Clustering of special Ed kids in gen Ed

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Teacher or not, you are just looking for a reason to fight. You now have a problem with “that classroom”? It is your own imagination that there is a hidden meaning behind those words that are used in day to day conversation. You cannot have it both ways, either SPED is socially acceptable or not. If not I have no intention of using it . You can still provide reasonable explanation for people to stop using the word “SPED” and I would love to hear that. But nitpicking into what I am saying to try to find issues where there is none is just trolling and taking attention of a serious problem that seems to be present in many FCPS schools.


Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

"That classroom"

I oromise you that I am a very experienced teacher who knows what they are talking about.

You cannot have it both ways. Either “SPED” is ok to use or not. I encourage you to provide reasoning why the term should be abandoned, we are all better for being more attuned to offensive language. Other than that, nitpicking into what I am saying and trying to find issues where there is none is trolling. Just stop, you are taking attention of a serious problem that affects many students.

It seems to me that you feel uncomfortable, but I promise you that the way you are using the term is offensive. "I'm so upset my kid got put into the class with all the whites" "I can't believe my kid is in the black class" "I can't believe my kid is in the Jewish class"

You can see how all of these phrasings are offensive, while you can still use the term white, black, or Jewish.

The fact that two other posters beat me to this point and articulated it better than I did above should tell you something

Except, that’s not what I said. Re-read the post and try to improve your comprehension skills. You cannot silence parents for voicing discontent *after* negative experience. Comparing being with kids of different race with being in an environment with poorly managed severe behavioral issues says something about you, not me.

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Teacher or not, you are just looking for a reason to fight. You now have a problem with “that classroom”? It is your own imagination that there is a hidden meaning behind those words that are used in day to day conversation. You cannot have it both ways, either SPED is socially acceptable or not. If not I have no intention of using it . You can still provide reasonable explanation for people to stop using the word “SPED” and I would love to hear that. But nitpicking into what I am saying to try to find issues where there is none is just trolling and taking attention of a serious problem that seems to be present in many FCPS schools.


Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

"That classroom"

I oromise you that I am a very experienced teacher who knows what they are talking about.

You cannot have it both ways. Either “SPED” is ok to use or not. I encourage you to provide reasoning why the term should be abandoned, we are all better for being more attuned to offensive language. Other than that, nitpicking into what I am saying and trying to find issues where there is none is trolling. Just stop, you are taking attention of a serious problem that affects many students.

It seems to me that you feel uncomfortable, but I promise you that the way you are using the term is offensive. "I'm so upset my kid got put into the class with all the whites" "I can't believe my kid is in the black class" "I can't believe my kid is in the Jewish class"

You can see how all of these phrasings are offensive, while you can still use the term white, black, or Jewish.

The fact that two other posters beat me to this point and articulated it better than I did above should tell you something

Except, that’s not what I said. Re-read the post and try to improve your comprehension skills. You cannot silence parents for voicing discontent *after* negative experience. Comparing being with kids of different race with being in an environment with poorly managed severe behavioral issues says something about you, not me.

You had a negative experience after your child was in a class with multiple students had IEPs. That's unfortunate. Trying to avoid being in the "SPED" class shows a lack of empathy and understanding, and using terminology like that also typically trickles down to your own children.

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Teacher or not, you are just looking for a reason to fight. You now have a problem with “that classroom”? It is your own imagination that there is a hidden meaning behind those words that are used in day to day conversation. You cannot have it both ways, either SPED is socially acceptable or not. If not I have no intention of using it . You can still provide reasonable explanation for people to stop using the word “SPED” and I would love to hear that. But nitpicking into what I am saying to try to find issues where there is none is just trolling and taking attention of a serious problem that seems to be present in many FCPS schools.


Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

"That classroom"

I oromise you that I am a very experienced teacher who knows what they are talking about.

You cannot have it both ways. Either “SPED” is ok to use or not. I encourage you to provide reasoning why the term should be abandoned, we are all better for being more attuned to offensive language. Other than that, nitpicking into what I am saying and trying to find issues where there is none is trolling. Just stop, you are taking attention of a serious problem that affects many students.

It seems to me that you feel uncomfortable, but I promise you that the way you are using the term is offensive. "I'm so upset my kid got put into the class with all the whites" "I can't believe my kid is in the black class" "I can't believe my kid is in the Jewish class"

You can see how all of these phrasings are offensive, while you can still use the term white, black, or Jewish.

