US Department of Education coming after VDOE

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special ed is going to bleed public schools dry until the Rs get their way and we all go to religious private schools.

Stay out of this conversation. You have no idea what you are talking about.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special ed is going to bleed public schools dry until the Rs get their way and we all go to religious private schools.

Maybe if public schools didn't treat special education like a leper colony and then waste big $$$ on lawyers to fight parents then they'd be less likely to have the feds breathing down their neck.

The lawyers are cheaper than meeting an impossible federal mandate. Maybe if every UMC parent whose kid can't behave didn't rush out and get a diagnosis and an IEP the resources available could go to the kids who need them

DP. Tell me you don't understand the IEP process without telling me you don't understand the IEP process.

UMC parents don't "rush out" to get diagnoses. In my experience, most parents want to avoid labels and diagnoses, especially early on when they start to suspect problems. And public schools do not have to accept a private diagnosis and often try to avoid accepting them because it adds to their caseloads and liability because special ed is underfunded.

I don't blame any family for holding a school accountable for not providing FAPE. Holding a school accountable often improves things for other kids whose parents may have less knowledge and resources. See the DOJ settlement against APS for example.

Sadly, there are some abuses of the system. In wealthy areas like suburban NYC, some parents seek out diagnoses so their kids can get extra time on standardized tests. A WSJ article noted that 20% of kids in one Westchester high school had accommodations for extra time. Many of these accommodations were based on genuine need. But apparently, not all.
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/05/22/who-gets-extra-time-sat-affluent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, this will become a big deal and blamed on Youngkin, when it was a problem not addressed by Northam due to the lead time associated with the investigation.

This is what you care about? Who gets blamed for it?

Yes, until people finally understand the the problem with public education is democratic leadership on the teacher’s union payroll carrying out the poor educational policies driven by the unions, all students, but especially special needs students will suffer.

The problem is a federal law that promises services that no school district can provide. When 15% of kids have IEPs, schools can not actually comply with federal law and provide a semblance of an education to the rest of students.

No you have this backwards. They are not providing a semblance of an education to the 15% with disabilities. The 85% non disabled get a much better education.

Sadly they aren’t getting much of an education either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special ed is going to bleed public schools dry until the Rs get their way and we all go to religious private schools.

Stay out of this conversation. You have no idea what you are talking about.

PP isn’t wrong about the Rs trying to destroy public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special ed is going to bleed public schools dry until the Rs get their way and we all go to religious private schools.

Maybe if public schools didn't treat special education like a leper colony and then waste big $$$ on lawyers to fight parents then they'd be less likely to have the feds breathing down their neck.

The lawyers are cheaper than meeting an impossible federal mandate. Maybe if every UMC parent whose kid can't behave didn't rush out and get a diagnosis and an IEP the resources available could go to the kids who need them

What a lie. Most every parent I know has had this thrown at them and it is a disgusting sentiment.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The federal IDEA laws are an unfounded mandate. Every school system/ state in the US is having trouble meeting the requirements due to lack of money and staffing. The allowed conditions have increased, as well as parent interest inflation getting their kids assessed. Since we have a lot more kids born to older parents autism and other conditions are more common. Add to that the increase in poverty and single mothers means there can often be more developmental and educational delays.

So we’ve moved on from the UMC canard and now we’re on to poor people. Poverty does not cause intellectual or learning disabilities.

Students undergo extensive testing to rule out other factors that might associated with delays but are not a disability. But we are getting better at identifying kids, particularly those with learning disabilities. And some learning Disabilities are more common than most people realize.

Bullsheet.

https://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/indicator/2013/01/poverty-behaviors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special ed is going to bleed public schools dry until the Rs get their way and we all go to religious private schools.

Maybe if public schools didn't treat special education like a leper colony and then waste big $$$ on lawyers to fight parents then they'd be less likely to have the feds breathing down their neck.

The lawyers are cheaper than meeting an impossible federal mandate. Maybe if every UMC parent whose kid can't behave didn't rush out and get a diagnosis and an IEP the resources available could go to the kids who need them

DP. Tell me you don't understand the IEP process without telling me you don't understand the IEP process.

UMC parents don't "rush out" to get diagnoses. In my experience, most parents want to avoid labels and diagnoses, especially early on when they start to suspect problems. And public schools do not have to accept a private diagnosis and often try to avoid accepting them because it adds to their caseloads and liability because special ed is underfunded.

I don't blame any family for holding a school accountable for not providing FAPE. Holding a school accountable often improves things for other kids whose parents may have less knowledge and resources. See the DOJ settlement against APS for example.

