crucial/beneficial to your SN or potentially SN child than an 8 or 10 year old with an IEP. Research neuroplasticity and you’ll see why that is.

I’d much rather work with a 16 month old that is not yet even diagnosable from a statistical perspective than a 8 year old with no previous intervention services and an IEP because I can almost guarantee that 16 month old will make quick progress if the parents are 100%, or even 75% on board with keeping up with what I ask outside of my service delivery hours.

Parents of older children need to band together and sue the pants off some of these school systems that aren’t fulfilling IEPs. I’ve seen it done before and great schools and programs came from it. I still think EI is most important and undervalued and underfunded but schools are breaking the law too and until they’re held accountable nothing will change.

Just my humble opinion.

[Anonymous]

I’m a current sped teacher. I work in DCPS. My day starts at 8:45 and I see kids until 3:12 (school ends at 3:15). I have no planning and no lunch period. Oh I supposed to get those things but I try and spend all my time servicing kids. I have one administration required meeting a week (45 minutes). I am not allowed to skip it. I cannot pull kids from lunch, recess or specials those combined equal about 1hr 45 min a day. I have 10 children on my caseload. I am allowed to have up to 15 (even then passed 15 I get a once time $250 payment). I have 5 scholars who have between 15-19 hours of pull out services a week. I have 3 scholars who have 9-15 hours of combined pull out and inclusion hours. I have 2 students who have between 5-10 hours of inclusion only hours. These hours do not include speech, ot, pt, behavior support, etc. DCPS does not employ special education paras outside of self contained rooms. These students are spread out over 3 grade levels in 7 different classrooms.

I am literally working nonstop all day and cannot meet everyone’s time and there is nothing I can do about it. I have no magic time button to make more time. I’m not doing this on purpose and “lawyering up” will help you get more hours on the IEP sure, but it doesn’t make more time in my day. Your kid will continue to get all I can give them. I write my IEPs based on strengths and weaknesses and allot service hours based on needs. If these kids move to a school that has more staff they need correctly written ieps.

I’m not sure what I’m asking for -it’s not sympathy. I just need people to understand the situation teachers are in. This is unsustainable.

[Anonymous]

I have always thought, and the amazing teachers who posted here confirmed, that the problem is lack of personnel. Teaching has never really had the respect that other professions have. Im not surprised that we now have a nationwide teacher shortage.

If somehow this spurs salary and benefit increases and more respect for the profession, which I hope it does, it isn’t going to help the kids in school now. It will be two or more years until a new crop of teachers graduates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I’ve never been told to do this. I will admit that it can be overwhelming. In a typical year, I may have 150 student overall. 40 of them may have an IEP or 504. I’m overwhelmed. It’s hard to respectfully follow each student’s plan. For example, one test may require 6 different versions to accommodate different needs. I have to create those tests. Some need to be given under different scenarios. (This student needs me to write for them. This student needs me to read all questions out loud.) I have to stay after school to accommodate that. I’m already working 60+ hours a week. Yes, some things slip through the cracks. I’m trying. I’m always trying. I’m just one person, however, and I’m being asked to do the work of three. No, I’m not ignoring IEPs and 504s. I just can’t do it all.

If you can’t do it all, then why aren’t general education teachers advocating for students to have more para educator and special education teacher hours? Those hours would supplement the time spent administering the tests with appropriate accommodations.

We are! We’re always asking for more support. The problem is there aren’t enough special education teachers or para educators. We are facing massive shortages. That means these responsibilities fall on us, the general educators. I am a meticulously organized person, yet I can’t keep up with the demands of my classroom. One test equals about 15 hours of accommodations that I have to meet. I’ll be completely honest: I’m always looking for other jobs. I love what I do, but I can’t give of myself more than I already am. This job takes, and then takes more.

If you can’t keep up you’re violating federal law, or the school is. I’d write the principal and superintendent a nicely worded letter telling them you will no longer be part of that and they need to give you help or you’re going to regular Ed effective x date. Or just quit like everyone else has.