The fact that two other posters beat me to this point and articulated it better than I did above should tell you something

Except, that’s not what I said. Re-read the post and try to improve your comprehension skills. You cannot silence parents for voicing discontent *after* negative experience. Comparing being with kids of different race with being in an environment with poorly managed severe behavioral issues says something about you, not me.

You had a negative experience after your child was in a class with multiple students had IEPs. That's unfortunate. Trying to avoid being in the "SPED" class shows a lack of empathy and understanding, and using terminology like that also typically trickles down to your own children.

Again, not what I said. My exact words were “ At this school, and under the same circumstances”. Again, read carefully before posting.

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Teacher or not, you are just looking for a reason to fight. You now have a problem with “that classroom”? It is your own imagination that there is a hidden meaning behind those words that are used in day to day conversation. You cannot have it both ways, either SPED is socially acceptable or not. If not I have no intention of using it . You can still provide reasonable explanation for people to stop using the word “SPED” and I would love to hear that. But nitpicking into what I am saying to try to find issues where there is none is just trolling and taking attention of a serious problem that seems to be present in many FCPS schools.


Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

"That classroom"

I oromise you that I am a very experienced teacher who knows what they are talking about.

You cannot have it both ways. Either “SPED” is ok to use or not. I encourage you to provide reasoning why the term should be abandoned, we are all better for being more attuned to offensive language. Other than that, nitpicking into what I am saying and trying to find issues where there is none is trolling. Just stop, you are taking attention of a serious problem that affects many students.

It seems to me that you feel uncomfortable, but I promise you that the way you are using the term is offensive. "I'm so upset my kid got put into the class with all the whites" "I can't believe my kid is in the black class" "I can't believe my kid is in the Jewish class"

You can see how all of these phrasings are offensive, while you can still use the term white, black, or Jewish.

The fact that two other posters beat me to this point and articulated it better than I did above should tell you something

Except, that’s not what I said. Re-read the post and try to improve your comprehension skills. You cannot silence parents for voicing discontent *after* negative experience. Comparing being with kids of different race with being in an environment with poorly managed severe behavioral issues says something about you, not me.

You had a negative experience after your child was in a class with multiple students had IEPs. That's unfortunate. Trying to avoid being in the "SPED" class shows a lack of empathy and understanding, and using terminology like that also typically trickles down to your own children.

Again, not what I said. My exact words were “ At this school, and under the same circumstances”. Again, read carefully before posting.

If the post below is not you, I apologize as its hard in anonymous forum. But I am assuming this is you since you responded to my issue with calling it the sped class and classroom, as you clearly did here

"I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class[b] only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom[u] and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess."

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Teacher or not, you are just looking for a reason to fight. You now have a problem with “that classroom”? It is your own imagination that there is a hidden meaning behind those words that are used in day to day conversation. You cannot have it both ways, either SPED is socially acceptable or not. If not I have no intention of using it . You can still provide reasonable explanation for people to stop using the word “SPED” and I would love to hear that. But nitpicking into what I am saying to try to find issues where there is none is just trolling and taking attention of a serious problem that seems to be present in many FCPS schools.


Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

"That classroom"

I oromise you that I am a very experienced teacher who knows what they are talking about.

You cannot have it both ways. Either “SPED” is ok to use or not. I encourage you to provide reasoning why the term should be abandoned, we are all better for being more attuned to offensive language. Other than that, nitpicking into what I am saying and trying to find issues where there is none is trolling. Just stop, you are taking attention of a serious problem that affects many students.

It seems to me that you feel uncomfortable, but I promise you that the way you are using the term is offensive. "I'm so upset my kid got put into the class with all the whites" "I can't believe my kid is in the black class" "I can't believe my kid is in the Jewish class"

You can see how all of these phrasings are offensive, while you can still use the term white, black, or Jewish.

The fact that two other posters beat me to this point and articulated it better than I did above should tell you something

Except, that’s not what I said. Re-read the post and try to improve your comprehension skills. You cannot silence parents for voicing discontent *after* negative experience. Comparing being with kids of different race with being in an environment with poorly managed severe behavioral issues says something about you, not me.

You had a negative experience after your child was in a class with multiple students had IEPs. That's unfortunate. Trying to avoid being in the "SPED" class shows a lack of empathy and understanding, and using terminology like that also typically trickles down to your own children.

Again, not what I said. My exact words were “ At this school, and under the same circumstances”. Again, read carefully before posting.

If the post below is not you, I apologize as its hard in anonymous forum. But I am assuming this is you since you responded to my issue with calling it the sped class and classroom, as you clearly did here

"I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class[b] only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom[u] and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess."

