Question for parents of kids with special needs in MCPS

[Anonymous]

Gen ed teacher here. Is anyone else aware that the “home school model” isn’t being adequately supported? Elementary schools were told they’d get adequate support when they switched to the home school model, but then special ed positions were frozen. So there’s 4-8 hours of co-teaching help a week for kids who need 1-1 support. I don’t know what’s happening at the middle school level. Parents, please help and agitate for more support! We can’t adequtely meet their needs and this is a disaster—it’s unsafe and unethical!

[Anonymous]

Thank you, OP, for alerting us.

I thought this was to some extent school-dependent, and related to what the Principal was able to wrangle out of Central Office? Of course it's challenging to get around a hard freeze. I have a PTA board meeting today, and will ask our Special Needs VP.

[Anonymous]

Tip off the news outlets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gen ed teacher here. Is anyone else aware that the “home school model” isn’t being adequately supported? Elementary schools were told they’d get adequate support when they switched to the home school model, but then special ed positions were frozen. So there’s 4-8 hours of co-teaching help a week for kids who need 1-1 support. I don’t know what’s happening at the middle school level. Parents, please help and agitate for more support! We can’t adequtely meet their needs and this is a disaster—it’s unsafe and unethical!

For kids whose IEPs call for 1-1 support or whom you believe need that now that they are in a less restrictive setting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tip off the news outlets.

I don't think the news media is going to care until there are examples with clear evidence of harm -- e.g. a child who used to have a 1:6 ratio in their prior setting, who gets some push/in and pull/out support now, and who was hurt, hurt someone else, eloped or something like that.

[Anonymous]

Yes! Yes! Yes!

I am also an elementary teacher (and parent of a child with an IEP) and am beyond DISGUSTED with the lack of support with the home school model. It is a complete joke and there is no way that the children can be supported in the way their IEP calls for. Special Ed teachers are so amazing and they do their absolute best, but they can't support every behavior problem and academic problem. My current school has 25 kids (yes, 25!) per special ed teacher.

My child is now in middle school so I don't have as much insider information- which is probably a good thing- but the support seems way better as it is assigned per class rather that for the entire school. So I know the support is in each of the required academic classes, which is way more than is happening at the elementary level where the general education teacher is expected to fully implement the IEP with a large class of other children as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes! Yes! Yes!

I am also an elementary teacher (and parent of a child with an IEP) and am beyond DISGUSTED with the lack of support with the home school model. It is a complete joke and there is no way that the children can be supported in the way their IEP calls for. Special Ed teachers are so amazing and they do their absolute best, but they can't support every behavior problem and academic problem. My current school has 25 kids (yes, 25!) per special ed teacher.

My child is now in middle school so I don't have as much insider information- which is probably a good thing- but the support seems way better as it is assigned per class rather that for the entire school. So I know the support is in each of the required academic classes, which is way more than is happening at the elementary level where the general education teacher is expected to fully implement the IEP with a large class of other children as well.

That's very high. Wow.

[Anonymous]

Of course we are aware.
But MCPS doesn’t listen to parents.
Take a stand, write a letter to the superintendent and sign your name. Have your colleagues sign their names.
Otherwise MCPS, with their stable of lawyers, beats down parents one by one who complain.
Go to the special ed advisory committee and share your concerns. Get your union involved.
In case you haven’t noticed, parents have been advocating ever since they eliminated the secondary learning centers for adequate staffing and training.
It’s your turn, teachers, to step up and speak out.

[Anonymous]

The special educator at our school told me this change was happening. DS was already at the Home school but it meant her workload was increasing significantly. DS hasn’t had much support this year as far as I can tell but oddly enough it’s been a better year than last because the general ed classroom teachers are much better.

This is my second time around with an IEP in MCPS. Services were already lacking. IEPs have never been followed as written for either of my kids. If my child currently needed 1-1 support, I’d be livid. And if I were a teacher I’d also be livid.

This is typical MCPS BS. I’m so sick of hearing about the need to address gifted education and listening to my friends and nieghbors whine about how their kids are being shortchanged. Shortchanged is not providing FAPE and it happens every single day to thousands of students in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The special educator at our school told me this change was happening. DS was already at the Home school but it meant her workload was increasing significantly. DS hasn’t had much support this year as far as I can tell but oddly enough it’s been a better year than last because the general ed classroom teachers are much better.

This is my second time around with an IEP in MCPS. Services were already lacking. IEPs have never been followed as written for either of my kids. If my child currently needed 1-1 support, I’d be livid. And if I were a teacher I’d also be livid.

This is typical MCPS BS. I’m so sick of hearing about the need to address gifted education and listening to my friends and nieghbors whine about how their kids are being shortchanged. Shortchanged is not providing FAPE and it happens every single day to thousands of students in MCPS.

