Refusing to allow SN child on field trip bus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would definitely complain. I think that’s illegal.

Sue their asses. Go to the media. I’m so tired of people thinking that this kind of thing is okay.

I’m told that in MoCo the special kids, even the ones who aren’t ‘high needs’, are left behind on field trips.
And yet if you look at the IvyMount school - one of the best special needs schools - they take ALL of the kids out on a trip at least once a week - even the highest needs /very severe kids. Field trips into the community are more important for the SN kids than the non SN kids . Your child is supposed to receive an appropriate education - don’t allow them to do this. If they need an extra aid so be it, but it’s their obligation to take your child on this trip as part of her schooling.

And why on earth are opinionated , lame parents going as chaperones??

My SN kid in MCPS goes on all the field trips. OP's problem is with that particular school, not MCPS in general.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would definitely complain. I think that’s illegal.

Sue their asses. Go to the media. I’m so tired of people thinking that this kind of thing is okay.

I’m told that in MoCo the special kids, even the ones who aren’t ‘high needs’, are left behind on field trips.
And yet if you look at the IvyMount school - one of the best special needs schools - they take ALL of the kids out on a trip at least once a week - even the highest needs /very severe kids. Field trips into the community are more important for the SN kids than the non SN kids . Your child is supposed to receive an appropriate education - don’t allow them to do this. If they need an extra aid so be it, but it’s their obligation to take your child on this trip as part of her schooling.

And why on earth are opinionated , lame parents going as chaperones??

My SN kid in MCPS goes on all the field trips. OP's problem is with that particular school, not MCPS in general.

It's not even school related.

OP said it was an extended day - day trip. So it is FCPS, MCPS, PWCS, or what? Or none? Just a private company that provides extended day services? And why are they going on a 2.5hr trip? How does that work? Aren't you normally in an extended day for only 2 or 3 hours? Certainly not enough time to go on a field trip to St. Marys

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would definitely complain. I think that’s illegal.

Sue their asses. Go to the media. I’m so tired of people thinking that this kind of thing is okay.

I’m told that in MoCo the special kids, even the ones who aren’t ‘high needs’, are left behind on field trips.
And yet if you look at the IvyMount school - one of the best special needs schools - they take ALL of the kids out on a trip at least once a week - even the highest needs /very severe kids. Field trips into the community are more important for the SN kids than the non SN kids . Your child is supposed to receive an appropriate education - don’t allow them to do this. If they need an extra aid so be it, but it’s their obligation to take your child on this trip as part of her schooling.

And why on earth are opinionated , lame parents going as chaperones??

My SN kid in MCPS goes on all the field trips. OP's problem is with that particular school, not MCPS in general.

It's not even school related.

OP said it was an extended day - day trip. So it is FCPS, MCPS, PWCS, or what? Or none? Just a private company that provides extended day services? And why are they going on a 2.5hr trip? How does that work? Aren't you normally in an extended day for only 2 or 3 hours? Certainly not enough time to go on a field trip to St. Marys

I think OP means that they will leave during the school day (in the morning), and that, due to the distance to the site/St. Mary’s, they will be back/return after the usual end of day/dismissal time. So it’s as though it is an extended day program - the field trip is longer than a typical school day.

[Anonymous]

This is clearly an MCPS school. Most of the 4th graders in the county go to St. Mary’s City. It is considered extended day because they leave before school starts and get back after school normally lets out.

Every child is allowed to go on field trips at a public school. It is up to the school to determine what accommodations are needed to make each child successful.

If this child needed individual transportation, then the school system would need to provide it.

If this child needs more accommodations then again the school system needs to provide it.

The parent was already chaperoning so it appears that the parent was doing their part. I would fight it, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP needs to explain what these behavioral problems are that the school is mentioning. If your child is bitting and hitting people everyday, in the classroom, they I think it is fair to not have her ride the bus. Not saying this is your child, but we need more info on these behavioral problems

No. They can’t exclude a disabled child from a school field trip regardless of the child’s disability. They can’t require a parent attend.

They do it ALL THE TIME in Montgomery County.

Because we (the parents) let them get away with it because people are trying to choose their battles. But its against the law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would definitely complain. I think that’s illegal.

Sue their asses. Go to the media. I’m so tired of people thinking that this kind of thing is okay.

