Arlington Schools special needs placements

[Anonymous]

A good friend is really struggling to access services for her HS age son who has some serious mental illness issues/social issues/some learning issues (he has an IEP). She has asked for an evaluation to see if the district will place him in a private school (her son's psychiatrist wants him to be placed in a day treatment program). They do not want to because he is not failing his classes academically. She sees no recourse but to hire a lawyer at this point…she cannot afford private school tuition.

Is Arlington particularly difficult or is this par for the course? Trying to figure out some resources to suggest to her as she is completely overwhelmed at the moment.

[Anonymous]

The family has to show that the disability has an "educational impact" which is hard to prove if he is not failing his classes. The school will almost always push back when it comes to public funding for SN school. She's doing the right thing by hiring an attorney.

[Anonymous]

Has her psychiatrist identified a specific school and has she toured it? I ask because the private day schools can really be a mixed bag in terms of the kinds of students they serve.

There is a school called Oak Valley in Fairfax that is run by a guy who used to work in Arlington special ed. She could tour it and ask his opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The family has to show that the disability has an "educational impact" which is hard to prove if he is not failing his classes. The school will almost always push back when it comes to public funding for SN school. She's doing the right thing by hiring an attorney.

It can be easier to get these placements for mental health reasons. Schools tend to tread more lightly about mental health issues than other learning impairments.

[Anonymous]

What private school does she want him placed in? A day treatment program is a fundamentally different thing from a SN private school. How are the emotional issues impacting him in the school setting, and vice versa?

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]The family has to show that the disability has an "educational impact" which is hard to prove if he is not failing his classes. The school will almost always push back when it comes to public funding for SN school. She's doing the right thing by hiring an attorney.


The school district will definitely push back. They don't want to pay for any private placements. Only the most severely disabled get them and usually the County will direct where it will send the money so has significant say as to where your child will go. If the County can prove in any way (including home tutoring) that they can educate your child, in any location (sent by bus), they will not pay for a private placement. Lawyering up is the only way to go, unfortunately, and there's no guarantee that you will get a private placement at the end.

[Anonymous]

OP - If your son's psychiatrist is recommending a day treatment program, it would seem he has some serious mental health issues to deal with so you want to have a clear understanding of what they are, what is the goal of the day treatment program - individual counseling/group counseling/ better medication management??? I can tell you that it is essential to deal with the mental illness as first priority as you would cancer and then figure out the academics. How long is his day treatment program expected to last? Will insurance cover the cost? If you can work out the treatment plan, I would focus on this. There is no deadline on finishing high school.

If it is a time limited treatment program, perhaps with tutoring he could make up some of the missed course work. If he is early into high school then perhaps he can map out a way to work in missed credits in summer school or doing online equivalent courses. A day treatment program would seem to offer the mental health services that a private special needs day school would not, but perhaps compare the two.