Serious Question - Special Ed Students in Gen Ed Classrooms

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any teachers who have not seen the change are just lucky at this point. When you have a student that makes it impossible to teach, yet the county refuses to move them, EVERY child and adult in the classroom are affected.

OP- you are not imagining things. Students with severe disabilities are much more mainstream than they were even 2 years ago.

That's not true. My oldest kid (now nearly completing high school) had a blind child with cerebral palsy starting in their K class, so this is now over a decade ago. The child had a 1:1 aide--and the teacher said she loved that because that aide could lend a hand if needed as there were always 2 adults in the classroom, which is a gift.

Yes, some kids have special needs--but you're being very closed minded to think that it's always a bad thing to have those special needs kids in class. The child I mention was a lovely kid--certainly better behaved than some of the neurotypical MCPS kids I've met. My kid still remembers how they taught him a little Braille so that he could understand how he blind child was learning to read.

It’s very hard for students to get 1:1 support now. This is happening. And believe me, if a teacher wants to call the police because of immediate safety concerns, they will be disciplined. Ask me how I know.

I'm sure it was hard to get a 1:1 support 12 years ago too. But it still happens today. I've seen it in my kids' classroom where there are extra adults when there are kids with severe needs.

It’s very hard to get 1:1 now because no one wants to do this. Your anecdotal experience is not the new normal.

Yet we’re supposed to believe that your anecdote is the new normal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any teachers who have not seen the change are just lucky at this point. When you have a student that makes it impossible to teach, yet the county refuses to move them, EVERY child and adult in the classroom are affected.

OP- you are not imagining things. Students with severe disabilities are much more mainstream than they were even 2 years ago.

That's not true. My oldest kid (now nearly completing high school) had a blind child with cerebral palsy starting in their K class, so this is now over a decade ago. The child had a 1:1 aide--and the teacher said she loved that because that aide could lend a hand if needed as there were always 2 adults in the classroom, which is a gift.

Yes, some kids have special needs--but you're being very closed minded to think that it's always a bad thing to have those special needs kids in class. The child I mention was a lovely kid--certainly better behaved than some of the neurotypical MCPS kids I've met. My kid still remembers how they taught him a little Braille so that he could understand how he blind child was learning to read.

It’s very hard for students to get 1:1 support now. This is happening. And believe me, if a teacher wants to call the police because of immediate safety concerns, they will be disciplined. Ask me how I know.

I'm sure it was hard to get a 1:1 support 12 years ago too. But it still happens today. I've seen it in my kids' classroom where there are extra adults when there are kids with severe needs.

It’s very hard to get 1:1 now because no one wants to do this. Your anecdotal experience is not the new normal.

Yet we’re supposed to believe that your anecdote is the new normal?

Just speaking the truth; not trying to argue. It’s not anecdotal. The funding is not there to pay people properly and it’s disappearing as fast as this administration can dismantle the Department of Education.


https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/how-dismantling-education-department-could-affect-disabled-students-across-us

Go to bed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any teachers who have not seen the change are just lucky at this point. When you have a student that makes it impossible to teach, yet the county refuses to move them, EVERY child and adult in the classroom are affected.

OP- you are not imagining things. Students with severe disabilities are much more mainstream than they were even 2 years ago.

That's not true. My oldest kid (now nearly completing high school) had a blind child with cerebral palsy starting in their K class, so this is now over a decade ago. The child had a 1:1 aide--and the teacher said she loved that because that aide could lend a hand if needed as there were always 2 adults in the classroom, which is a gift.

Yes, some kids have special needs--but you're being very closed minded to think that it's always a bad thing to have those special needs kids in class. The child I mention was a lovely kid--certainly better behaved than some of the neurotypical MCPS kids I've met. My kid still remembers how they taught him a little Braille so that he could understand how he blind child was learning to read.

It’s very hard for students to get 1:1 support now. This is happening. And believe me, if a teacher wants to call the police because of immediate safety concerns, they will be disciplined. Ask me how I know.