Blow off, PP. You and people like you, who try to penalize and threaten the few who are trying to do the work of many ARE the major problem. People like you who demand more and more from the people who are doing the work are making it so that other teachers are not willing to enter the field. People like you are making the job even more miserable than it already is. These teachers work as much as they possibly can, most of them giving way too much of their personal time to take care of the many special needs and special accommodations that are being requested. They do the best they can. But people like you demand more and insult the people who are doing the work when they don't give more.

Your ideas and comments stink. I hope you aren't a parent, but you probably are one of the ones that make teachers lives miserable.

Perfectly stated.

Genuine question here, if my child needs specialized education services, such as reading or math bc they have SLD, should we ( as parents) not be expecting services bc there is a lack of staff? Are teachers upset if a parent asks for testing and special Ed services bc they already feel like they are doing everything they can? If so, do we just send our kid to school and have no expectation that they learn anything in those two areas?
I am not being combative , I am a NP and agree the PP should not have said quit like everyone else. I am truly interested in a teachers point of view about this.

Teacher here. Please email your concerns to the sped department. A lot of time, parents will email their frustrations to the teacher only and not the sped department. Email them requesting the times and names of the pull outs or push ins. Odds are, they are not happening as frequently as they should because we are so short staffed but again, not a teacher issue.

[Anonymous]

I feel like teachers know that to be in good with the principal they should follow the party line. I am still grateful to the 2nd grade teacher who sat in an IEP meeting when 6 senior school staff said my second grade boy was just a little imature and they would watch his reading but he probably just needed more time. This one second year teacher spoke out forcefully that there was something wrong and it needed extra attention.
Outside testing revealed dyslexia and dys grahia.. If we did not have the resources for outside testing, I am not sure what would have happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I’ve never been told to do this. I will admit that it can be overwhelming. In a typical year, I may have 150 student overall. 40 of them may have an IEP or 504. I’m overwhelmed. It’s hard to respectfully follow each student’s plan. For example, one test may require 6 different versions to accommodate different needs. I have to create those tests. Some need to be given under different scenarios. (This student needs me to write for them. This student needs me to read all questions out loud.) I have to stay after school to accommodate that. I’m already working 60+ hours a week. Yes, some things slip through the cracks. I’m trying. I’m always trying. I’m just one person, however, and I’m being asked to do the work of three. No, I’m not ignoring IEPs and 504s. I just can’t do it all.

If you can’t do it all, then why aren’t general education teachers advocating for students to have more para educator and special education teacher hours? Those hours would supplement the time spent administering the tests with appropriate accommodations.

We are! We’re always asking for more support. The problem is there aren’t enough special education teachers or para educators. We are facing massive shortages. That means these responsibilities fall on us, the general educators. I am a meticulously organized person, yet I can’t keep up with the demands of my classroom. One test equals about 15 hours of accommodations that I have to meet. I’ll be completely honest: I’m always looking for other jobs. I love what I do, but I can’t give of myself more than I already am. This job takes, and then takes more.

If you can’t keep up you’re violating federal law, or the school is. I’d write the principal and superintendent a nicely worded letter telling them you will no longer be part of that and they need to give you help or you’re going to regular Ed effective x date. Or just quit like everyone else has.

Blow off, PP. You and people like you, who try to penalize and threaten the few who are trying to do the work of many ARE the major problem. People like you who demand more and more from the people who are doing the work are making it so that other teachers are not willing to enter the field. People like you are making the job even more miserable than it already is. These teachers work as much as they possibly can, most of them giving way too much of their personal time to take care of the many special needs and special accommodations that are being requested. They do the best they can. But people like you demand more and insult the people who are doing the work when they don't give more.

Your ideas and comments stink. I hope you aren't a parent, but you probably are one of the ones that make teachers lives miserable.

Perfectly stated.

Genuine question here, if my child needs specialized education services, such as reading or math bc they have SLD, should we ( as parents) not be expecting services bc there is a lack of staff? Are teachers upset if a parent asks for testing and special Ed services bc they already feel like they are doing everything they can? If so, do we just send our kid to school and have no expectation that they learn anything in those two areas?
I am not being combative , I am a NP and agree the PP should not have said quit like everyone else. I am truly interested in a teachers point of view about this.

