Advocate for 504/IEP?

[Anonymous]

PP that’s what mcps wants. For you to pay for the services.

To other poster, yes we put for all. Advocate and tutor and therapy. Not to mention the distress associated with each IEP meeting and having to fight for services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP that’s what mcps wants. For you to pay for the services.

To other poster, yes we put for all. Advocate and tutor and therapy. Not to mention the distress associated with each IEP meeting and having to fight for services.

This is a Civil Rights problem in MCPS. Children with disabilities need appropriate special education and/or related services to have equal access to the curriculum. Ignoring problems, hiding data in Canvas, lying to parents regarding the law and their rights, not performing comprehensive evaluations, and not providing children the special education and related services that are on IEPs and 504 plans unequally impact children whose families do not have the financial means to get their children the help they legally deserve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At today’s BOE meeting there was an explanation by MCPS that all children with IEPs and who didn’t make progress with their goals and objectives that they will receive Extended Year Services. What about the children who suffered this year because they have a disability but they couldn’t access the curriculum because their 504 accommodations were not being provided? What about the children with disabilities that have been denied IEPs and 504s but they have fallen off a cliff in digital learning?

There has been no discussion with the BOE about how ALL children with disabilities who couldn’t access the curriculum this year will receive compensatory services.

Lol...my kid has qualified for ESY for years. Trust me when I say your kid will NOT be missing anything if they attend or don’t attend. 3hrs/day for 4 weeks. Teachers are not special Ed teachers. They are not familiar with your child’s IEP. They have no incentive to read it.

Many school districts provide ESY funding which parents can use to fund actual learning to keep their kid from regressing over the summer. Since MCPS offers ESY, they don’t offer funding. There are great summer programs out there for kids that need help. Sadly a lot of them will only take school funding which of course we don’t get. I can’t even pay for the really good ESY programs because I am private pay and they don’t accept that type of funding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At today’s BOE meeting there was an explanation by MCPS that all children with IEPs and who didn’t make progress with their goals and objectives that they will receive Extended Year Services. What about the children who suffered this year because they have a disability but they couldn’t access the curriculum because their 504 accommodations were not being provided? What about the children with disabilities that have been denied IEPs and 504s but they have fallen off a cliff in digital learning?

There has been no discussion with the BOE about how ALL children with disabilities who couldn’t access the curriculum this year will receive compensatory services.

Lol...my kid has qualified for ESY for years. Trust me when I say your kid will NOT be missing anything if they attend or don’t attend. 3hrs/day for 4 weeks. Teachers are not special Ed teachers. They are not familiar with your child’s IEP. They have no incentive to read it.

Many school districts provide ESY funding which parents can use to fund actual learning to keep their kid from regressing over the summer. Since MCPS offers ESY, they don’t offer funding. There are great summer programs out there for kids that need help. Sadly a lot of them will only take school funding which of course we don’t get. I can’t even pay for the really good ESY programs because I am private pay and they don’t accept that type of funding.

What do they do or teach on ESY? Academic from prior school year or next school year, or therapies on needs? My child has IEP, and he was never approved for ESY. Well, I already signed him up for multiple summer camps in person, so it seems like he will miss out ESY even he is qualified this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP that’s what mcps wants. For you to pay for the services.

To other poster, yes we put for all. Advocate and tutor and therapy. Not to mention the distress associated with each IEP meeting and having to fight for services.

This is a Civil Rights problem in MCPS. Children with disabilities need appropriate special education and/or related services to have equal access to the curriculum. Ignoring problems, hiding data in Canvas, lying to parents regarding the law and their rights, not performing comprehensive evaluations, and not providing children the special education and related services that are on IEPs and 504 plans unequally impact children whose families do not have the financial means to get their children the help they legally deserve.

Agree, but a child's childhood and timeline for getting appropriate services, especially when they are young and its the most helpful, is limited. You can spend years fighting with MCPS and still get piss poor services so you either let your kid fail or you pay for services (and depending on the need an advocate). I completely agree with you except there are low cost ways to do services but it all takes time and a huge commitment on the parents part. In the early years, you can tutor your kids (harder once they hit middle school), universities have lower cost services as part of their student training and other resources a well. Low income, who have medicaid also do better as they pay for ST, OT, and PT unlike other insurances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At today’s BOE meeting there was an explanation by MCPS that all children with IEPs and who didn’t make progress with their goals and objectives that they will receive Extended Year Services. What about the children who suffered this year because they have a disability but they couldn’t access the curriculum because their 504 accommodations were not being provided? What about the children with disabilities that have been denied IEPs and 504s but they have fallen off a cliff in digital learning?

