Best schools in MD for child with physical disability

[Anonymous]

Hi - I'm moving to the Maryland area. My 4-year old has Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy. I would really appreciate advice about the best schools in Maryland (Montgomery county)- public, private, charter, etc. that would meet his physical needs. Thank you!!

[Anonymous]

Our elementary school - Forest Knolls - has a physical disabilities program. I think it is one of two in the county with this program. It is a great school, generally, though people here get snooty about silver spring....

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/forestknollses/

[Anonymous]

Thank you! For me, Silver Spring sounds like a great place and am not sure why people would be snooty about it!

[Anonymous]

OP I think you might be best at a school that has Title 1 funding (more staff and para-educators). MCPS only follows IEPs when the local school has the resources to do it. Our school used to be very good at accommodating IEP but with staff cuts and staff resources being re-allocated to deal with Curriculum 2.0 training, those resources have dried up. Over the past 2 years, there have been more and more issues of IEPs not being met. MCPS is very aggressive in positioning not to fulfill IEP so parents who don't have a law degree have an uphill battle to get the accommodations.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the insights.

[Anonymous]

I'm hearing very conflicting things about MCPS for kids with physical disabilities. Some say its great; others like the post above say it's not. Thoughts welcome!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you! For me, Silver Spring sounds like a great place and am not sure why people would be snooty about it![/quote]

It's not Bethesda or Chevy Chase.

the horror, right?

[Anonymous]

Lynbrook elementary (which happens to be in Bethesda) is another school for physical disabilities. Lovely school and neighborhood (pricey though!)

[Anonymous]

Wouldn't you have a 504 for a physical disabillity, instead of or in addition to an IEP. I thought 504s had to be followed regardless of "resources."

[Anonymous]

Thank you everyone. I'm still overseas so don't yet have in-depth knowledge of all the lingo and processes. This is very helpful.

[Anonymous]

Legally, all public schools in the country are required to follow the 504 or IEP requirements. The reality is a very different story. If your home school has the capacity and resources to make the accommodations or provide special education services then they will. If they don't have the resources, which many do not, they will ignore it or only accommodate it partially. MCPS is a very large system. Some principals and special educators will bend over backward to do the most with what they can and meet the requirements. Other principals and special educators do not uphold the law either because staff is burnt out, some don't understand the law and take a perspective that a 504 or IEP is about just getting by, and others lack the organization to manage these.

At the next level up, the situation changes. MCPS has a very bad reputation in being hostile toward any appeals by special ed parents. If you have enough money to pay for your own lawyer or educational advocate and you are educated enough to know the law then you will be OK. If you have limited means then you will have a much harder time ensuring that your child's accommodations are met.

[Anonymous]

OP here - PP, would you say that DCPS or northern Virginia have better reputations for IEP? Just checking, since you seem to have good insights. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Legally, all public schools in the country are required to follow the 504 or IEP requirements. The reality is a very different story. If your home school has the capacity and resources to make the accommodations or provide special education services then they will. If they don't have the resources, which many do not, they will ignore it or only accommodate it partially. MCPS is a very large system. Some principals and special educators will bend over backward to do the most with what they can and meet the requirements. Other principals and special educators do not uphold the law either because staff is burnt out, some don't understand the law and take a perspective that a 504 or IEP is about just getting by, and others lack the organization to manage these.

At the next level up, the situation changes. MCPS has a very bad reputation in being hostile toward any appeals by special ed parents. If you have enough money to pay for your own lawyer or educational advocate and you are educated enough to know the law then you will be OK. If you have limited means then you will have a much harder time ensuring that your child's accommodations are met.

You are jumping into the appeal process for Special Ed parents when OP is asking for basic information about what schools are appropriate for her child. You have a lot of wonderful information to share but can you see how overwhelming this amount of information is?

OP, as a parent of a child with physical disabilities (child with cerebral palsy who is bright), I can say that MoCo does a very good job of accommodating the orthopedically handicapped. Schools and programs become trickier as the child gets older. But kindergarten and elementary schools have strong programs.

I would avoid DC. It has a terrible reputation.

Montgomery County and Northern Virginia are going to be equal.

[Anonymous]

PP - thanks for great info. Are there specific Elementary Schools you recommends, or parts of MoCo? Thanks

[Anonymous]

OP, I don't have first-hand experience with having a child with an orthopedic disability, but I do have kids at Forest Knolls and think it is an excellent school with good test scores and a strong PTA. 2 of my kids get special ed services there and we have found it very accommodating and supportive -- no one has tried to short us on what my kids need. The principal and asst principal are great and very involved, IMHO.

I am not sure what exactly your child's disability entails, but if he/she is in a wheelchair or walker, there would definitely be a peer group. Both my kids have children in wheelchairs and walkers in their classes. Those kids usually have aides to help them throughout the day but they are mainstreamed and participate in, for example, PE and other activities to the best of their particular ability.

Hope that helps.