Teacher here. Please email your concerns to the sped department. A lot of time, parents will email their frustrations to the teacher only and not the sped department. Email them requesting the times and names of the pull outs or push ins. Odds are, they are not happening as frequently as they should because we are so short staffed but again, not a teacher issue.

I teach in a school in a UMC neighborhood where sometimes parents will email the sped department. All that has ever happened is the "higher ups" push it back to the school and tell us to find the time, make it happen, and that there are no more resources or personnel they can give us. The time and personnel then get taken away from other kids and the other kid's gen ed teachers have to do more work. The message is basically to satisfy this family so they won't get a lawyer or advocate, and satisfying that comes at the cost of other students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they are told that in so many words, but their caseloads certainly give that message. It's common for a special ed teacher to push in to work with, say, 5 students for an hour and count that hour toward all of their service hours, even though she is necessarily splitting her time among all of them.

Yup and due to the shortage of SPED teachers some SPED teachers have caseloads of 3-4 grade levels....it doesn't work and contributes to stress and burn out of the teachers. But no as a teacher I've never heard this said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a current sped teacher. I work in DCPS. My day starts at 8:45 and I see kids until 3:12 (school ends at 3:15). I have no planning and no lunch period. Oh I supposed to get those things but I try and spend all my time servicing kids. I have one administration required meeting a week (45 minutes). I am not allowed to skip it. I cannot pull kids from lunch, recess or specials those combined equal about 1hr 45 min a day. I have 10 children on my caseload. I am allowed to have up to 15 (even then passed 15 I get a once time $250 payment). I have 5 scholars who have between 15-19 hours of pull out services a week. I have 3 scholars who have 9-15 hours of combined pull out and inclusion hours. I have 2 students who have between 5-10 hours of inclusion only hours. These hours do not include speech, ot, pt, behavior support, etc. DCPS does not employ special education paras outside of self contained rooms. These students are spread out over 3 grade levels in 7 different classrooms.

I am literally working nonstop all day and cannot meet everyone’s time and there is nothing I can do about it. I have no magic time button to make more time. I’m not doing this on purpose and “lawyering up” will help you get more hours on the IEP sure, but it doesn’t make more time in my day. Your kid will continue to get all I can give them. I write my IEPs based on strengths and weaknesses and allot service hours based on needs. If these kids move to a school that has more staff they need correctly written ieps.

I’m not sure what I’m asking for -it’s not sympathy. I just need people to understand the situation teachers are in. This is unsustainable.

SPED teacher here....I see you. I have three grade levels with push in and some students have significant pull out hours. I barely have time to plan-even if I have a free 15 mins it's spent doing some useless county paperwork and/or emails. The system is broken. The higher ups in these counties are pretending the shortage isn't happening. They are pretending the burnout didn't start in September this year with all the paperwork, assessments.... on top of extreme SPED needs going on in classrooms. It's November and I feel June tired. And I AGREE it's not SUSTAINABLE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Special Ed para who makes about $26k per year. Who routinely works unpaid OT. Who has so many "non-working, no pay" days, like Monday, which is only for teachers. And yes, have several years experience. I do it for the kids, am doing the best I can, and yet, it is never enough. Our school is short staffed for paras, special ed paras, special ed teachers, etc.

As long as there continues to be no respect for teachers and the education professionals, until there is more autonomy, until there is more money, it will continue to get worse.

Yes! And the gaslighting in education needs to stop teachers are telling you the problems and no one is listening. One person can not do the job of three. It's not fair to the students and it's not fair to the teacher trying to make everyone happy.

signed a SPED teacher hoping to make it to June

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I’ve never been told to do this. I will admit that it can be overwhelming. In a typical year, I may have 150 student overall. 40 of them may have an IEP or 504. I’m overwhelmed. It’s hard to respectfully follow each student’s plan. For example, one test may require 6 different versions to accommodate different needs. I have to create those tests. Some need to be given under different scenarios. (This student needs me to write for them. This student needs me to read all questions out loud.) I have to stay after school to accommodate that. I’m already working 60+ hours a week. Yes, some things slip through the cracks. I’m trying. I’m always trying. I’m just one person, however, and I’m being asked to do the work of three. No, I’m not ignoring IEPs and 504s. I just can’t do it all.