I'm sure it was hard to get a 1:1 support 12 years ago too. But it still happens today. I've seen it in my kids' classroom where there are extra adults when there are kids with severe needs.

It’s very hard to get 1:1 now because no one wants to do this. Your anecdotal experience is not the new normal.

Yet we’re supposed to believe that your anecdote is the new normal?

Just speaking the truth; not trying to argue. It’s not anecdotal. The funding is not there to pay people properly and it’s disappearing as fast as this administration can dismantle the Department of Education.


https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/how-dismantling-education-department-could-affect-disabled-students-across-us

Go to bed.

Did you even read what you posted? It’s an op-ed from Urban Wire that does not mention MCPS or 1:1 aides. None of this bolsters your anecdotes, or makes your anecdotes superior to the other anecdotes posted on this thread.

[Anonymous]

The only anecdote in this thread that says things have not changed is someone saying that 12 years ago a child who was not disruptive, was fully supported with a 1-1 so therefore that’s how it is today. Every teacher would love what is being described- 1 child with no behaviors and support!

However, I don’t know a single teacher who would not want to return to education a decade ago. Back then there was enough staffing for dedicated aides, kids who needed self contained programs got them, and kids who were disruptive were removed from the classroom. These things are not true today. Nobody wants to move all kids with special needs from the mainstream classes. What we do want is kids who are not ready to be mainstreamed to be placed in their LRE- which is not full inclusion- something almost all parents want. We want classrooms that have enough support so that everyone can succeed. We do not want 1 child (with or without a documented disability) causing such disruptions that there is no teaching going on.

These things shouldn’t be controversial. All kids should be setup for success and not just dropped in an inappropriate setting because it’s cheaper and easier for the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any teachers who have not seen the change are just lucky at this point. When you have a student that makes it impossible to teach, yet the county refuses to move them, EVERY child and adult in the classroom are affected.

OP- you are not imagining things. Students with severe disabilities are much more mainstream than they were even 2 years ago.

That's not true. My oldest kid (now nearly completing high school) had a blind child with cerebral palsy starting in their K class, so this is now over a decade ago. The child had a 1:1 aide--and the teacher said she loved that because that aide could lend a hand if needed as there were always 2 adults in the classroom, which is a gift.

Yes, some kids have special needs--but you're being very closed minded to think that it's always a bad thing to have those special needs kids in class. The child I mention was a lovely kid--certainly better behaved than some of the neurotypical MCPS kids I've met. My kid still remembers how they taught him a little Braille so that he could understand how he blind child was learning to read.

It’s very hard for students to get 1:1 support now. This is happening. And believe me, if a teacher wants to call the police because of immediate safety concerns, they will be disciplined. Ask me how I know.

I'm sure it was hard to get a 1:1 support 12 years ago too. But it still happens today. I've seen it in my kids' classroom where there are extra adults when there are kids with severe needs.

It’s very hard to get 1:1 now because no one wants to do this. Your anecdotal experience is not the new normal.

Yet we’re supposed to believe that your anecdote is the new normal?

Just speaking the truth; not trying to argue. It’s not anecdotal. The funding is not there to pay people properly and it’s disappearing as fast as this administration can dismantle the Department of Education.


https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/how-dismantling-education-department-could-affect-disabled-students-across-us

Go to bed.

Did you even read what you posted? It’s an op-ed from Urban Wire that does not mention MCPS or 1:1 aides. None of this bolsters your anecdotes, or makes your anecdotes superior to the other anecdotes posted on this thread.

Please stop. It’s odd how you are arguing about something that actual teachers are telling you is no longer in existence. This is a huge issue. And it’s getting worse. No one is going to write a report just on MCPS. This is not an op-ed piece. This is an independently funded organization that provides actual data and analysis of policy changes that affect our most vulnerable populations.

Let the teachers talk please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any teachers who have not seen the change are just lucky at this point. When you have a student that makes it impossible to teach, yet the county refuses to move them, EVERY child and adult in the classroom are affected.

