Proposed Ivymount Program for Students w/Autism at historic Stevens School on hold w/ DC Council

[Anonymous]

Ivymount School, a well-respected program of over 50 years, is renowned for its adaped, individualized and intensive educational and therapeutic programs for students who are challenged with learning disabilities, speech and language impairments and autism. Ivymount was selected to be the educational partner for the historic Stevens School in Northwest DC in August of 2012. The proposed plan was not just to open a second campus in DC, but meant to be a "lab" or demonstration model program, serving a maximum of 50 students, with a focus on teacher training available to DCPS and public charter schools. The idea is to make it a training/education center/program where teachers, educators, and families to be immersed in the evidence based curriculum's Ivymount has and to build capacity in DC for effective autism education. Ivymount has a commitment for a partnership with DCPS and strong interest from several public charter schools. This project has the possibility of being a national model effective education training for students with Autism, and for building capacity for DC's special education through this partnership with Ivymount's expertise and evidence-based model programs

Despite being selected as the educational partner for the Stevens School project over two years ago, Ivymount’s goal of expanding its educational services and creating a teacher training center at that site has been delayed numerous times.

Unfortunately, the project and Ivymount's ability to bring its programs into DC remains on hold until it gets through the DC Council Committee on Economic Development. It has been stuck in this committee for 6 months, with Councilmember Bowser not bringing it up for a markup and then full Council vote. The last chance for it to be marked up and then brought for a vote is on TUES, Nov 25; otherwise the resolution will expire in December, and the entire project will be dropped.

I'm a DC parent and have a child at Ivymount, and I can attest to the true lack of quality, consistent, and effective programs for students with Autism in DCPS and charters, and I absolutely know how Ivymount's programs work and can change the lives of students with Autism. I have seen this with my child.

If you are a DC parent and want this kind of effective and productive autism education -- please take time to email DC Council members before Monday afternoon (24th) and show your support for Ivymount by asking for the Stevens School project voted on in committee on Tuesday – it would help a lot!

The DC committee on economic development member emails are:
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Is this related to/the same as the Ivymount MAP program in Francis Stevens that I thought started this year?

[Anonymous]

Yes - the class at Francis-Stevens is a ramp-up to the hopeful opening of Stevens School after it is renovated. DCPS is very committed because of the long-term capacity building for autism education, but if the Stevens School resolution does not through, not sure if F-S will continue. There seems to be no reason why the Econ Dev Cmte is not bringing it up for a vote, so we need parents to call for action.

[Anonymous]

Do you have any links on this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have any links on this?

Not OP but they don't have a website yet. I was told this by Monica Adler Warner, the head of MAP.

[Anonymous]

As a DC resident and taxpayer, I hope that this prime property is not given over to a non-tax paying, specialty entity that serves a whopping 50 people a year. One, it is worth noting, has a super well-oiled marketing and lobbying arm when compared to other groups representing persons with special needs/disabilities.

Thanks for the heads up. I will contact my council member and urge her to oppose this and instead offer the space to either a tax generating entity or a nonprofit that serves significantly more individuals who need help. Lower income lung cancer patients, for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a DC resident and taxpayer, I hope that this prime property is not given over to a non-tax paying, specialty entity that serves a whopping 50 people a year. One, it is worth noting, has a super well-oiled marketing and lobbying arm when compared to other groups representing persons with special needs/disabilities.

Thanks for the heads up. I will contact my council member and urge her to oppose this and instead offer the space to either a tax generating entity or a nonprofit that serves significantly more individuals who need help. Lower income lung cancer patients, for example.

DCPS wants this b/c then they won't have to spend 50-80K a year+ per student just in tuition to send them to Ivymount. DC taxpayers will get to pay one way or another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a DC resident and taxpayer, I hope that this prime property is not given over to a non-tax paying, specialty entity that serves a whopping 50 people a year. One, it is worth noting, has a super well-oiled marketing and lobbying arm when compared to other groups representing persons with special needs/disabilities.

Thanks for the heads up. I will contact my council member and urge her to oppose this and instead offer the space to either a tax generating entity or a nonprofit that serves significantly more individuals who need help. Lower income lung cancer patients, for example.