I’m told that in MoCo the special kids, even the ones who aren’t ‘high needs’, are left behind on field trips.
And yet if you look at the IvyMount school - one of the best special needs schools - they take ALL of the kids out on a trip at least once a week - even the highest needs /very severe kids. Field trips into the community are more important for the SN kids than the non SN kids . Your child is supposed to receive an appropriate education - don’t allow them to do this. If they need an extra aid so be it, but it’s their obligation to take your child on this trip as part of her schooling.

And why on earth are opinionated , lame parents going as chaperones??

My SN kid in MCPS goes on all the field trips. OP's problem is with that particular school, not MCPS in general.

It's not even school related.

OP said it was an extended day - day trip. So it is FCPS, MCPS, PWCS, or what? Or none? Just a private company that provides extended day services? And why are they going on a 2.5hr trip? How does that work? Aren't you normally in an extended day for only 2 or 3 hours? Certainly not enough time to go on a field trip to St. Marys

I think OP means that they will leave during the school day (in the morning), and that, due to the distance to the site/St. Mary’s, they will be back/return after the usual end of day/dismissal time. So it’s as though it is an extended day program - the field trip is longer than a typical school day.

Pretty sure ED stands for “emotional disturbance” in this context, not “extended day.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP needs to explain what these behavioral problems are that the school is mentioning. If your child is bitting and hitting people everyday, in the classroom, they I think it is fair to not have her ride the bus. Not saying this is your child, but we need more info on these behavioral problems

No. They can’t exclude a disabled child from a school field trip regardless of the child’s disability. They can’t require a parent attend.

They cannot exclude her from the field trip, but they can work out alternative transportation if it’s more appropriate to her behavioral issues. They cannot require that OP drive her daughter or that OP attend (unless all students have to have a parent chaperone regardless of any special needs), but they can choose to do something like provide a staffed van as alternative transportation for students they believe shouldn’t be on the main bus. It sounds like OP wouldn’t be willing to accept that, though. It’s the charter bus or nothing.

Where are you hearing that the OP would not accept alternate transportation? The offer was a parent drive or nothing. That is illegal. Period.

See the first post where OP says she wants her daughter to ride on the main bus with everyone else because she thinks being on a charter bus is part of the experience, the kids are talking about what movies they’re going to watch during the ride, and she doesn’t want her daughter to feel different if she can’t ride with the rest of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP needs to explain what these behavioral problems are that the school is mentioning. If your child is bitting and hitting people everyday, in the classroom, they I think it is fair to not have her ride the bus. Not saying this is your child, but we need more info on these behavioral problems

No. They can’t exclude a disabled child from a school field trip regardless of the child’s disability. They can’t require a parent attend.

They cannot exclude her from the field trip, but they can work out alternative transportation if it’s more appropriate to her behavioral issues. They cannot require that OP drive her daughter or that OP attend (unless all students have to have a parent chaperone regardless of any special needs), but they can choose to do something like provide a staffed van as alternative transportation for students they believe shouldn’t be on the main bus. It sounds like OP wouldn’t be willing to accept that, though. It’s the charter bus or nothing.

Where are you hearing that the OP would not accept alternate transportation? The offer was a parent drive or nothing. That is illegal. Period.

See the first post where OP says she wants her daughter to ride on the main bus with everyone else because she thinks being on a charter bus is part of the experience, the kids are talking about what movies they’re going to watch during the ride, and she doesn’t want her daughter to feel different if she can’t ride with the rest of them.

NP. Please, PP, stop putting words into OP's mouth. Of course OP is talking about her daughter participating in the fun part of the field trip. What parent wouldn't be? And if you read carefully OP's concern seems to be that they want her to drive, which she does not feel able to do.

OP, do not tell this poster anything about your daughter's behaviors. It's none of their business. Even if your daughter had behaviors which could interfere with the bus, which I doubt, it is the school's responsibility to make a plan for accommodating her and inform you of the plan. Not to shrug their shoulders and say "Oh well, she can't ride the bus so....."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP needs to explain what these behavioral problems are that the school is mentioning. If your child is bitting and hitting people everyday, in the classroom, they I think it is fair to not have her ride the bus. Not saying this is your child, but we need more info on these behavioral problems

No. They can’t exclude a disabled child from a school field trip regardless of the child’s disability. They can’t require a parent attend.