OP- you are not imagining things. Students with severe disabilities are much more mainstream than they were even 2 years ago.

That's not true. My oldest kid (now nearly completing high school) had a blind child with cerebral palsy starting in their K class, so this is now over a decade ago. The child had a 1:1 aide--and the teacher said she loved that because that aide could lend a hand if needed as there were always 2 adults in the classroom, which is a gift.

Yes, some kids have special needs--but you're being very closed minded to think that it's always a bad thing to have those special needs kids in class. The child I mention was a lovely kid--certainly better behaved than some of the neurotypical MCPS kids I've met. My kid still remembers how they taught him a little Braille so that he could understand how he blind child was learning to read.

It’s very hard for students to get 1:1 support now. This is happening. And believe me, if a teacher wants to call the police because of immediate safety concerns, they will be disciplined. Ask me how I know.

I'm sure it was hard to get a 1:1 support 12 years ago too. But it still happens today. I've seen it in my kids' classroom where there are extra adults when there are kids with severe needs.

It’s very hard to get 1:1 now because no one wants to do this. Your anecdotal experience is not the new normal.

Yet we’re supposed to believe that your anecdote is the new normal?

Just speaking the truth; not trying to argue. It’s not anecdotal. The funding is not there to pay people properly and it’s disappearing as fast as this administration can dismantle the Department of Education.


https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/how-dismantling-education-department-could-affect-disabled-students-across-us

Go to bed.

Did you even read what you posted? It’s an op-ed from Urban Wire that does not mention MCPS or 1:1 aides. None of this bolsters your anecdotes, or makes your anecdotes superior to the other anecdotes posted on this thread.

Please stop. It’s odd how you are arguing about something that actual teachers are telling you is no longer in existence. This is a huge issue. And it’s getting worse. No one is going to write a report just on MCPS. This is not an op-ed piece. This is an independently funded organization that provides actual data and analysis of policy changes that affect our most vulnerable populations.

Let the teachers talk please.

You're an anonymous person on the Internet--and not a particularly accurate one at that. No one knows if you're truly a teacher, and if you were, you would recognize that you're not in every MCPS classroom in every school, and that yes, there are classes with 1:1 aides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any teachers who have not seen the change are just lucky at this point. When you have a student that makes it impossible to teach, yet the county refuses to move them, EVERY child and adult in the classroom are affected.

OP- you are not imagining things. Students with severe disabilities are much more mainstream than they were even 2 years ago.

That's not true. My oldest kid (now nearly completing high school) had a blind child with cerebral palsy starting in their K class, so this is now over a decade ago. The child had a 1:1 aide--and the teacher said she loved that because that aide could lend a hand if needed as there were always 2 adults in the classroom, which is a gift.

Yes, some kids have special needs--but you're being very closed minded to think that it's always a bad thing to have those special needs kids in class. The child I mention was a lovely kid--certainly better behaved than some of the neurotypical MCPS kids I've met. My kid still remembers how they taught him a little Braille so that he could understand how he blind child was learning to read.

It’s very hard for students to get 1:1 support now. This is happening. And believe me, if a teacher wants to call the police because of immediate safety concerns, they will be disciplined. Ask me how I know.

I'm sure it was hard to get a 1:1 support 12 years ago too. But it still happens today. I've seen it in my kids' classroom where there are extra adults when there are kids with severe needs.

It’s very hard to get 1:1 now because no one wants to do this. Your anecdotal experience is not the new normal.

Yet we’re supposed to believe that your anecdote is the new normal?

Just speaking the truth; not trying to argue. It’s not anecdotal. The funding is not there to pay people properly and it’s disappearing as fast as this administration can dismantle the Department of Education.


https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/how-dismantling-education-department-could-affect-disabled-students-across-us

Go to bed.

Did you even read what you posted? It’s an op-ed from Urban Wire that does not mention MCPS or 1:1 aides. None of this bolsters your anecdotes, or makes your anecdotes superior to the other anecdotes posted on this thread.

