Alice Deal Middle School and IEP

[Anonymous]

Hi Folks! We are considering whether to send our HFA son to Alice Deal next year and would love to hear from families with children who have IEPs at Deal. We toured the school this spring and were given a very frosty and uninformative reception. The vice principal said that there were not any HFA kids in the school currently. Given statistics that simply can't be true! I want to find out what types of accommodations they typically provide and how they work with kids who have anxiety and executive function issues that can cause disruptive behaviors. Any information would be helpful. Thanks so much!

[Anonymous]

Know lots of Deal families but none with special needs kids. But Deal would have to respect the IEP a student entered with, at least until the triennial rolled around.

Where was your child last year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Know lots of Deal families but none with special needs kids. But Deal would have to respect the IEP a student entered with, at least until the triennial rolled around.

Where was your child last year?

Except depending on how the IEP is written they can claim they can't meet his needs.

[Anonymous]

Not unless they have reason and ability to enroll him somewhere "more appropriate." Otherwise they have to meet his needs at Deal, assuming that is his inboundary.


Sorry I annoy help lee. If you don't get enough helpful responses here, try the DC board. We are at a charter so I don't know much about DCPS.

[Anonymous]

"Sorry I cannot help more." Phone typing...

[Anonymous]

Professionally, I know several kids with anxiety at Deal. None are well served. The administration seems to have no idea how to support kids who get overwhelmed in the classroom.

My sample size is small, so I'd love another poster here to tell me I'm wrong.

[Anonymous]

This seems very odd considering Murch feeds Deal and has an autism classroom, plus a number of fully mainstreamed HFA kids. Where do they all go if not Deal?

[Anonymous]

I personally know at least two kids with Aspergers at Deal so that can't be true. And I am sending my DD next year with special needs, although, I'm not 100% confident in them after meeting the team. That's all I can say for now.

[Anonymous]

OP here. My son is in bounds for Deal and currently attends MAP Ivymount. It has been an amazing program, but he is ready to mainstream. We know one child who entered Deal with an IEP and he did very well, but he was ready to shed his accommodations. Given how the administrator stonewalled us, how do I connect with IEP families at Deal? I really want to hear the nitty gritty of what works well and what doesn't. I greatly appreciate all your thoughts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My son is in bounds for Deal and currently attends MAP Ivymount. It has been an amazing program, but he is ready to mainstream. We know one child who entered Deal with an IEP and he did very well, but he was ready to shed his accommodations. Given how the administrator stonewalled us, how do I connect with IEP families at Deal? I really want to hear the nitty gritty of what works well and what doesn't. I greatly appreciate all your thoughts!

In most schools the families of kids on IEPs don't know each other or network, especially once you get to middle school where there are fewer parents around the playground. You probably need to ask every neighbor you know if anyone knows a child with a similar diagnosis who is at Deal and see if they'd be willing to talk to you.

From your posts I assume that DCPS wasn't paying for Ivymount for your child - or they would theoretically be attempting to help with the transition to Deal - and that you don't currently have an IEP in effect. Given that school starts in 5-6 weeks, I think you should hire an special education advocate to get things in place. I wouldn't mess around with trying to negotiate it on your own since you think your child will need some accommodations and potentially supports to be successful there.

When interviewing potential advocates, be sure to ask if they have worked with the folks at Deal.

[Anonymous]

I would hire Kim Glassman -- she's very knowledgable, experienced, a pit bull (when needed and appropriate), knows the folks down at central office well, can navigate the school system well and is familiar with the schools in NW DC. Kim has supported many families transitioning in and out of DCPS schools.

http://www.kglassmanlaw.com

Her prices are affordable and she gets the job done!

[Anonymous]

Our special needs child is not well served at Deal. Deal seems good for neurotypical kids but they consider special Ed kids as collateral damage. Be prepared for a lot of outside, self pay help if you want your child to progress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our special needs child is not well served at Deal. Deal seems good for neurotypical kids but they consider special Ed kids as collateral damage. Be prepared for a lot of outside, self pay help if you want your child to progress.

Can you share what your DC's general needs/diagnosis is? Trying to see if there are some things they can handle and others they cannot.

[Anonymous]

I have a child with IEP at Deal- very well served but he is learning disabled. He doesn't have anxiety or behavior issues. For him the special ed team has been excellent. Great caseworkers who spend a lot of extra time with him and the coordinator has been fantastic. I would encourage you to reach out to Adam Kirchenbaum directly and speak with him frankly about your child's needs.

There is a wide range of kids at Deal. I would be interested in knowing which assistant principal you spoke with on the tour. Doesn't seem like something any of them would ever say. You should speak directly with the principal about that. He is very responsive too.