Churchill Getting a New Principal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who doesn’t have a 504 plan at Churchill?

It’s actually hard a Churchill to get a 504 plan or IEP. For our family, we were told my child did not have a disability because my child had passing grades. A private evaluation gathered the data that proved otherwise.
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You are cleary new to/don't understand the long/laborious/bureaucratic process. First meeting is for an IEP. If your child is "on grade level," the meeting is over pretty quickly, and feels like a waste of time, but it is part of the process. Next meeting is for 504, which you will probably get approved based on your post. Just push for it to happen sooner.

And before it happens, talk to other parents with 504s, or an advocate, so you can learn about how the system/process works.

-parent with a child with a 504 who went through the same thing and found it frustrating

On grade level should have no real bearing on an IEP.

+1 There’s all type of falsehoods told to parents at 504 and IEP meetings at Churchill. Churchill wants to exclude students from supports and services instead of meeting the needs of students.

Before the initial 504 or IEP meeting, get a private evaluation so you have data for the diagnosis and the supports your child needs. Start private supports because even with data, Churchill will drag out the process and probably deny support.

For an IEP - it’s a really long road to actually writing the IEP. First meeting is a screening meeting. Do they suspect a disability. That is where the team will argue that your child is passing and therefore does not qualify. This is a total violation of the IDEA, so ask the team to write their response in the “Prior Written Notice”. You present your private evaluation with data that shows the educational impact of the disability. If they don’t go forward to next meeting, file a State Complaint with the team’s Prior Written Notice and your private evaluation.

If the team decides to go forward, the next meeting is when the team reviews any tests that they did and your private evaluation. Carefully consider what they want to test for. If you have a private evaluation, there is nothing that they need to test your child for and they will skew the results to their objective - contradict the private evaluation and exclude your child from services. My advice, do not ever consent for Churchill to evaluate your child. If they say they need more data, ask them to put in the Prior Written Notice your request for a Private Evaluation at Public Expense with your explanation that you believe your private evaluation is comprehensive and enough.

Then comes writing the IEP at Churchill. This is not done at the meeting. Even though you may receive a copy before the IEP meeting, anything you want changed will probably not be included. There’s a specific part on the IEP for parental input which ours was left empty. Read through the IEP entirely before you sign it. You probably will find errors so ask in writing for a new IEP meeting to fix the mistakes. It’s better for your child to get the errors fixed vs. signing a bad IEP.

Be prepared to continue private services and track whether or not Churchill provides the services on the IEP. Keep a calendar at home. If missed services become excessive, ask in writing for another IEP meeting to ask why the services are not being provided. Ask for compensatory services to make up for the services. File a State Complaint if Churchill doesn’t provide compensatory services.

Special education absolutely sucks at Churchill. By my post, you see the process is designed to be adversarial and if you work, you constantly have to take off time for school meetings. The focus is not the needs of the child, so if you can afford it, your child might do better at a private school where supports are easier to get and pay for private services.

This isn’t just a Churchill issue. You shouldn’t need mega money and an in-depth knowledge of your rights under IDEA to get services. I’m a school counselor at another MCPS school who has fought for student’s rights when they lacked both of the above, and I usually get nowhere. Meanwhile, students who can afford private evaluations walk away with at least a 504 Plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who doesn’t have a 504 plan at Churchill?

It’s actually hard a Churchill to get a 504 plan or IEP. For our family, we were told my child did not have a disability because my child had passing grades. A private evaluation gathered the data that proved otherwise.
.

You are cleary new to/don't understand the long/laborious/bureaucratic process. First meeting is for an IEP. If your child is "on grade level," the meeting is over pretty quickly, and feels like a waste of time, but it is part of the process. Next meeting is for 504, which you will probably get approved based on your post. Just push for it to happen sooner.

And before it happens, talk to other parents with 504s, or an advocate, so you can learn about how the system/process works.

-parent with a child with a 504 who went through the same thing and found it frustrating

On grade level should have no real bearing on an IEP.

+1 There’s all type of falsehoods told to parents at 504 and IEP meetings at Churchill. Churchill wants to exclude students from supports and services instead of meeting the needs of students.

Before the initial 504 or IEP meeting, get a private evaluation so you have data for the diagnosis and the supports your child needs. Start private supports because even with data, Churchill will drag out the process and probably deny support.

For an IEP - it’s a really long road to actually writing the IEP. First meeting is a screening meeting. Do they suspect a disability. That is where the team will argue that your child is passing and therefore does not qualify. This is a total violation of the IDEA, so ask the team to write their response in the “Prior Written Notice”. You present your private evaluation with data that shows the educational impact of the disability. If they don’t go forward to next meeting, file a State Complaint with the team’s Prior Written Notice and your private evaluation.