Please stop. It’s odd how you are arguing about something that actual teachers are telling you is no longer in existence. This is a huge issue. And it’s getting worse. No one is going to write a report just on MCPS. This is not an op-ed piece. This is an independently funded organization that provides actual data and analysis of policy changes that affect our most vulnerable populations.

Let the teachers talk please.

You're an anonymous person on the Internet--and not a particularly accurate one at that. No one knows if you're truly a teacher, and if you were, you would recognize that you're not in every MCPS classroom in every school, and that yes, there are classes with 1:1 aides.

And so are you. No one said there are NOT any aides. It’s harder and harder to obtain proper funding and staff.

Public education is slowly being dismantled and we are seeing the effects of it now.

Stop arguing. Accept the reality that is here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any teachers who have not seen the change are just lucky at this point. When you have a student that makes it impossible to teach, yet the county refuses to move them, EVERY child and adult in the classroom are affected.

OP- you are not imagining things. Students with severe disabilities are much more mainstream than they were even 2 years ago.

That's not true. My oldest kid (now nearly completing high school) had a blind child with cerebral palsy starting in their K class, so this is now over a decade ago. The child had a 1:1 aide--and the teacher said she loved that because that aide could lend a hand if needed as there were always 2 adults in the classroom, which is a gift.

Yes, some kids have special needs--but you're being very closed minded to think that it's always a bad thing to have those special needs kids in class. The child I mention was a lovely kid--certainly better behaved than some of the neurotypical MCPS kids I've met. My kid still remembers how they taught him a little Braille so that he could understand how he blind child was learning to read.

It’s very hard for students to get 1:1 support now. This is happening. And believe me, if a teacher wants to call the police because of immediate safety concerns, they will be disciplined. Ask me how I know.

I'm sure it was hard to get a 1:1 support 12 years ago too. But it still happens today. I've seen it in my kids' classroom where there are extra adults when there are kids with severe needs.

It’s very hard to get 1:1 now because no one wants to do this. Your anecdotal experience is not the new normal.

Yet we’re supposed to believe that your anecdote is the new normal?

Just speaking the truth; not trying to argue. It’s not anecdotal. The funding is not there to pay people properly and it’s disappearing as fast as this administration can dismantle the Department of Education.


https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/how-dismantling-education-department-could-affect-disabled-students-across-us

Go to bed.

Did you even read what you posted? It’s an op-ed from Urban Wire that does not mention MCPS or 1:1 aides. None of this bolsters your anecdotes, or makes your anecdotes superior to the other anecdotes posted on this thread.

Please stop. It’s odd how you are arguing about something that actual teachers are telling you is no longer in existence. This is a huge issue. And it’s getting worse. No one is going to write a report just on MCPS. This is not an op-ed piece. This is an independently funded organization that provides actual data and analysis of policy changes that affect our most vulnerable populations.

Let the teachers talk please.

You're an anonymous person on the Internet--and not a particularly accurate one at that. No one knows if you're truly a teacher, and if you were, you would recognize that you're not in every MCPS classroom in every school, and that yes, there are classes with 1:1 aides.

If you don't believe a teacher, then try learning from someone who IS familiar with MCPS and now reports on a national level? . The government barely funds 20% of special education services and is only required to fund a maximum of 40%. So that means the states must make up the difference. Want to know why we can't find special educators or pay aides a better wage? It's money.

https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/how-schools-make-up-for-the-feds-unfulfilled-special-ed-funding-commitment/2025/02

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any teachers who have not seen the change are just lucky at this point. When you have a student that makes it impossible to teach, yet the county refuses to move them, EVERY child and adult in the classroom are affected.

OP- you are not imagining things. Students with severe disabilities are much more mainstream than they were even 2 years ago.

