Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS

[Anonymous]

IB school isn't a fit, school agrees. IEP hasn't been implemented. We have consultant and lawyer. Child is disruptive and learning delay. Is there any chance of a private placement? My DH thinks we will be fine. Maybe I have been on here too long but I think our chances are slim to none but not sure what will happen. Will they try to move DC to another school? Not autistic so not sure what DCPS program would work. I don't want DC to suffer anymore and want to move to MCPS. That worries me too since I don't know their process. Just go private or hold out hope for a placement?

[Anonymous]

If your kid needs private and you can afford it, go private now.

[Anonymous]

Even if you go private, you will need to have your child assessed to confirm the learning disability. You did not indicate if you had had a formal assessment conducted but rather the IEP hasn't been implemented. Please know that if you pay for private placement, the average annual cost will be $35,000. Moving to MCPS may not be the solution either.

[Anonymous]

DOesn't your consultant have an idea of what schools would be a good fit? That is what you pay them for!

[Anonymous]

The consultant does have a good idea and feels we can get DCPS to do the private placement. We can't afford it ourselves. All testing has been done by DCPS. I know they are pushing kids out of private placements so I was wondering if anyone has had luck in getting one recently.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it's possible, but not easy. You have to get accepted into the private school you want first. Then ask for reimbursement. DCPS will only propose another DCPS. Did the lawyer and consultant not explain this part of the process? DCPS won't offer funding upfront.

Sorry your child is suffering. Must be hard for you and DH, too.

Hugs and good luck

[Anonymous]

To be honest, your chances are slim. They may offer compensatory services for the lack of IEP implementation, but a private placement is unlikely. More likely is a non-categorical classroom, meaning most restrictive environment.

I am curious, who is your consultant? I'm surprised they think you have a chance. All the cases I have heard about recently have gone to court, as DCPS is dead-set against giving private placements. How old is your child? The key to getting a private placement (which I'm sure your lawyer knows) is to prove that DCPS cannot service his IEP, and for that he will need a very strong IEP.

[Anonymous]

PP here, you consultant should also have told you to get external testing done alongside the DCPS testing!

[Anonymous]

I also want to echo that based on my experience, getting a private placement in DC is very very hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also want to echo that based on my experience, getting a private placement in DC is very very hard.

With a good consultant it isn't hard, especially if the school is supporting you. Is it safe to assume that their admission they can't/aren't implementing the IEP means they don't intend to fight an alternate placement?

MCPS is better than DCPS for special needs. However, it's easier (and less expensive) to get a private placement from DC than it is from MD.

[Anonymous]

PP. is this from recent experience? My understanding is that even with teh school supporting and a good consultant, the central office is under a lot of pressure to reduce private placements and come up with alternatives in the system -- even if the local school is supporting a private placement.

[Anonymous]

Even if the IB school supports a move to another school, they cannot suggest alternate placement, that's not up to them. DCPS can still suggest another school with a different, possibly more restrictive setting. Anyone I have known to fight for private placement the past 2 years has not won their case, and those were pretty strong cases. Unless the evaluations done by DCPS show that there is no appropriate placement within a DCPS school, which they will likely not, there is no easy way (cheap) to get DCPS to agree to funding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP. is this from recent experience? My understanding is that even with teh school supporting and a good consultant, the central office is under a lot of pressure to reduce private placements and come up with alternatives in the system -- even if the local school is supporting a private placement.

Relatively recent, it is since OSSE started to push hard for placements within the system.

DCPS is aligned at the top with that directive, but not without individuals who are closer to the student and may know of better alternatives. OSSE's difficulty is that there is actually very little to offer within the public system. If you can establish that your child doesn't fall within the proscribed boxes they have programs for, then that is your path to a non-public placement. An advocate who does testing, or a testing report that is independent of DCPS is what you need. As long as DCPS is paying the bill for the expert, the expert can write a report which suggests DCPS can accommodate your child's needs. An outside, independent expert isn't constrained by those contracts/loyalties/etc.

[Anonymous]

pp -- so where did you end up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP. is this from recent experience? My understanding is that even with teh school supporting and a good consultant, the central office is under a lot of pressure to reduce private placements and come up with alternatives in the system -- even if the local school is supporting a private placement.

And, it's about time.