Highlighting parts of sentences and out of context just to support your narrative just proves my point that you are a troll. To summarize for you: No one is upset about having students with special needs in any classroom. Teachers and school administrators who try to ignore extreme disruption in learning environment need to learn from schools that have been successful at this. And stop hiding their own inaction behind “it is what it is and there is nothing they can do”. Parents will support them if they ask for help. I hope you got the message now.

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. How do you know which teachers have the inclusion classes so you can request that your kid be placed with a different teacher from the start of the year?

You can easily tell by who’s in the class. A lot of low kids and behavioral issues.

You can also tell by if there's a SPED teacher in the classroom for a lot of the school day (and at back-to-school nights, open houses, etc.).

I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess.

Teacher or not, you are just looking for a reason to fight. You now have a problem with “that classroom”? It is your own imagination that there is a hidden meaning behind those words that are used in day to day conversation. You cannot have it both ways, either SPED is socially acceptable or not. If not I have no intention of using it . You can still provide reasonable explanation for people to stop using the word “SPED” and I would love to hear that. But nitpicking into what I am saying to try to find issues where there is none is just trolling and taking attention of a serious problem that seems to be present in many FCPS schools.


Big gross to calling it the "SPED class". Sometimes this forum really shows people for who they really are, and it's ugly. I don't know who you are, but I hope you take some time to reflect on why you feel the need to say things like this.

And what is it called? Is SPED not official acronym? Please do explain since I do not understand why SPED term is offensive.

The person making the analogy to the short bus probably had the best answer. It's a classroom that has students with varied needs, including students that have IEPs. I don't think I need a woke medal, but the connotation people use on this thread when they call something the SPED class or complain about being around SPED kids ignorant and offensive.

I have never heard of SPED as derogatory. Many who work in special education use that term.

I (the PP) don't find the term SPED derogatory in a vacuum. People here are using it as a negative connotation, which is the issue.

Ok, now you have to be kidding me! First, you claim SPED is derogatory term on its own, then when you are refuted by a classroom you walk back and claim “negative connotation”. There was absolutely nothing derogatory in my post. For a moment there, I actually believed you that SPED may be inappropriate term to use in general and I wanted to find out what I should call classrooms where all special Ed students are grouped together and only few gened kids are added randomly. Unless teachers and school admins say otherwise, I think you don’t know what you are talking about and you just attacked my post for no reason! I actually stated that initially I had no problem with my child being in that classroom until I realized there was a number of big issues, and again, due to mismanagement not due to students having the needs they have.

"That classroom"

I oromise you that I am a very experienced teacher who knows what they are talking about.

You cannot have it both ways. Either “SPED” is ok to use or not. I encourage you to provide reasoning why the term should be abandoned, we are all better for being more attuned to offensive language. Other than that, nitpicking into what I am saying and trying to find issues where there is none is trolling. Just stop, you are taking attention of a serious problem that affects many students.

It seems to me that you feel uncomfortable, but I promise you that the way you are using the term is offensive. "I'm so upset my kid got put into the class with all the whites" "I can't believe my kid is in the black class" "I can't believe my kid is in the Jewish class"

You can see how all of these phrasings are offensive, while you can still use the term white, black, or Jewish.

The fact that two other posters beat me to this point and articulated it better than I did above should tell you something

Except, that’s not what I said. Re-read the post and try to improve your comprehension skills. You cannot silence parents for voicing discontent *after* negative experience. Comparing being with kids of different race with being in an environment with poorly managed severe behavioral issues says something about you, not me.

You had a negative experience after your child was in a class with multiple students had IEPs. That's unfortunate. Trying to avoid being in the "SPED" class shows a lack of empathy and understanding, and using terminology like that also typically trickles down to your own children.

Again, not what I said. My exact words were “ At this school, and under the same circumstances”. Again, read carefully before posting.

If the post below is not you, I apologize as its hard in anonymous forum. But I am assuming this is you since you responded to my issue with calling it the sped class and classroom, as you clearly did here

"I realized that my kid was assigned to the SPED class[b] only after the back-to-school night. This was three weeks after the school year started and too late to request classroom change. I also thought that the assignment might not differ much from other classrooms (I really have no issues whatsoever with integration of SPED students), but the school year was a complete disaster compared to everything we experienced before. Whether it was overwhelmed or untrained teacher or a really difficult combination of students, the drama was never ending. At this school, and under the same circumstances, I would strongly recommend avoiding gened assignments to the SPED classroom[u] and complete overhaul of the management of the SPED program. There has to be a reason why some schools are capable of providing thriving integration of SPED and gened students, while others end up with a big mess."