That's not true. My oldest kid (now nearly completing high school) had a blind child with cerebral palsy starting in their K class, so this is now over a decade ago. The child had a 1:1 aide--and the teacher said she loved that because that aide could lend a hand if needed as there were always 2 adults in the classroom, which is a gift.

Yes, some kids have special needs--but you're being very closed minded to think that it's always a bad thing to have those special needs kids in class. The child I mention was a lovely kid--certainly better behaved than some of the neurotypical MCPS kids I've met. My kid still remembers how they taught him a little Braille so that he could understand how he blind child was learning to read.

It’s very hard for students to get 1:1 support now. This is happening. And believe me, if a teacher wants to call the police because of immediate safety concerns, they will be disciplined. Ask me how I know.

I'm sure it was hard to get a 1:1 support 12 years ago too. But it still happens today. I've seen it in my kids' classroom where there are extra adults when there are kids with severe needs.

It’s very hard to get 1:1 now because no one wants to do this. Your anecdotal experience is not the new normal.

Yet we’re supposed to believe that your anecdote is the new normal?

Just speaking the truth; not trying to argue. It’s not anecdotal. The funding is not there to pay people properly and it’s disappearing as fast as this administration can dismantle the Department of Education.


https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/how-dismantling-education-department-could-affect-disabled-students-across-us

Go to bed.

Did you even read what you posted? It’s an op-ed from Urban Wire that does not mention MCPS or 1:1 aides. None of this bolsters your anecdotes, or makes your anecdotes superior to the other anecdotes posted on this thread.

Please stop. It’s odd how you are arguing about something that actual teachers are telling you is no longer in existence. This is a huge issue. And it’s getting worse. No one is going to write a report just on MCPS. This is not an op-ed piece. This is an independently funded organization that provides actual data and analysis of policy changes that affect our most vulnerable populations.

Let the teachers talk please.

You're an anonymous person on the Internet--and not a particularly accurate one at that. No one knows if you're truly a teacher, and if you were, you would recognize that you're not in every MCPS classroom in every school, and that yes, there are classes with 1:1 aides.

And so are you. No one said there are NOT any aides. It’s harder and harder to obtain proper funding and staff.

Public education is slowly being dismantled and we are seeing the effects of it now.

Stop arguing. Accept the reality that is here.

If you're a teacher, I'm sorry for your students having someone who can't coherently respond without saying "stop arguing." No one said it was easy to obtain proper funding and staff. But your exaggerations that "no one" wants to be a 1:1 aide, and that these aides largely no longer not exist is inaccurate and disrespectful to the people who work in these roles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any teachers who have not seen the change are just lucky at this point. When you have a student that makes it impossible to teach, yet the county refuses to move them, EVERY child and adult in the classroom are affected.

OP- you are not imagining things. Students with severe disabilities are much more mainstream than they were even 2 years ago.

That's not true. My oldest kid (now nearly completing high school) had a blind child with cerebral palsy starting in their K class, so this is now over a decade ago. The child had a 1:1 aide--and the teacher said she loved that because that aide could lend a hand if needed as there were always 2 adults in the classroom, which is a gift.

Yes, some kids have special needs--but you're being very closed minded to think that it's always a bad thing to have those special needs kids in class. The child I mention was a lovely kid--certainly better behaved than some of the neurotypical MCPS kids I've met. My kid still remembers how they taught him a little Braille so that he could understand how he blind child was learning to read.

Obviously, this is not the type of child I am talking about, nor did I say that it is always bad to have special needs children in class- my own child has an IEP. I am speaking about kids without 1-1's who have severe behaviors, or are so many grade levels below. It is a different world from what your child experienced.

The subject of this offensive thread is about the logic of having special ed students in gen ed classrooms. If your child has an IEP, I'm not sure why you would be complaining about special needs kids in gen ed classrooms, because your kid is one of them. Even if you see your child as superior to "other kids with special needs", other parents with neurotypical kids may feel the same way about your kid with an IEP, and that they're disproportionately absorbing teacher time. It's a slippery slope, so hopefully you can provide a little grace to kids, and not go down the dangerous path of advocating that only neurotypical kids are allowed in gen ed classrooms.