They cannot exclude her from the field trip, but they can work out alternative transportation if it’s more appropriate to her behavioral issues. They cannot require that OP drive her daughter or that OP attend (unless all students have to have a parent chaperone regardless of any special needs), but they can choose to do something like provide a staffed van as alternative transportation for students they believe shouldn’t be on the main bus. It sounds like OP wouldn’t be willing to accept that, though. It’s the charter bus or nothing.

Where are you hearing that the OP would not accept alternate transportation? The offer was a parent drive or nothing. That is illegal. Period.

See the first post where OP says she wants her daughter to ride on the main bus with everyone else because she thinks being on a charter bus is part of the experience, the kids are talking about what movies they’re going to watch during the ride, and she doesn’t want her daughter to feel different if she can’t ride with the rest of them.

NP. Please, PP, stop putting words into OP's mouth. Of course OP is talking about her daughter participating in the fun part of the field trip. What parent wouldn't be? And if you read carefully OP's concern seems to be that they want her to drive, which she does not feel able to do.

OP, do not tell this poster anything about your daughter's behaviors. It's none of their business. Even if your daughter had behaviors which could interfere with the bus, which I doubt, it is the school's responsibility to make a plan for accommodating her and inform you of the plan. Not to shrug their shoulders and say "Oh well, she can't ride the bus so....."

I realize you can’t fully track which posts are and are not mine here. But first, I have no interest in attacking OP’s daughter for her needs. I am also a parent of a child with SN, not some parent who has no clue what it’s about coming in to bash people. I asked once about OP’s daughters needs in the context of helping her figure out a specific approach with the school (because aren’t we all tired of battling with our schools?) but when OP declined to respond I dropped it other than to note that since we don’t know the nature of her daughter’s needs, none of us should make assumptions either way about what is and is not appropriate.

Further, I have stated repeatedly in my posts that the school is wrong here. They cannot put the burden on OP of providing transportation, nor can they require her to chaperone unless all of the participating students, regardless of any special needs, are required to have a parent with them to participate. But that doesn’t mean the school can’t have legitimate concerns that need to be addressed. Perhaps she doesn’t, but again, we don’t know that. If she does, though, OP may need to accept a compromise solution, such as having her daughter (and perhaps some other children she knows from her program) ride in a separate shuttle van.

I would love for my son to be able to participate in all activities the same way typical children do. For many things he can, but for some he cannot and I have come to terms with that. And when it’s an activity that’s not appropriate for him to participate in the way everyone else does, we figure something out because it doesn’t do my son any good to put him in an inappropriate situation he’s not equipped to handle. It’s not even about how it affects other people, but rather how it affects my son when things go south because more was expected of him than he was capable of.

[Anonymous]

OP here- I don't want to go too much into her needs, but be assured that she has no trouble on buses (goes on one over an hour a day) and is not a danger to other children.

[Anonymous]

To the OP: I hope first thing in the morning you are working the phones to the school, the supervisor, the special ed supervisor etc. if you don’t have a reversal of that illegal demand by the end of the day tell them you are getting a lawyer and tell them why (because they are discriminating against your child due to her disability). Everything about this is illegal!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP needs to explain what these behavioral problems are that the school is mentioning. If your child is bitting and hitting people everyday, in the classroom, they I think it is fair to not have her ride the bus. Not saying this is your child, but we need more info on these behavioral problems

No. They can’t exclude a disabled child from a school field trip regardless of the child’s disability. They can’t require a parent attend.

They do it ALL THE TIME in Montgomery County.

It happened to our DC and it happened to a friend of mine's DC. In both cases, the children were mainstreamed and rode the regular bus two and from school with no issues. This is a wealthier part of the county and I figured they were gambling that we parents could take the day off and chaperone which we did even though we knew it was illegal for them to require us to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Pretty sure ED stands for “emotional disturbance” in this context, not “extended day.”

It's emotional disability

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Pretty sure ED stands for “emotional disturbance” in this context, not “extended day.”

It's emotional disability

Emotional disturbance in federal law, emotional disability in Maryland law.

[Anonymous]

OP, please keep us posted!