Really - here is a chance for a solid special education program to serve students with Autism - something the city fails at in DCPS and Charters. This is not a traditional school with 50 kids, it is a demonstration model program - to TRAIN educators and therapists - it is a model program. Please support the thousands of DC families with kids with Autism to have effective programs in DC by supporting this - don't just complain about taxes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a DC resident and taxpayer, I hope that this prime property is not given over to a non-tax paying, specialty entity that serves a whopping 50 people a year. One, it is worth noting, has a super well-oiled marketing and lobbying arm when compared to other groups representing persons with special needs/disabilities.

Thanks for the heads up. I will contact my council member and urge her to oppose this and instead offer the space to either a tax generating entity or a nonprofit that serves significantly more individuals who need help. Lower income lung cancer patients, for example.

By the way - the entire neighborhood of Foggy Bottom and the ANCs have voted to support this project. Stevens will be able to continue as a school and be serving a very needy population!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a DC resident and taxpayer, I hope that this prime property is not given over to a non-tax paying, specialty entity that serves a whopping 50 people a year. One, it is worth noting, has a super well-oiled marketing and lobbying arm when compared to other groups representing persons with special needs/disabilities.

Thanks for the heads up. I will contact my council member and urge her to oppose this and instead offer the space to either a tax generating entity or a nonprofit that serves significantly more individuals who need help. Lower income lung cancer patients, for example.

Who are you? This is the special needs forum and for your information, DC has thousands of children diagnosed with autism. As a parent of a profoundly ASD child, of course I am in favor of this type of initiative. I think it is far better than the scatter shot private placements involving due process that themselves are costly and if families prevail, cost another $55-80K per year. You seem like kind of a tool frankly.

[Anonymous]

I vaguely heard that there might be a regular public school AND a special-needs school at Stevens? Might have heard incorrectly. Of course, Stevens is a school and should continue as one--how wonderful to finally provided autistic kids with services they need. Hearst serves these children, too, but can accommodate only a handful.
Why won't Bowser bring it up??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a DC resident and taxpayer, I hope that this prime property is not given over to a non-tax paying, specialty entity that serves a whopping 50 people a year. One, it is worth noting, has a super well-oiled marketing and lobbying arm when compared to other groups representing persons with special needs/disabilities.

Thanks for the heads up. I will contact my council member and urge her to oppose this and instead offer the space to either a tax generating entity or a nonprofit that serves significantly more individuals who need help. Lower income lung cancer patients, for example.

Read much?

It will also be a teacher training facility to disperse knowledge to DCPS faculty.
By extension, it will serve MORE THAN a whopping 50 autistic kids a year.
(And yes, despite that well-oiled marketing machine, there still appears to be more and more kids out there who are autistic--imagine that)


My other thoughts about you?
I will simply keep them to myself.

[Anonymous]

OP here: here is an article from today's Post that seems to show that there is some battle going on between DC Council and new mayor Bowser and Akridge on the Soccer Stadium deal and dragging the Stevens School project and the potential of having Ivymount's effective programs for students with Autism (IN DC helping DC families!) in the middle:

http://wapo.st/1C7ukhG

What a shame that DC looks to derail a 2-year project to create a truly effective special education program and capacity building-teaching training model as part of a battle over a soccer stadium deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: here is an article from today's Post that seems to show that there is some battle going on between DC Council and new mayor Bowser and Akridge on the Soccer Stadium deal and dragging the Stevens School project and the potential of having Ivymount's effective programs for students with Autism (IN DC helping DC families!) in the middle:

http://wapo.st/1C7ukhG

What a shame that DC looks to derail a 2-year project to create a truly effective special education program and capacity building-teaching training model as part of a battle over a soccer stadium deal.

Ugh - it really does look like this project is being held hostage over a Soccer stadium deal - why does DC do this over and over? They get opportunities to have really world-class programs in education (in this case an area of huge need - Autism education) and drag their feet or mess around and it goes away. I have a daughter with autism in a Charter school and while they try hard, it would be so awesome to have ivymount in DC! My understanding was that part of the plan would be to have family support/training as well there...

http://wapo.st/1vLA1OM

[Anonymous]

I guess it got passed! Looks like Ivymount is coming to DC at Stevens; great news!

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2014/12/d-c-council-approves-stevens-school-deal.html?s=print