If the team decides to go forward, the next meeting is when the team reviews any tests that they did and your private evaluation. Carefully consider what they want to test for. If you have a private evaluation, there is nothing that they need to test your child for and they will skew the results to their objective - contradict the private evaluation and exclude your child from services. My advice, do not ever consent for Churchill to evaluate your child. If they say they need more data, ask them to put in the Prior Written Notice your request for a Private Evaluation at Public Expense with your explanation that you believe your private evaluation is comprehensive and enough.

Then comes writing the IEP at Churchill. This is not done at the meeting. Even though you may receive a copy before the IEP meeting, anything you want changed will probably not be included. There’s a specific part on the IEP for parental input which ours was left empty. Read through the IEP entirely before you sign it. You probably will find errors so ask in writing for a new IEP meeting to fix the mistakes. It’s better for your child to get the errors fixed vs. signing a bad IEP.

Be prepared to continue private services and track whether or not Churchill provides the services on the IEP. Keep a calendar at home. If missed services become excessive, ask in writing for another IEP meeting to ask why the services are not being provided. Ask for compensatory services to make up for the services. File a State Complaint if Churchill doesn’t provide compensatory services.

Special education absolutely sucks at Churchill. By my post, you see the process is designed to be adversarial and if you work, you constantly have to take off time for school meetings. The focus is not the needs of the child, so if you can afford it, your child might do better at a private school where supports are easier to get and pay for private services.

This isn’t just a Churchill issue. You shouldn’t need mega money and an in-depth knowledge of your rights under IDEA to get services. I’m a school counselor at another MCPS school who has fought for student’s rights when they lacked both of the above, and I usually get nowhere. Meanwhile, students who can afford private evaluations walk away with at least a 504 Plan.

I’ve have been a parent with a child with disabilities for a while. Perhaps my perspective is only schools in the Churchill cluster but problems at Churchill is definitely worse than at the elementary and middle school levels. We used to actually see the IEP at the meeting. We went page by page and discussed the changes that a member wanted. When a change was made, everyone at the meeting saw it typed into the IEP. When the meeting concluded, the IEP was locked and printed along with the Prior Written Notice and we can sign the IEP right then and there. As parents, we weren’t 100% happy with the IEP as far as it’s ability to meet our child’s needs but it was a starting point that we heavily supplemented with private services.

Yes - unless you want your child to be misclassified or not identified at all, a private evaluation is money well spent. Same for private services. MCPS does little for most children with disabilities.

We have even been told at Churchill for Honors and AP classes that he shouldn’t take them because they don’t have staff in those classes to support him. My child took the classes and we hired support after school to make up for the services Churchill wouldn’t provide to give him access. He earned As and Bs and he is much better off than taking the pullout classes that wouldn’t have challenged him.

If Churchill would let me, I would have his private tutor meet with him at lunch twice a week as opposed to the dumping ground the Resource Class is. The tutor is actually teaching skills for my child to have independence where as Churchill wants to handicap him further by doing tasks for him instead of teaching him how to do things for himself.

It’s my belief that for a county that has a documented Achievement Gap issue, how MCPS ignores the needs of students with disabilities is a foundational problem that divides students on the financial ability and educational levels of their parents. My husband and I are highly educated people. We are not rich but we have good jobs with good insurance that pays for some of what my child needs. We value education to put thousands of dollars a year to help my child. For a county who is preaching CRT, how are problems that parents faced that limited their educational and job opportunities affecting their disabled child’s opportunities in MCPS. Has anyone in MCPS considered the link of discrimination against students with disabilities and the generational impact that has in the future?

MCPS has many issues with equity. How they violate the process and ignore the needs of students with disabilities is one of them. Churchill can be a case model for these problems. You notice how there’s never been a forum with families of students with disabilities at Churchill to discuss the problems we face and to improve student outcomes. I would hope that the new principal would consider the importance of doing so in August.

[Anonymous]

Students with IEPs are 10% of the population at Churchill. MCPS doesn’t release the number of students with 504. Students with disabilities outnumber the school population of black and Hispanic students. Students with disabilities are a sizable population of students that has serious problems with equal access to educational programs at Churchill. Retraining of staff and more funding is needed to improve equity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Heckert not going to Central Office, going to be an Asst Principal at another MCPS HS.

Hate to say I told you so but she has been a disaster.

Confirmed today on Twitter:

[Anonymous]

So Paint Branch? Interesting. I think that's a better choice than a virtual academy position, actually. More stable. I don't think she got the support she needed. It's too bad.