NP - why is it a “dangerous path” to advocate that kids of similar abilities be grouped together in gen ed classrooms? The current model is yielding declining results for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Right now they are gatekeeping all of the elementary programs and keeping even very significant problems in the classroom. These include kids 5 grade levels below (5th graders who can’t read sight words and 3rd graders who can’t identify all numbers) and severe behavior issues. These include past couple of years it has gotten so ridiculous- it is not surprising that the complaints increased.

It has always been tough, and I assume, given the financial state of MCPS and the county, it is much harder to gain access to appropriate programming, EVEN WITH willing parents.

As a parent of a [former elementary-aged] student with autism and other related issues impacting classroom behavior and participation in learning, in general, in our overpacked, under-trained (for ASD) elementary school...it took all of our energy and resources as a family, including legal resources, to have our son removed from a large regular classroom with one teacher, and gain placement in a program in an attempt to meet his academic needs and challenges. 18 months of meetings, evaluations, angry calls and emails from the school, suspensions, and letters. We were willing partners and wanted help create a successful path for our student. It was a very hard time and process that we pressed on. (Now, imagine a parent who does not want their student moved out of the classroom, given the potential, if any, options.) Thankfully, our student had a couple options and for that we are eternally grateful. Progress came through that specialized program, over years, and he graduated on schedule from MCPS with a strong academic performance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any teachers who have not seen the change are just lucky at this point. When you have a student that makes it impossible to teach, yet the county refuses to move them, EVERY child and adult in the classroom are affected.

OP- you are not imagining things. Students with severe disabilities are much more mainstream than they were even 2 years ago.

That's not true. My oldest kid (now nearly completing high school) had a blind child with cerebral palsy starting in their K class, so this is now over a decade ago. The child had a 1:1 aide--and the teacher said she loved that because that aide could lend a hand if needed as there were always 2 adults in the classroom, which is a gift.

Yes, some kids have special needs--but you're being very closed minded to think that it's always a bad thing to have those special needs kids in class. The child I mention was a lovely kid--certainly better behaved than some of the neurotypical MCPS kids I've met. My kid still remembers how they taught him a little Braille so that he could understand how he blind child was learning to read.

It’s very hard for students to get 1:1 support now. This is happening. And believe me, if a teacher wants to call the police because of immediate safety concerns, they will be disciplined. Ask me how I know.

I'm sure it was hard to get a 1:1 support 12 years ago too. But it still happens today. I've seen it in my kids' classroom where there are extra adults when there are kids with severe needs.

It’s very hard to get 1:1 now because no one wants to do this. Your anecdotal experience is not the new normal.

Yet we’re supposed to believe that your anecdote is the new normal?

Just speaking the truth; not trying to argue. It’s not anecdotal. The funding is not there to pay people properly and it’s disappearing as fast as this administration can dismantle the Department of Education.


https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/how-dismantling-education-department-could-affect-disabled-students-across-us

Go to bed.

Did you even read what you posted? It’s an op-ed from Urban Wire that does not mention MCPS or 1:1 aides. None of this bolsters your anecdotes, or makes your anecdotes superior to the other anecdotes posted on this thread.

Please stop. It’s odd how you are arguing about something that actual teachers are telling you is no longer in existence. This is a huge issue. And it’s getting worse. No one is going to write a report just on MCPS. This is not an op-ed piece. This is an independently funded organization that provides actual data and analysis of policy changes that affect our most vulnerable populations.

Let the teachers talk please.

You're an anonymous person on the Internet--and not a particularly accurate one at that. No one knows if you're truly a teacher, and if you were, you would recognize that you're not in every MCPS classroom in every school, and that yes, there are classes with 1:1 aides.

And so are you. No one said there are NOT any aides. It’s harder and harder to obtain proper funding and staff.

Public education is slowly being dismantled and we are seeing the effects of it now.

