What to do next? Elopement and aggression with first grader

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you so much everyone. I don’t know if they’re logging as suspension. I have contacted the Weinfeld group as they seem to have a team of lawyers and consultants and can hopefully advise us on what to do. I don’t want to be adversarial but the current situation is untenable and I don’t know what to do without someone holding my hand through it.

No! Don't do it! I've heard some not great things about Rich before related to passiveness. Even on this board, there are mixed reviews. I agree with just calling law firms for advocate names and interviewing all of them.

[Anonymous]

I think the best way to get legal advice would be to speak to a lawyer, instead of reading the briefs from the law offices of DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to disagree with the prior poster, the extreme safety issues presented with running away means you should go directly to lawyer. You need all the firepower you can in your corner before this escalates even further.

And I disagree with you. As a lawyer, I can tell you that legal skills don't help with creating and implementing a behavioral plan! If what you mean is that she needs to get him into a self-contained class or private placement ASAP, I guess so - but not clear that OP actually understands what that entails, especially for a 2E kid. I can share that for my child who had serious behavioral issues (albeit not elopement) a properly designed behavioral plan worked. OP needs the support of a psychologist/consultant who can work with the school to create and implement the plan. It may be painful for a while waiting to see if the plan can work, but otherwise, you're just jumping to put your kid into a private placement that deals with behavioral challenges or a self-contained program with reports like this: https://www.hillrag.com/2021/03/22/dcps-child-abuse-suit-expands/

With all due respect, you're aware that lawyers can compel school systems to pay for public school placements, right? Like paying for a bus to send a kid to a public school with an emotional disturbance center. They also can make them pay for a free evaluation. Equating lawyer=private school is simply misinformation. Not trying to start an arguement! I just don't want OP to be inadvertently mislead.

Not sure what you're trying to say. A lawyer can't compel the school to do anything, but they can file a lawsuit/due process. The options would be a self-contained classroom, for which there really are not great options in DCPS for 2E kids. The ones that exist are for HFA, in at SWS and SWW-FS, so not sure if OP's child could even be placed there, unless I am mistaken. Then a private placement would be at some place that probably routinely does seclusion & restraint, and far away so that OP couldn't even really keep tabs. Trying to get the kid stabilized in the present placement would be my #1 option.

Often it takes a lawyer filing a lawsuit to get things moving. This placement isn't working and you are giving bad advice. This child will miss an entire year of academics as they aren't even in the classroom.

And, for some privates, they only take government money so you cannot get into them withough school funding.

They haven't even done the FBA and you're concluding the placement isn't working? If there were some magical wonderful place for OP's child to go, great. But the options are not great. If you know more about the DCPS self-contained and private placement options, let us know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the best way to get legal advice would be to speak to a lawyer, instead of reading the briefs from the law offices of DCUM.

There are good threads on this board about advocates and lawyers OP can look up. I think the question here is whether OP needs to start pressing for another placement or for this school to provide better services. My personal experience has been that a behavioral plan can work and I am glad we went that route instead of sending my kid to self-contained. They probably can't even do that without the BIP in place so OP may as well have an educated member of her team helping with that.

[Anonymous]

15:17 —For context I would give Lourie Center a call. That’s where I should have put my son. Just talk to the admissions director. Tell him about your sons behaviors. He can tell you what his school would do in situations where your child is being aggressive and eloping.

When you have the IEP meeting, what Lourie Center says they would do is what you want in the IEP. It could be that what Lourie does can be provided at another placement. But at least you would know how behaviors should be and can be handled.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone. I will try some other options re: lawyers, and try to get back on the Kennedy Krieger list for another neuropsych evaluation to see if they think he has autism.

When people talk about anti anxiety medication do they mean SSRIs? I am worried about him being on them so young. But guess I don’t have much of a choice.

I am also going to look into therapeutic horse riding and cranial osteopathy. Literally trying to just see if anything will stick. Last year he was a challenging child but the entry to elementary school has just turbo charged his challenges.

I greatly appreciate each and every person who has taken the time to respond and advise me here. It’s been a pretty dark couple of months as we have 2 other younger kids and both work full time. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to disagree with the prior poster, the extreme safety issues presented with running away means you should go directly to lawyer. You need all the firepower you can in your corner before this escalates even further.