There has been no discussion with the BOE about how ALL children with disabilities who couldn’t access the curriculum this year will receive compensatory services.

Lol...my kid has qualified for ESY for years. Trust me when I say your kid will NOT be missing anything if they attend or don’t attend. 3hrs/day for 4 weeks. Teachers are not special Ed teachers. They are not familiar with your child’s IEP. They have no incentive to read it.

Many school districts provide ESY funding which parents can use to fund actual learning to keep their kid from regressing over the summer. Since MCPS offers ESY, they don’t offer funding. There are great summer programs out there for kids that need help. Sadly a lot of them will only take school funding which of course we don’t get. I can’t even pay for the really good ESY programs because I am private pay and they don’t accept that type of funding.

What do they do or teach on ESY? Academic from prior school year or next school year, or therapies on needs? My child has IEP, and he was never approved for ESY. Well, I already signed him up for multiple summer camps in person, so it seems like he will miss out ESY even he is qualified this year.

Last summer and this summer they have had free summer school. Most years though it has to be approved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll never understand the parents who will pay for an attorney but not a tutor or therapy for their kid. It’s like they just want the satisfaction of “beating” MCPS and don’t really care about their kid’s needs.

The parents who pay for advocates and/or attorneys do pay for tutors and therapists. In the DMV, most clinicians are out of network. I’ve been at this for 10 yrs. MCPS is cheaper than private, but to the posters comment below—vacations are a thing of the past. I think it may be slightly easier in less affluent districts; in MCPS, they do nothing until forced. In terms of equity issues, students of color get funneled into juvenile justice. ADHD is a serious disability. Got the years you have a caring teacher, be grateful. It’s not the norm. This is all pre-Covid by the way.

Distance learning has only added another layer of inequality for students with ADHD in MCPS. Many children have regressed but very few will get services to make up a year’s worth of a lack of access to the curriculum. Does anyone in MCPS care? No. Teachers won’t speak up for children they know are struggling. School administrators play dumb and loose with the ADA and IDEA. It will take a lawyer to get what your child needs or placement into private school.

Gone are the days anyone in MCPS cares about actually educating children.

We had one teacher in ES who did speak up but it was meaningless as the special ed teacher and administrator wouldn't listen to us or the teacher (who were both on the same page). The stuff we were both asking to do was really simple and wouldn't cost MCPS anything but they refused (i.e. send unfinished school work home).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At today’s BOE meeting there was an explanation by MCPS that all children with IEPs and who didn’t make progress with their goals and objectives that they will receive Extended Year Services. What about the children who suffered this year because they have a disability but they couldn’t access the curriculum because their 504 accommodations were not being provided? What about the children with disabilities that have been denied IEPs and 504s but they have fallen off a cliff in digital learning?

There has been no discussion with the BOE about how ALL children with disabilities who couldn’t access the curriculum this year will receive compensatory services.

Lol...my kid has qualified for ESY for years. Trust me when I say your kid will NOT be missing anything if they attend or don’t attend. 3hrs/day for 4 weeks. Teachers are not special Ed teachers. They are not familiar with your child’s IEP. They have no incentive to read it.

Many school districts provide ESY funding which parents can use to fund actual learning to keep their kid from regressing over the summer. Since MCPS offers ESY, they don’t offer funding. There are great summer programs out there for kids that need help. Sadly a lot of them will only take school funding which of course we don’t get. I can’t even pay for the really good ESY programs because I am private pay and they don’t accept that type of funding.

What do they do or teach on ESY? Academic from prior school year or next school year, or therapies on needs? My child has IEP, and he was never approved for ESY. Well, I already signed him up for multiple summer camps in person, so it seems like he will miss out ESY even he is qualified this year.