Sadly, there are some abuses of the system. In wealthy areas like suburban NYC, some parents seek out diagnoses so their kids can get extra time on standardized tests. A WSJ article noted that 20% of kids in one Westchester high school had accommodations for extra time. Many of these accommodations were based on genuine need. But apparently, not all.
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/05/22/who-gets-extra-time-sat-affluent

Probably about 20% of kids do need extra time on tests because of adhd, dyslexia or other learning disabilities.


TBH More families should know that extra time is available to their SWDs but they often don’t. This is an accommodation that has almost no cost for a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special ed is going to bleed public schools dry until the Rs get their way and we all go to religious private schools.

Maybe if public schools didn't treat special education like a leper colony and then waste big $$$ on lawyers to fight parents then they'd be less likely to have the feds breathing down their neck.

The lawyers are cheaper than meeting an impossible federal mandate. Maybe if every UMC parent whose kid can't behave didn't rush out and get a diagnosis and an IEP the resources available could go to the kids who need them

DP. Tell me you don't understand the IEP process without telling me you don't understand the IEP process.

UMC parents don't "rush out" to get diagnoses. In my experience, most parents want to avoid labels and diagnoses, especially early on when they start to suspect problems. And public schools do not have to accept a private diagnosis and often try to avoid accepting them because it adds to their caseloads and liability because special ed is underfunded.

I don't blame any family for holding a school accountable for not providing FAPE. Holding a school accountable often improves things for other kids whose parents may have less knowledge and resources. See the DOJ settlement against APS for example.

Sadly, there are some abuses of the system. In wealthy areas like suburban NYC, some parents seek out diagnoses so their kids can get extra time on standardized tests. A WSJ article noted that 20% of kids in one Westchester high school had accommodations for extra time. Many of these accommodations were based on genuine need. But apparently, not all.
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/05/22/who-gets-extra-time-sat-affluent

That article never says those kids are abusing the system and don't need their accommodations.

It's not like the SAT just hands out accommodations. They don't. Do you even know anything about the process at all? Or kids with disabilities?

Or are they just your favorite punching bag?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special ed is going to bleed public schools dry until the Rs get their way and we all go to religious private schools.

Maybe if public schools didn't treat special education like a leper colony and then waste big $$$ on lawyers to fight parents then they'd be less likely to have the feds breathing down their neck.

The lawyers are cheaper than meeting an impossible federal mandate. Maybe if every UMC parent whose kid can't behave didn't rush out and get a diagnosis and an IEP the resources available could go to the kids who need them

DP. Tell me you don't understand the IEP process without telling me you don't understand the IEP process.

UMC parents don't "rush out" to get diagnoses. In my experience, most parents want to avoid labels and diagnoses, especially early on when they start to suspect problems. And public schools do not have to accept a private diagnosis and often try to avoid accepting them because it adds to their caseloads and liability because special ed is underfunded.

I don't blame any family for holding a school accountable for not providing FAPE. Holding a school accountable often improves things for other kids whose parents may have less knowledge and resources. See the DOJ settlement against APS for example.

Sadly, there are some abuses of the system. In wealthy areas like suburban NYC, some parents seek out diagnoses so their kids can get extra time on standardized tests. A WSJ article noted that 20% of kids in one Westchester high school had accommodations for extra time. Many of these accommodations were based on genuine need. But apparently, not all.
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/05/22/who-gets-extra-time-sat-affluent

That article never says those kids are abusing the system and don't need their accommodations.

It's not like the SAT just hands out accommodations. They don't. Do you even know anything about the process at all? Or kids with disabilities?

Or are they just your favorite punching bag?

Someone here is just trying to stir the pot. They don’t live in VA. Don’t understand IEPs. Probably doesn’t even have kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special ed is going to bleed public schools dry until the Rs get their way and we all go to religious private schools.

Maybe if public schools didn't treat special education like a leper colony and then waste big $$$ on lawyers to fight parents then they'd be less likely to have the feds breathing down their neck.

The lawyers are cheaper than meeting an impossible federal mandate. Maybe if every UMC parent whose kid can't behave didn't rush out and get a diagnosis and an IEP the resources available could go to the kids who need them

DP. Tell me you don't understand the IEP process without telling me you don't understand the IEP process.

UMC parents don't "rush out" to get diagnoses. In my experience, most parents want to avoid labels and diagnoses, especially early on when they start to suspect problems. And public schools do not have to accept a private diagnosis and often try to avoid accepting them because it adds to their caseloads and liability because special ed is underfunded.

I don't blame any family for holding a school accountable for not providing FAPE. Holding a school accountable often improves things for other kids whose parents may have less knowledge and resources. See the DOJ settlement against APS for example.

Sadly, there are some abuses of the system. In wealthy areas like suburban NYC, some parents seek out diagnoses so their kids can get extra time on standardized tests. A WSJ article noted that 20% of kids in one Westchester high school had accommodations for extra time. Many of these accommodations were based on genuine need. But apparently, not all.
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/05/22/who-gets-extra-time-sat-affluent

That article never says those kids are abusing the system and don't need their accommodations.