And I disagree with you. As a lawyer, I can tell you that legal skills don't help with creating and implementing a behavioral plan! If what you mean is that she needs to get him into a self-contained class or private placement ASAP, I guess so - but not clear that OP actually understands what that entails, especially for a 2E kid. I can share that for my child who had serious behavioral issues (albeit not elopement) a properly designed behavioral plan worked. OP needs the support of a psychologist/consultant who can work with the school to create and implement the plan. It may be painful for a while waiting to see if the plan can work, but otherwise, you're just jumping to put your kid into a private placement that deals with behavioral challenges or a self-contained program with reports like this: https://www.hillrag.com/2021/03/22/dcps-child-abuse-suit-expands/

With all due respect, you're aware that lawyers can compel school systems to pay for public school placements, right? Like paying for a bus to send a kid to a public school with an emotional disturbance center. They also can make them pay for a free evaluation. Equating lawyer=private school is simply misinformation. Not trying to start an arguement! I just don't want OP to be inadvertently mislead.

Not DCPS, the bus will only take them HOME. They are not legally required to take them anywhere else unless that place is the address they specified and cannot be changed on a regular basis.

They also cannot not ‘make’ them pay for an evaluation lol. We have school psychologist at our schools who do that and will.

So actually you are misleading OP.

Yes, there is a right to an independent evaluation paid for by the school under IDEA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15:17 —For context I would give Lourie Center a call. That’s where I should have put my son. Just talk to the admissions director. Tell him about your sons behaviors. He can tell you what his school would do in situations where your child is being aggressive and eloping.

When you have the IEP meeting, what Lourie Center says they would do is what you want in the IEP. It could be that what Lourie does can be provided at another placement. But at least you would know how behaviors should be and can be handled.

Lourie was described on DCUM as "heavy handed on restraints and seclusion." https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/858113.page

If I were OP I would POUR money into getting a good behavioral plan at this school, and start on anti-anxiety meds to see if an SSRI works. OP mentioned she has anxiety so that's likely a big piece of what her child has as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone. I will try some other options re: lawyers, and try to get back on the Kennedy Krieger list for another neuropsych evaluation to see if they think he has autism.

When people talk about anti anxiety medication do they mean SSRIs? I am worried about him being on them so young. But guess I don’t have much of a choice.

I am also going to look into therapeutic horse riding and cranial osteopathy. Literally trying to just see if anything will stick. Last year he was a challenging child but the entry to elementary school has just turbo charged his challenges.

I greatly appreciate each and every person who has taken the time to respond and advise me here. It’s been a pretty dark couple of months as we have 2 other younger kids and both work full time. Thank you.

You need to take him to a child psychologist trained in behavioral interventions like PCIT. There are evidence-based ways to handle behaviors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the best way to get legal advice would be to speak to a lawyer, instead of reading the briefs from the law offices of DCUM.

There are good threads on this board about advocates and lawyers OP can look up. I think the question here is whether OP needs to start pressing for another placement or for this school to provide better services. My personal experience has been that a behavioral plan can work and I am glad we went that route instead of sending my kid to self-contained. They probably can't even do that without the BIP in place so OP may as well have an educated member of her team helping with that.

You know, the recent thread about moms getting upset in IEP meetings had a detailed writeup of some advocate firms. Let me try to find it.

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone, sorry, OP again, I should have explained better - I have never actually been diagnosed with anxiety or taken anxiety medication. I was super sad when pregnant with DS because I lost my first due to birth complications the year before. Under normal circumstances I’m a pretty steady and cheerful person (when not stressing about DS). Honest! But DS is definitely an anxious little fellow. Thanks again.

[Anonymous]

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1011747.page;jsessionid=1BE9A19945A457168231C07211811D69

Here we go. It's in the middle of page 7. There's some good stuff about WEG written.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1011747.page;jsessionid=1BE9A19945A457168231C07211811D69

Here we go. It's in the middle of page 7. There's some good stuff about WEG written.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/90/1010813.page

So the first link was actually the page in my browser, instead of what I tried to link. I will never win techie of the year award.

[Anonymous]

Thank you 17:17!

[Anonymous]

Remember OP, advocates must give a FREE consultation! Please feel free to call some from all the practices listed before making a final decision.