[Anonymous]

This is all on Moran. He’s in over his head. Hope the new Principal to be announced July 13 has a lot of HS Principal experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is all on Moran. He’s in over his head. Hope the new Principal to be announced July 13 has a lot of HS Principal experience.

FYI the board meeting is actually Thursday July 15th at noon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is all on Moran. He’s in over his head. Hope the new Principal to be announced July 13 has a lot of HS Principal experience.

+1 It was not a good move for MCPS to pair up a new principal the same year we received a new Director. I think Dr. Dyson (the person Dr. Moran reports to) was also new three years ago so there was little support throughout Central Office to help a new principal at Churchill over the last 3 years.

I am disappointed that there has not been an update from Central Office yet. I hope support for the new principal will be offered and Central Office will be open to gathering community input regarding problems at Churchill. Parents and students are important stakeholders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents and students are important stakeholders.

This is hysterical🤣

You may feel that way, but MCPS views parents and students as transient, and don't give a crap about what they think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is all on Moran. He’s in over his head. Hope the new Principal to be announced July 13 has a lot of HS Principal experience.

+1 It was not a good move for MCPS to pair up a new principal the same year we received a new Director. I think Dr. Dyson (the person Dr. Moran reports to) was also new three years ago so there was little support throughout Central Office to help a new principal at Churchill over the last 3 years.

I am disappointed that there has not been an update from Central Office yet. I hope support for the new principal will be offered and Central Office will be open to gathering community input regarding problems at Churchill. Parents and students are important stakeholders.

I'm not clear on what sort of update you're expecting--they aren't going to say anything until the board meeting when the appointment is made. Then typically the new principal would send an introductory message out to the community, saying they'll be setting up times over the summer or fall to get to meet them, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is all on Moran. He’s in over his head. Hope the new Principal to be announced July 13 has a lot of HS Principal experience.

+1 It was not a good move for MCPS to pair up a new principal the same year we received a new Director. I think Dr. Dyson (the person Dr. Moran reports to) was also new three years ago so there was little support throughout Central Office to help a new principal at Churchill over the last 3 years.

I am disappointed that there has not been an update from Central Office yet. I hope support for the new principal will be offered and Central Office will be open to gathering community input regarding problems at Churchill. Parents and students are important stakeholders.

I'm not clear on what sort of update you're expecting--they aren't going to say anything until the board meeting when the appointment is made. Then typically the new principal would send an introductory message out to the community, saying they'll be setting up times over the summer or fall to get to meet them, etc.

We last heard that the interviews would take place on June 18th. That didn’t happen.

Any type of acknowledgment that the interviews happened last week would be a start. It could just be a short paragraph with a general thank you to the Churchill staff and parents for their participation and input. That would seem like a professional nod to relaying some type of information while not disclosing who was chosen.

Other information that could be included in a community update- Something about summer programs in MCPS, a letter to the community from Dr. Howard in case parents have concerns, anything that makes it appear the school has leadership. If it’s this chaotic because of the principal vacancy, who is hiring new staff for the teacher vacancies?

It

[Anonymous]

The new principal will be walking into a sh$t show. Hopefully they found someone with ideas and experience. Not a good year for a newbie with everyone coming back after online learning. Half of the student body hasn’t even been in the building ever. A weird year for such a drastic transition.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know how MCAAP works, but with teachers there’s a timeline for PAR. You have to document and move them out within a specific window, or you lose the chance, or it at minimum becomes a much harder and longer process. This could have been going on for a long time, especially if Covid or a supervisor botched the documentation timeline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know how MCAAP works, but with teachers there’s a timeline for PAR. You have to document and move them out within a specific window, or you lose the chance, or it at minimum becomes a much harder and longer process. This could have been going on for a long time, especially if Covid or a supervisor botched the documentation timeline.

It doesn’t make sense. Three years in a job with half of that time being an unprecedented switch to online learning? Mistakes happen. There’s supposed to be a process of support and retraining.

My thought is perhaps she decided to take a step back. She was a mom with a young child trying to do elementary school online. The pandemic has caused many women to reconsider their priorities and perhaps an AP position is a better fit for her personal situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know how MCAAP works, but with teachers there’s a timeline for PAR. You have to document and move them out within a specific window, or you lose the chance, or it at minimum becomes a much harder and longer process. This could have been going on for a long time, especially if Covid or a supervisor botched the documentation timeline.

It doesn’t make sense. Three years in a job with half of that time being an unprecedented switch to online learning? Mistakes happen. There’s supposed to be a process of support and retraining.

My thought is perhaps she decided to take a step back. She was a mom with a young child trying to do elementary school online. The pandemic has caused many women to reconsider their priorities and perhaps an AP position is a better fit for her personal situation.

Then why not just say that? I don’t think this was the reason.