Highlighting parts of sentences and out of context just to support your narrative just proves my point that you are a troll. To summarize for you: No one is upset about having students with special needs in any classroom. Teachers and school administrators who try to ignore extreme disruption in learning environment need to learn from schools that have been successful at this. And stop hiding their own inaction behind “it is what it is and there is nothing they can do”. Parents will support them if they ask for help. I hope you got the message now.

I don't have a narrative other than I take issue with you referring to the "Sped class" and "Sped classroom" in derogatory manners. I also don't think you know what trolling is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Special Ed covers a huge range of needs. I think what people are objecting to are the kids that have outward behavior issues. I don’t think people object to the child who quietly is reading 2 levels below grade level and either has push in or pull out support. Maybe I’m wrong.

Yep. They are likely complaining about the kids with ADHD, hyperactive subtype, Autism on the low functioning end of the spectrum or Emotional disability with externalizing behaviors. The other Sped kids don’t cause disruptions to the classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special Ed covers a huge range of needs. I think what people are objecting to are the kids that have outward behavior issues. I don’t think people object to the child who quietly is reading 2 levels below grade level and either has push in or pull out support. Maybe I’m wrong.

Yep. They are likely complaining about the kids with ADHD, hyperactive subtype, Autism on the low functioning end of the spectrum or Emotional disability with externalizing behaviors. The other Sped kids don’t cause disruptions to the classroom.

Yes I think we are talking about ED. But even that can take a long time to figure out. It can take a whole school year to get a kid qualified for a center. They usually stay in a self contained class and join gen Ed for specials, lunch, etc. but that can still be challenging with extreme behaviors and eloping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special Ed covers a huge range of needs. I think what people are objecting to are the kids that have outward behavior issues. I don’t think people object to the child who quietly is reading 2 levels below grade level and either has push in or pull out support. Maybe I’m wrong.

Yep. They are likely complaining about the kids with ADHD, hyperactive subtype, Autism on the low functioning end of the spectrum or Emotional disability with externalizing behaviors. The other Sped kids don’t cause disruptions to the classroom.

So sad that these striver parents want to ostracize and isolate these kids from their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special Ed covers a huge range of needs. I think what people are objecting to are the kids that have outward behavior issues. I don’t think people object to the child who quietly is reading 2 levels below grade level and either has push in or pull out support. Maybe I’m wrong.

Yep. They are likely complaining about the kids with ADHD, hyperactive subtype, Autism on the low functioning end of the spectrum or Emotional disability with externalizing behaviors. The other Sped kids don’t cause disruptions to the classroom.

So sad that these striver parents want to ostracize and isolate these kids from their own.

That doesn’t seem sad to me - it seems smart. These kids consume most of the teacher’s attention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special Ed covers a huge range of needs. I think what people are objecting to are the kids that have outward behavior issues. I don’t think people object to the child who quietly is reading 2 levels below grade level and either has push in or pull out support. Maybe I’m wrong.

Yep. They are likely complaining about the kids with ADHD, hyperactive subtype, Autism on the low functioning end of the spectrum or Emotional disability with externalizing behaviors. The other Sped kids don’t cause disruptions to the classroom.

So sad that these striver parents want to ostracize and isolate these kids from their own.

As the parent of a child in a non public placement due to his behaviors, I can understand why these parents don't want their children subjected to my kids meltdown. My kid is turning the corner in his placement and is now complaining about his peers in his class who are disruptive.

The end game is that every child deserves an appropriate education in a safe environment. If learning is continually disrupted then it's not really learning and there is a lot of time wasting. Every time I have to put down a book, it takes me a few minutes to settle into it the next time and figure out where I am in the story. If I didn't get interrupted, it would be a much nicer experience.

I know I'm fortunate to be in our placement. When there are small classes to begin with and then increased staffing within those small classes, it does become easier to differentiate learning and manage behaviors. More eyes, more hands. I just wish that the school districts didn't take so long to get to the those placements. Now that my kid is not in general ed he has better self esteem. He's no longer the only. He really is with his peers and now has friends. Socially its great to go to a bday party and know that no parent is doing drop off. We're all staying which would be awkward if he went to a gen ed party where every other kid didn't have their parent there. No kid wants to be ostracized which is what eventually happens in gen ed. A teacher can force another student to sit next to another student but they can't make them be friends.