Stop arguing. Accept the reality that is here.

If you're a teacher, I'm sorry for your students having someone who can't coherently respond without saying "stop arguing." No one said it was easy to obtain proper funding and staff. But your exaggerations that "no one" wants to be a 1:1 aide, and that these aides largely no longer not exist is inaccurate and disrespectful to the people who work in these roles.

👍

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any teachers who have not seen the change are just lucky at this point. When you have a student that makes it impossible to teach, yet the county refuses to move them, EVERY child and adult in the classroom are affected.

OP- you are not imagining things. Students with severe disabilities are much more mainstream than they were even 2 years ago.

That's not true. My oldest kid (now nearly completing high school) had a blind child with cerebral palsy starting in their K class, so this is now over a decade ago. The child had a 1:1 aide--and the teacher said she loved that because that aide could lend a hand if needed as there were always 2 adults in the classroom, which is a gift.

Yes, some kids have special needs--but you're being very closed minded to think that it's always a bad thing to have those special needs kids in class. The child I mention was a lovely kid--certainly better behaved than some of the neurotypical MCPS kids I've met. My kid still remembers how they taught him a little Braille so that he could understand how he blind child was learning to read.

It’s very hard for students to get 1:1 support now. This is happening. And believe me, if a teacher wants to call the police because of immediate safety concerns, they will be disciplined. Ask me how I know.

I'm sure it was hard to get a 1:1 support 12 years ago too. But it still happens today. I've seen it in my kids' classroom where there are extra adults when there are kids with severe needs.

It’s very hard to get 1:1 now because no one wants to do this. Your anecdotal experience is not the new normal.

Yet we’re supposed to believe that your anecdote is the new normal?

Just speaking the truth; not trying to argue. It’s not anecdotal. The funding is not there to pay people properly and it’s disappearing as fast as this administration can dismantle the Department of Education.


https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/how-dismantling-education-department-could-affect-disabled-students-across-us

Go to bed.

Did you even read what you posted? It’s an op-ed from Urban Wire that does not mention MCPS or 1:1 aides. None of this bolsters your anecdotes, or makes your anecdotes superior to the other anecdotes posted on this thread.

Please stop. It’s odd how you are arguing about something that actual teachers are telling you is no longer in existence. This is a huge issue. And it’s getting worse. No one is going to write a report just on MCPS. This is not an op-ed piece. This is an independently funded organization that provides actual data and analysis of policy changes that affect our most vulnerable populations.

Let the teachers talk please.

You're an anonymous person on the Internet--and not a particularly accurate one at that. No one knows if you're truly a teacher, and if you were, you would recognize that you're not in every MCPS classroom in every school, and that yes, there are classes with 1:1 aides.

And so are you. No one said there are NOT any aides. It’s harder and harder to obtain proper funding and staff.

Public education is slowly being dismantled and we are seeing the effects of it now.

Stop arguing. Accept the reality that is here.

If you're a teacher, I'm sorry for your students having someone who can't coherently respond without saying "stop arguing." No one said it was easy to obtain proper funding and staff. But your exaggerations that "no one" wants to be a 1:1 aide, and that these aides largely no longer not exist is inaccurate and disrespectful to the people who work in these roles.

👍

I’m trying to be nice. But thanks for mansplaining my job. 👍

[Anonymous]

I went to elementary school in MCPS in the mid 90s and had classmates with down syndrome and other severe intellectual disabilities in my general ed classes. I think it wasn’t until high school where these students were placed elsewhere. Inclusion definitely is not something new.

[Anonymous]

I have over two decades teaching in MCPS and have always had inclusion students. Both those formally diagnosed and those that were obviously impacted but slipping through the cracks.

There have been an increase in diagnoses of ADHD and autism, but all that did was put a label on kids that we’ve always taught in GenEd and wished we could formally get services. We’ve long had to find ways of meeting their needs without the paperwork. Many of these students are 2E and I’m happy to teach them in our magnet.