If you can’t do it all, then why aren’t general education teachers advocating for students to have more para educator and special education teacher hours? Those hours would supplement the time spent administering the tests with appropriate accommodations.

We are! We’re always asking for more support. The problem is there aren’t enough special education teachers or para educators. We are facing massive shortages. That means these responsibilities fall on us, the general educators. I am a meticulously organized person, yet I can’t keep up with the demands of my classroom. One test equals about 15 hours of accommodations that I have to meet. I’ll be completely honest: I’m always looking for other jobs. I love what I do, but I can’t give of myself more than I already am. This job takes, and then takes more.

If you can’t keep up you’re violating federal law, or the school is. I’d write the principal and superintendent a nicely worded letter telling them you will no longer be part of that and they need to give you help or you’re going to regular Ed effective x date. Or just quit like everyone else has.

I’m sorry that my personal best, which takes away from my own life and my own special needs child, isn’t enough for you. I could write 100 nicely-worded letters. It won’t make a differences. Nobody is applying for these jobs. Your choices are: you can have me, a sincere person doing her best against overwhelming responsibilities or a long-term sub. Those are your choices. I’m working HARD for you. I can’t do any more than I already am. If I quit, you’re left with less than you have now. Threatening me with “ you’re violating federal law” doesn’t help. I KNOW that. I’m trying to FIX that.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I’ve never been told to do this. I will admit that it can be overwhelming. In a typical year, I may have 150 student overall. 40 of them may have an IEP or 504. I’m overwhelmed. It’s hard to respectfully follow each student’s plan. For example, one test may require 6 different versions to accommodate different needs. I have to create those tests. Some need to be given under different scenarios. (This student needs me to write for them. This student needs me to read all questions out loud.) I have to stay after school to accommodate that. I’m already working 60+ hours a week. Yes, some things slip through the cracks. I’m trying. I’m always trying. I’m just one person, however, and I’m being asked to do the work of three. No, I’m not ignoring IEPs and 504s. I just can’t do it all.

If you can’t do it all, then why aren’t general education teachers advocating for students to have more para educator and special education teacher hours? Those hours would supplement the time spent administering the tests with appropriate accommodations.

We are! We’re always asking for more support. The problem is there aren’t enough special education teachers or para educators. We are facing massive shortages. That means these responsibilities fall on us, the general educators. I am a meticulously organized person, yet I can’t keep up with the demands of my classroom. One test equals about 15 hours of accommodations that I have to meet. I’ll be completely honest: I’m always looking for other jobs. I love what I do, but I can’t give of myself more than I already am. This job takes, and then takes more.

If you can’t keep up you’re violating federal law, or the school is. I’d write the principal and superintendent a nicely worded letter telling them you will no longer be part of that and they need to give you help or you’re going to regular Ed effective x date. Or just quit like everyone else has.

Blow off, PP. You and people like you, who try to penalize and threaten the few who are trying to do the work of many ARE the major problem. People like you who demand more and more from the people who are doing the work are making it so that other teachers are not willing to enter the field. People like you are making the job even more miserable than it already is. These teachers work as much as they possibly can, most of them giving way too much of their personal time to take care of the many special needs and special accommodations that are being requested. They do the best they can. But people like you demand more and insult the people who are doing the work when they don't give more.

Your ideas and comments stink. I hope you aren't a parent, but you probably are one of the ones that make teachers lives miserable.

Perfectly stated.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they are told that in so many words, but their caseloads certainly give that message. It's common for a special ed teacher to push in to work with, say, 5 students for an hour and count that hour toward all of their service hours, even though she is necessarily splitting her time among all of them.

+1. This is exactly what she does.