ESY is usually intended so that regression does not happen. Summer school that was open to all students last year was very different than typical ESY for kids with IEPs. Often it is making sure that ADLs are not forgotten. Academics are usually secondary to the therapies. There is no teaching of next grade level material.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll never understand the parents who will pay for an attorney but not a tutor or therapy for their kid. It’s like they just want the satisfaction of “beating” MCPS and don’t really care about their kid’s needs.

The parents who pay for advocates and/or attorneys do pay for tutors and therapists. In the DMV, most clinicians are out of network. I’ve been at this for 10 yrs. MCPS is cheaper than private, but to the posters comment below—vacations are a thing of the past. I think it may be slightly easier in less affluent districts; in MCPS, they do nothing until forced. In terms of equity issues, students of color get funneled into juvenile justice. ADHD is a serious disability. Got the years you have a caring teacher, be grateful. It’s not the norm. This is all pre-Covid by the way.

Distance learning has only added another layer of inequality for students with ADHD in MCPS. Many children have regressed but very few will get services to make up a year’s worth of a lack of access to the curriculum. Does anyone in MCPS care? No. Teachers won’t speak up for children they know are struggling. School administrators play dumb and loose with the ADA and IDEA. It will take a lawyer to get what your child needs or placement into private school.

Gone are the days anyone in MCPS cares about actually educating children.

We had one teacher in ES who did speak up but it was meaningless as the special ed teacher and administrator wouldn't listen to us or the teacher (who were both on the same page). The stuff we were both asking to do was really simple and wouldn't cost MCPS anything but they refused (i.e. send unfinished school work home).

We had a teacher who told us off the record that she couldn’t say what she wanted to say on the teacher reports or at the IEP meeting. The principal had threatened her job and she needed a job. She suggested that we get a private evaluation. We did so (at the cost of about $5,000) and we had the data needed for an IEP.

Even after the IEP, we paid for private services. There were many recommendations in the private report that MCPS was unwilling to do. The private services helped her make huge progress in about a year, especially an intensive summer reading program that helped to get her to grade level. The teacher transferred to a different elementary school the following year.

The school system is greatly broken when it comes to educating children with disabilities. Central office promotes people like the principal who threatened my daughter’s teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do they do or teach on ESY? Academic from prior school year or next school year, or therapies on needs? My child has IEP, and he was never approved for ESY. Well, I already signed him up for multiple summer camps in person, so it seems like he will miss out ESY even he is qualified this year.

From what I've seen, ESY is more about keeping the kid familiar with school and its routines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do they do or teach on ESY? Academic from prior school year or next school year, or therapies on needs? My child has IEP, and he was never approved for ESY. Well, I already signed him up for multiple summer camps in person, so it seems like he will miss out ESY even he is qualified this year.

From what I've seen, ESY is more about keeping the kid familiar with school and its routines.

It depends on the child’s disability, if there wasn’t sufficient progress made during the year on IEP goals, and if progress will be lost during the summer months.

In my child’s case, there was a long delay in the Child Find process. ESY was agreed to as compensatory special education services because of mistakes made by the IEP team. The services over the summer was in a small setting (2 other children) and was very helpful so progress was made prior to the next school year.

ESY is not summer school but is special education services. The type of service depends on what your child needs and what the reason is for needing ESY. A student can register for both summer school (to work on curriculum skills) while receiving ESY (special education services).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any recommendations for someone who helps you figure our the resources available for my child? He has ADHD and is now is newly diagnosed as on the spectrum but high functioning and at grade level academically.

Thank you so much. I posted in special needs as well.

Do not do it. If you win the BOE will Sue you.

What? Can you cite an example of the Board of Ed suing a parent over services for a disabled child?

This person is just a troll. The BOE is sued so much I doubt they have time to do anything but defend themselves.

