Behavioral Issues in Classroom

[Anonymous]

You can complain politely by email, copying people up the chain. Focus on the facts and the impact on your kid’s education and mental health. If the admin is trying to get an aide or move the kid somewhere, it helps.

[Anonymous]

My experience with this might be dated, but my now HS student had a child in their K class with severe behavioral problems, including attacking other children. Neither the teacher nor the principal could talk about it, but it rapidly became clear that they immediately started trying to get an appropriate placement for this child as soon as the behavior manifested, but that it was something that took time. It was ultimately 6 or 7 months before the child was moved.

However, in the interim, he was assigned a shadow, which made a significant difference, by coming up with an individualized plan for monitoring and rewarding good behavior. It didn't solve the problem, but it helped.

Just as importantly, it was clear from the teacher that factual reports to the teacher and the principal from impacted students were of great use to them in their effort to have the child moved to a place with appropriate support. So, OP, for sure report the behavior -- but not as "I demand that my child be moved," but instead that "I am deeply concerned over the behavior of X. Then describe the behavior factually -- throwing chairs, hitting, disrupting, whatever. And say how it has impacted your child -- whether physically or emotionally. If it continues over time, you can escalate, but the most important thing is to build the record that supports the teacher and admin's likely effort to address the problem, whether that might be by giving that child extra support or ultimately moving them to a different placement.

[Anonymous]

Go up the chain you may regret if you don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I asked for my kid to be seated away from the disruptive one. Although my request was granted, the teacher tried to shame me for not embracing inclusiveness. Typical mcps.

Then the teacher is clearly not as concerned as you are about their ability to handle a difficult case.

This happened at the end of the school year, so, no, she had not been able to handle the difficult case.

Clearly the teacher is not as concerned about my kid’s wellbeing as I am. Will not put my kid in harm’s way until the teacher figures out how to control her classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are your options as a parent when there is a child with significant behavioral issues in your child's elementary school class?
Is the only option to push to get your kid transferred to another class?
The disruptions are severe and occurring almost daily. The kids are scared and the teacher has also expressed fear. The response I've received so far is "the administration is aware of the problem".

Typical MCPS. They don't care and won't do anything. They're going to make you move your kid, not the kid who is causing disruption in the class.

MCPS is legally obligated to educate the kid causing disruption. They have to be in someone’s class.

This is utter BS. They do not need to be in someone's class. They can be educated in an environment that I'd specifically designed and staffed to meet their needs
The only reason that child is terrorizing your child is because the principal is ineffective. The principal can have that child moved to a different environment. They just haven't. Now it's on you and the other parents to make sure that happens. File the Maryland bullying report for a start.
.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My experience with this might be dated, but my now HS student had a child in their K class with severe behavioral problems, including attacking other children. Neither the teacher nor the principal could talk about it, but it rapidly became clear that they immediately started trying to get an appropriate placement for this child as soon as the behavior manifested, but that it was something that took time. It was ultimately 6 or 7 months before the child was moved.

However, in the interim, he was assigned a shadow, which made a significant difference, by coming up with an individualized plan for monitoring and rewarding good behavior. It didn't solve the problem, but it helped.

Just as importantly, it was clear from the teacher that factual reports to the teacher and the principal from impacted students were of great use to them in their effort to have the child moved to a place with appropriate support. So, OP, for sure report the behavior -- but not as "I demand that my child be moved," but instead that "I am deeply concerned over the behavior of X. Then describe the behavior factually -- throwing chairs, hitting, disrupting, whatever. And say how it has impacted your child -- whether physically or emotionally. If it continues over time, you can escalate, but the most important thing is to build the record that supports the teacher and admin's likely effort to address the problem, whether that might be by giving that child extra support or ultimately moving them to a different placement.

Those days are gone. No staff now. Huge number of vacancies. Staff getting bitten weekly. Low morale.

[Anonymous]

Expose it, maybe MoCo Council will pay attention and allocate for another type of school for students who need it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are your options as a parent when there is a child with significant behavioral issues in your child's elementary school class?
Is the only option to push to get your kid transferred to another class?
The disruptions are severe and occurring almost daily. The kids are scared and the teacher has also expressed fear. The response I've received so far is "the administration is aware of the problem".

Typical MCPS. They don't care and won't do anything. They're going to make you move your kid, not the kid who is causing disruption in the class.

MCPS is legally obligated to educate the kid causing disruption. They have to be in someone’s class.

It doesn’t need to be a Gen Ed classroom.

You can't assume that just because a kid has behavioral issues that they're in special education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the alternative schools have been closed.

This.
The programs were shut down last year and now teachers are being hit and bitten weekly. The children that needed the specialized programs are back in regular classrooms and with out needed supports.

MCPS cut the program so they could waste $168 million on a failed electric bus scheme.

No, this happened more than a decade ago.

LOL Nice try. But it just happened again last year. The gift that keeps on giving. A Board of Education that would rather cut a program for children in need of specialized support than read a contract brought to them by criminals.

The Mark Twain School was shut down more than a decade ago. I don't know what you are referring to.

+1 The SESES programs also still exist, as do other more restrictive placements. It sounds like OP's kid is still in elementary though, so Mark Twain would not have been an option.

Honestly, it's HARD to get a restrictive placement for a little kid, and that's for good reason. Sometimes getting a handle on the behavior is a matter of understanding triggers, or a matter of understand what in the child's life is causing them to act out. Taking a kid out of the mainstream classroom is meant to be a multi-step process with several interventions tried first. OP - I'm sorry your child is witnessing this, and that they presumably find it upsetting, but you don't have any way of knowing what's going on or where the child/parent/school are in the process of assessment and attempts to remediate the situation before moving the child into a self-contained classroom.

This is what is so frustrating. It is condescending to say that OP's child "presumably finds it upsetting". No presumably means likely but not really known for certain. OP wrote "the kids are scared and the teacher has also expressed fear". It is certain it is upsetting. And it doesn't matter what is going on with the child/the child's parents/attempts at remediation. ALL students deserve to be safe at school. It used to be kids like this were physically removed from the classroom. Now kids have learned nothing happens to them.

[Anonymous]

My DS was put in the chair next to the most badly behaved kids at Pyle. The reason? He was quiet, good natured and never acted out. The teachers thought he would be a "good example" and unlikely to complain.

I had to kick up such a fuss to get him moved away from these kids (two of them in 4 of his classes).

You have to kick asses basically. I would start with the Principal.

[Anonymous]

Don't stay quiet about issues!