Is there a list somewhere of all the private special needs schools where Fairfax pays the tution?

[Anonymous]

I can't find anything on their website. My child (5th grade) is in a special ed placement and it is not going well. We cannot afford a private advocate. I would really like to know our other options. The school just keeps calling meetings. We live in the south county/lorton area.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry it's not going well. I think there's not a list because it's a case by case basis.

If you had your choice, money and admissions aside, what school do you think would be the right fit for your child?

[Anonymous]

What is your child's disability and placement (self-contained classroom? In a center? Gen ed classroom with pull-out?)

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks. I'd rather not get into the details because I'm sure it would out me. The school year has been a disaster and last year was rough as well. He has (hyperactive type) ADHD and HFA with *severe* anxiety. He is smart and academically is not behind but his behavior and emotional issues--disaster.

I don't know what kind of school would be a good fit for him. He loves all the specials (art, music, PE).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry it's not going well. I think there's not a list because it's a case by case basis.

If you had your choice, money and admissions aside, what school do you think would be the right fit for your child?

NP-There has to be a list somewhere---right? There are only so many local, special needs schools. We could probably brainstorm a list right here.

Ivymount takes FCPS placements but would not work for her based on location.

[Anonymous]

Placement in a private school is the most restrictive environment. You would have to demonstrate that in the 11th largest school system, all types of services and classroom types have been exhausted before FCPS agrees to pay tens of thousands of dollars for tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks. I'd rather not get into the details because I'm sure it would out me. The school year has been a disaster and last year was rough as well. He has (hyperactive type) ADHD and HFA with *severe* anxiety. He is smart and academically is not behind but his behavior and emotional issues--disaster.

I don't know what kind of school would be a good fit for him. He loves all the specials (art, music, PE).

As your sons biggest advocate, you first need to figure out what he needs. You say he is in spec ed. Is this a LRE? Is the next step a self contained class? Is he already in a sp. Ed center school? Before you'll get funding for a private placement, you're going to need to have exhausted all the in county available resources before they will even entertain private placement.

[Anonymous]

OP-he spends most of the day in the self-contained class.

[Anonymous]

There is a school called Oak Valley in Fairfax takes private placements, I've seen FCPS buses there. I don't know anything about the school.

There is also Accotink and the Dominion School (I think this might be just high school).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Placement in a private school is the most restrictive environment. You would have to demonstrate that in the 11th largest school system, all types of services and classroom types have been exhausted before FCPS agrees to pay tens of thousands of dollars for tuition.

Some public placements end up being more restrictive than private placements. For instance, if a kid has too many behavior/social issues to be mainstreamed at all. He will basically be sitting in the special ed/resource room all day alone with the teacher or aide. The fact that FCPS does pay for private placements means some kids need them. Why all the secrecy over the options?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Placement in a private school is the most restrictive environment. You would have to demonstrate that in the 11th largest school system, all types of services and classroom types have been exhausted before FCPS agrees to pay tens of thousands of dollars for tuition.

Some public placements end up being more restrictive than private placements. For instance, if a kid has too many behavior/social issues to be mainstreamed at all. He will basically be sitting in the special ed/resource room all day alone with the teacher or aide. The fact that FCPS does pay for private placements means some kids need them. Why all the secrecy over the options?

It's not a secret. We all know private placement exist. We also know that they are extremely difficult to get so why offer an option that for most people won't happen. A private placement could be anywhere. MD, VA, DC--there are too many options to list. So it becomes a case of what is best for your child. And the flip side is that the private school has to accept the child. Just because the county says they will pay doesn't mean your child will be admitted.

Let's take Ivymount. Rumor has it that it costs between $60-80k per yr. That is actual money that has to come out of the budget. It's not a funny money line item transfer. It's real money being removed from bank account somewhere. FCPS isn't going to be quick to advertise this as an option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP-he spends most of the day in the self-contained class.

Is he already in an enhanced autism classroom?

[Anonymous]

Will Fairfax just agree to private placement? Honest question here. Where I come from, in order to get the school system to pay for private placement, you had to enroll your child in the private school and then sue the school district. If your child's needs were severe enough, the private school would agree to defer tuition payments while your lawsuit was pending under the assumption that the district would eventually settle and they would get paid retroactively. With hiring an attorney and paying filing fees, it was still an expensive process.

[Anonymous]

The issue isn't so much what are the special ed schools but which ones will accept a student whose fees are paid by FCPS. We looked into it - going so far as to having the FCPS staff responsible for private placement come to our IEP meeting. Our advocate said it was a long shot but worth an attempt. Our advocate had several school she recommended for our DS but indicated the schools wouldn't accept DS through the FCPS program because of issues with certifications and fee payments. It was a hassle for the school and they had sufficient enrollment they didn't 'need' FCPS.

I don't mean to be discouraging but that particular IEP meeting was one of the worst we've had (and we've had a lot). What I came away with was that FCPS believes they can meet the needs of all but those with severe ED. They refused to accept my DS's needs were not being met and he needed far more support than they were providing or offering. I know you said you can't afford an advocate but unless your DC has a severe, severe issues, I wouldn't hold much hope for getting FCPS to do a private placement. You also might think about what you could do to afford an advocate. (Sorry, I know this sounds really negative).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP-he spends most of the day in the self-contained class.

Is he already in an enhanced autism classroom?

OP-he was in an enhanced autism class in K-1 but it wasn't a good placement for him, so we switched to the current placement which is also not a good fit.