I have a child who is both gifted AND learning disabled. He's part of the least-served group of students, I can tell you that!
Please don't criticize other parents who complain about their children's needs not being served. It doesn't diminish your child's right to receive services. There's just not enough money to go around and it's hard to distribute the money and effort.

[Anonymous]

If the autism program can't even get more support, I don't see home school model getting any, ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes! Yes! Yes!

I am also an elementary teacher (and parent of a child with an IEP) and am beyond DISGUSTED with the lack of support with the home school model. It is a complete joke and there is no way that the children can be supported in the way their IEP calls for. Special Ed teachers are so amazing and they do their absolute best, but they can't support every behavior problem and academic problem. My current school has 25 kids (yes, 25!) per special ed teacher.

My child is now in middle school so I don't have as much insider information- which is probably a good thing- but the support seems way better as it is assigned per class rather that for the entire school. So I know the support is in each of the required academic classes, which is way more than is happening at the elementary level where the general education teacher is expected to fully implement the IEP with a large class of other children as well.

That's a good ratio. Our Special Education teacher has multiple grades, not just 25 kids. I doubt she spends much time with any child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The special educator at our school told me this change was happening. DS was already at the Home school but it meant her workload was increasing significantly. DS hasn’t had much support this year as far as I can tell but oddly enough it’s been a better year than last because the general ed classroom teachers are much better.

This is my second time around with an IEP in MCPS. Services were already lacking. IEPs have never been followed as written for either of my kids. If my child currently needed 1-1 support, I’d be livid. And if I were a teacher I’d also be livid.

This is typical MCPS BS. I’m so sick of hearing about the need to address gifted education and listening to my friends and nieghbors whine about how their kids are being shortchanged. Shortchanged is not providing FAPE and it happens every single day to thousands of students in MCPS.

I have a child who is both gifted AND learning disabled. He's part of the least-served group of students, I can tell you that!
Please don't criticize other parents who complain about their children's needs not being served. It doesn't diminish your child's right to receive services. There's just not enough money to go around and it's hard to distribute the money and effort.

This is probably not true, pp. plus, she wasn’t talking about 2e.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The special educator at our school told me this change was happening. DS was already at the Home school but it meant her workload was increasing significantly. DS hasn’t had much support this year as far as I can tell but oddly enough it’s been a better year than last because the general ed classroom teachers are much better.

This is my second time around with an IEP in MCPS. Services were already lacking. IEPs have never been followed as written for either of my kids. If my child currently needed 1-1 support, I’d be livid. And if I were a teacher I’d also be livid.

This is typical MCPS BS. I’m so sick of hearing about the need to address gifted education and listening to my friends and nieghbors whine about how their kids are being shortchanged. Shortchanged is not providing FAPE and it happens every single day to thousands of students in MCPS.

I have a child who is both gifted AND learning disabled. He's part of the least-served group of students, I can tell you that!
Please don't criticize other parents who complain about their children's needs not being served. It doesn't diminish your child's right to receive services. There's just not enough money to go around and it's hard to distribute the money and effort.

This is probably not true, pp. plus, she wasn’t talking about 2e.

Counselors are literally running after loping kids. They're being asked to step in for safety reasons, which means they can't attend to mental health needs. Principals are advocating and getting nowhere. The kids may not have serious enough needs for the autism center, and program directors come in and look at the kids and say they're not suitable for x, y, or z. Meanwhile, they CLEARLY need 1:1 support and instead are in a class of 26 or 27 kids. MCPS says it's about least inclusive environment, but it's about cutting costs without thinking ahead to implications. Basically, it's classic MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The special educator at our school told me this change was happening. DS was already at the Home school but it meant her workload was increasing significantly. DS hasn’t had much support this year as far as I can tell but oddly enough it’s been a better year than last because the general ed classroom teachers are much better.

This is my second time around with an IEP in MCPS. Services were already lacking. IEPs have never been followed as written for either of my kids. If my child currently needed 1-1 support, I’d be livid. And if I were a teacher I’d also be livid.

This is typical MCPS BS. I’m so sick of hearing about the need to address gifted education and listening to my friends and nieghbors whine about how their kids are being shortchanged. Shortchanged is not providing FAPE and it happens every single day to thousands of students in MCPS.

I have a child who is both gifted AND learning disabled. He's part of the least-served group of students, I can tell you that![u]
Please don't criticize other parents who complain about their children's needs not being served. It doesn't diminish your child's right to receive services. There's just not enough money to go around and it's hard to distribute the money and effort.

Please don't do this. Unless you have direct experience as a parent or special educator with kids with significant disabilities, don't assume that they have it better than you or disregard their concerns to push your agenda. Don't pull the "Oh my kid is worse off" crap.