Why are kids with problematic behavior left in mainstream classes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unpopular opinion but LRE is not beneficial for the students its in place for. So many children need to be in a resource room in order to receive the support and services they need. This is both academically and behaviorally. In theory, it looks great on paper and it sounds great for equity. However, in practice, it is not best practice for all of the students in the classroom.

I think this as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unpopular opinion but LRE is not beneficial for the students its in place for. So many children need to be in a resource room in order to receive the support and services they need. This is both academically and behaviorally. In theory, it looks great on paper and it sounds great for equity. However, in practice, it is not best practice for all of the students in the classroom.

I think this as well.

That post doesn't even make sense. How can you think that as well?

[Anonymous]

In the last few years, studies have looked at disparate impact rates for student suspensions and expulsions. The solution to the glaringly bad rate of who is getting suspended or expelled is less of both and more “restorative justice” and basically keeping kids in classes to better the stats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the last few years, studies have looked at disparate impact rates for student suspensions and expulsions. The solution to the glaringly bad rate of who is getting suspended or expelled is less of both and more “restorative justice” and basically keeping kids in classes to better the stats.

But the studies don't measure the impact and harm on the kids who have to repeatedly absurd the chaos, disruptions and instability to the learning environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unpopular opinion but LRE is not beneficial for the students its in place for. So many children need to be in a resource room in order to receive the support and services they need. This is both academically and behaviorally. In theory, it looks great on paper and it sounds great for equity. However, in practice, it is not best practice for all of the students in the classroom.

I think this as well.

That post doesn't even make sense. How can you think that as well?

I don't know what didn't make sense to you in that post, but it was clear to me. And I agree with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t worry, you just have to deal with these kids being in the same class as your snowflake in elementary school.

By the time your kid gets to middle school, your child will be in honors classes and won’t see those troublemaking kids anymore (except maybe in the hallway!)

This isn't true. They're trying to get rid of honors and AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t worry, you just have to deal with these kids being in the same class as your snowflake in elementary school.

By the time your kid gets to middle school, your child will be in honors classes and won’t see those troublemaking kids anymore (except maybe in the hallway!)

This isn't true. They're trying to get rid of honors and AAP.

They're not getting rid of honors technically. They're just making everyone enroll in "honors" classes, which does take away honors in practice.

[Anonymous]

I knew two students at Johns Hopkins with very short tempers. Both were pretty scary. Both were also super smart. I think one was asked to leave?

[Anonymous]

I don't have a dog in this fight but you all should be so very grateful that you do not have a child who has these challenges. Take just a moment and think what it must be like for those parents.

[Anonymous]

To answer your question: it's for the most superficial reasons imaginable. Because someone is worried that if they have separate resource rooms (and separate honors classes) those classes might not "look like" the rest of the school (i.e. have a equal distribution of racial groups to the school population.) If the schools were homogeneous nobody would care about any of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s no other placements available. There’s only a handful of settings that are appropriate and only well-connected parents know how to get their kids in one. Can’t afford to sue? Your child stays in the classroom, even if they maim someone.

+1 There are only a handful of settings and they can cost anywhere from $30-50$+ dollars of which the district must pay the cost(which may or may not have an adjustment). There are not enough Special education and counselors to help all kids. Some parents are in denial about their kids problems which makes getting them evaluated harder and takes longer.

The Central Office Special Education Assoc Superintendent is honest about all of these. She’s even briefed the BOE about these things.

The Special Education Associate Superintendent (who is an attorney BTW) is part of the problem, not the solution. Many parents are not in denial but face a continual road block from Central Office when it comes to the Special Education evaluation process. Obviously no child in the classroom is served by disruptive behavior. However, a child cannot be placed in a Special Education pull out program without a Special Education evaluation. MCPS drags out the process so it takes months or more if the team (including members from Central Office) determines more information is needed.

More money is needed for Special Education so students can be properly placed and receive the services they need.

[Anonymous]

If parents can’t afford a private evaluation and lawyers, MCPS keeps a child who needs a special education pull out in mainstream. It sucks for the student who is not receiving the services he/she needs, it sucks for the other students in the classroom, and it sucks for the general education teacher who doesn’t have any support in the classroom to help with the student.

[Anonymous]

Because some people in charge decided that all kids are equal and deserve an equal education.

They aren't and they don't. You'll never change my mind.

DD suffered to the point of us pulling her out of school during 4th grade because of a disruptive and violent student in her class. She had to start seeing a therapist. She was diagnosed with anxiety and PTSD. She was always on edge waiting for the student's next explosive episode. She dreaded any partner activities or even lining up to leave the classroom because she didn't want to be with that student or be next to him in line. He hit the teacher multiple times. He destroyed the classroom three times to the point where the other students had to finish out the day in the library because it was so trashed. One kid pulled out of school around Xmas break after he was hit with a chair the disruptive student threw.

By the end of the school year, parents in the class told me that the kid sat alone and worked alone because all the parents had requested their kids not be grouped with him or sat near him.

DD is in high school now. She'll still freeze up in situations where people are screaming because it makes her flashback to the kid. She used to love going to sporting events but even those triggered her now. She tried going to her HS homecoming game 2 weekends ago and ended up calling me for a ride about 30 minutes in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop blaming Covid. School has been in person two full years. It’s a parenting and school issue. It’s rare a teacher has good full control and most give up and do nothing as the parents don’t care. And, those of us who do, it’s a constant battle.

This is way too simplistic. IME, the most problematic kids have something else going on- be it developmental or a learning disability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't have a dog in this fight but you all should be so very grateful that you do not have a child who has these challenges. Take just a moment and think what it must be like for those parents.

One can feel sympathy for the families dealing with these issues, and also recognize that the current policies don’t work. Kids should not have to evacuate a classroom because their classmate is throwing furniture. Students who throw things or otherwise abuse their teachers or classmates should not be in mainstream classrooms. Sympathy for their parents doesn’t change that.