It's not like the SAT just hands out accommodations. They don't. Do you even know anything about the process at all? Or kids with disabilities?

Or are they just your favorite punching bag?

The link was in response to a PP who said parents have no incentive to get diagnoses. However, there are benefits, namely more time. For most cases, this is based on genuine need as another PP said. However, the WSJ quoted the superintendent of Newton MA (where 1/3 of kids get added time) who said he believes this provision has been over-used and his district is working to reduce the number of kids getting extra time. The WSJ article is behind a paywall which was why the summary url was used which links to the WSJ for those who can access it. Newton's reaction highlights the risk -- if a small number use a provision improperly, it could be scaled back, hurting those kids who really need it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special ed is going to bleed public schools dry until the Rs get their way and we all go to religious private schools.

Stay out of this conversation. You have no idea what you are talking about.

DP here and not a Republican. I also think if things continue on their current path, public schools will simply be for pIEP and anyone who can’t scrape together money for private. Ignore the issue at your peril.

Well said.

[Anonymous]

Yes, the number of IEPs continues to rise, and children have two types of disabilities, visible and invisible. The US and most local school systems do a good, but not perfect, job at supporting children with visible disabilities. So, I will focus on those with invisible or hidden disabilities, those with ADHD, executive function disorders, and those with behavioral issues that cause frequent and sometimes violent disruption in the school setting.

Organizations have to deal with Government driven unfunded mandates all the time. The cost for providing accommodations for many students with IEPs, such as extra time on tests, assignments, teacher's notes, etc., are both reasonable and relatively inexpensive to implement. Sure, some people will get these accommodations without needing them but again not at a great cost to the school system.

Unfortunately, some students are so disruptive that costs to support them are high, and perhaps a better way to handle these kids, outside of the current public-school structure is the best path for all concerned. Going the lawyer route to fight everything is where costs skyrocket for no good reason. School systems need to get on board and provide appropriate accommodations.

Like it or not, believe it or not, national and other teachers unions and inept leadership via school boards and superintendents is what is making this process worse. Not the front line special educational teachers and other school staff that are providing support services to the children on a day-to-day basis.

As other posters have said or implied, with the current path the public education system is on, the only students that will be in public schools are those with IEPs or cannot afford private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special ed is going to bleed public schools dry until the Rs get their way and we all go to religious private schools.

Stay out of this conversation. You have no idea what you are talking about.

DP here and not a Republican. I also think if things continue on their current path, public schools will simply be for pIEP and anyone who can’t scrape together money for private. Ignore the issue at your peril.

This is one of the most ridiculous posts here. Ignore the issue at your peril. The schools will be filled with drooling half wits who want to abuse your snowflakes. If you believe that you aren't very intelligent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special ed is going to bleed public schools dry until the Rs get their way and we all go to religious private schools.

Maybe if public schools didn't treat special education like a leper colony and then waste big $$$ on lawyers to fight parents then they'd be less likely to have the feds breathing down their neck.

The lawyers are cheaper than meeting an impossible federal mandate. Maybe if every UMC parent whose kid can't behave didn't rush out and get a diagnosis and an IEP the resources available could go to the kids who need them

DP. Tell me you don't understand the IEP process without telling me you don't understand the IEP process.

UMC parents don't "rush out" to get diagnoses. In my experience, most parents want to avoid labels and diagnoses, especially early on when they start to suspect problems. And public schools do not have to accept a private diagnosis and often try to avoid accepting them because it adds to their caseloads and liability because special ed is underfunded.

I don't blame any family for holding a school accountable for not providing FAPE. Holding a school accountable often improves things for other kids whose parents may have less knowledge and resources. See the DOJ settlement against APS for example.

Sadly, there are some abuses of the system. In wealthy areas like suburban NYC, some parents seek out diagnoses so their kids can get extra time on standardized tests. A WSJ article noted that 20% of kids in one Westchester high school had accommodations for extra time. Many of these accommodations were based on genuine need. But apparently, not all.
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/05/22/who-gets-extra-time-sat-affluent

Some areas. Pffff. Where I live parents fight not to get their kids identified. The hysteria exhibited in these posts reminds of the idiots constantly screaming about their blonde children being targets for child traficcking every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special ed is going to bleed public schools dry until the Rs get their way and we all go to religious private schools.

Stay out of this conversation. You have no idea what you are talking about.

DP here and not a Republican. I also think if things continue on their current path, public schools will simply be for pIEP and anyone who can’t scrape together money for private. Ignore the issue at your peril.

Well said.

Bull shite. You know nothing knowitall.