Be mentally prepared for the ordeal, since the process will most likely take a full year. MCPS seems to only provide services to parents who fight for it. I would recommend getting your child tested, and yes, I would get an attorney/advocate (not just an advocate). MCPS Principals and staff at certain schools will literally do everything in their power to delay and dissuade you from getting services. Ignore it all and get your child independently medically evaluated / diagnosed as soon as possible, but beware - there are some outfits that are outright dangerous. Seek a second opinion of any doctor trying to put your child on meds after the first few visits or right-away imply it's parenting issue, etc. Once a doctor like that sinks their hooks into your kid, you'll have a tougher time getting MCPS services. TTLC is a good outfit, judicious on meds, and they're honest with diagnoses - so would do testing / treatment there, if you can. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Kennedy Krieger has been a good resource for an evaluation and services. Some services now can be provided in Montgomery County and Columbia. It’s a long wait for an appointment but they have providers working in person with children now. They also have good referrals for service providers in Montgomery County if you need services that they can’t provide locally. They were a big help getting my child the help she needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll never understand the parents who will pay for an attorney but not a tutor or therapy for their kid. It’s like they just want the satisfaction of “beating” MCPS and don’t really care about their kid’s needs.

The parents who pay for advocates and/or attorneys do pay for tutors and therapists. In the DMV, most clinicians are out of network. I’ve been at this for 10 yrs. MCPS is cheaper than private, but to the posters comment below—vacations are a thing of the past. I think it may be slightly easier in less affluent districts; in MCPS, they do nothing until forced. In terms of equity issues, students of color get funneled into juvenile justice. ADHD is a serious disability. Got the years you have a caring teacher, be grateful. It’s not the norm. This is all pre-Covid by the way.

Distance learning has only added another layer of inequality for students with ADHD in MCPS. Many children have regressed but very few will get services to make up a year’s worth of a lack of access to the curriculum. Does anyone in MCPS care? No. Teachers won’t speak up for children they know are struggling. School administrators play dumb and loose with the ADA and IDEA. It will take a lawyer to get what your child needs or placement into private school.

Gone are the days anyone in MCPS cares about actually educating children.

We had one teacher in ES who did speak up but it was meaningless as the special ed teacher and administrator wouldn't listen to us or the teacher (who were both on the same page). The stuff we were both asking to do was really simple and wouldn't cost MCPS anything but they refused (i.e. send unfinished school work home).

We had a teacher who told us off the record that she couldn’t say what she wanted to say on the teacher reports or at the IEP meeting. The principal had threatened her job and she needed a job. She suggested that we get a private evaluation. We did so (at the cost of about $5,000) and we had the data needed for an IEP.

Even after the IEP, we paid for private services. There were many recommendations in the private report that MCPS was unwilling to do. The private services helped her make huge progress in about a year, especially an intensive summer reading program that helped to get her to grade level. The teacher transferred to a different elementary school the following year.

The school system is greatly broken when it comes to educating children with disabilities. Central office promotes people like the principal who threatened my daughter’s teacher.

I was so thrilled to hear our old ES principal retired. She was horrible and that's an understatement.

We spent a fortune on private services. No regrets. I wasn't going to wait for people who weren't willing to do their job to do it and meanwhile my child goes without what they need. But, on the flip side, I agree with the other posters that I gave them an easy out but ultimately it was about my child and making sure they were successful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any recommendations for someone who helps you figure our the resources available for my child? He has ADHD and is now is newly diagnosed as on the spectrum but high functioning and at grade level academically.

Thank you so much. I posted in special needs as well.

Do not do it. If you win the BOE will Sue you.

What? Can you cite an example of the Board of Ed suing a parent over services for a disabled child?

This person is just a troll. The BOE is sued so much I doubt they have time to do anything but defend themselves.

Be mentally prepared for the ordeal, since the process will most likely take a full year. MCPS seems to only provide services to parents who fight for it. I would recommend getting your child tested, and yes, I would get an attorney/advocate (not just an advocate). MCPS Principals and staff at certain schools will literally do everything in their power to delay and dissuade you from getting services. Ignore it all and get your child independently medically evaluated / diagnosed as soon as possible, but beware - there are some outfits that are outright dangerous. Seek a second opinion of any doctor trying to put your child on meds after the first few visits or right-away imply it's parenting issue, etc. Once a doctor like that sinks their hooks into your kid, you'll have a tougher time getting MCPS services. TTLC is a good outfit, judicious on meds, and they're honest with diagnoses - so would do testing / treatment there, if you can. Good luck!

BOE isn't suing parents. Listen to this poster. They are regularly sued by parents to get their child's needs met or to pay for private placements. One issue with private placements is even if a parent can pay or is willing to find a way to pay, some of the SN schools only take school funded placements so the only way to get into those schools is to sue MCPS. Its really sad.