Why are so many special ed administrators clue less

[Anonymous]

I have a high schooler and have been involved in the IEP process for 9 years. I'm articulate, educated about the laws, and an never intimidated by school administrators so the outcome has always ended up being appropriate. I can not believe though how many times someone's whose profession is to help special needs kids tries to diminish accommodations or services or clearly states false information about what schools are or are not required to provide.

Why? The level of competence is something that could be easily addressed with basic training. When its intentional, I also wonder why. Is there some reward handed out if a special educator negotiates back services?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a high schooler and have been involved in the IEP process for 9 years. I'm articulate, educated about the laws, and an never intimidated by school administrators so the outcome has always ended up being appropriate. I can not believe though how many times someone's whose profession is to help special needs kids tries to diminish accommodations or services or clearly states false information about what schools are or are not required to provide.

Why? The level of competence is something that could be easily addressed with basic training. When its intentional, I also wonder why. Is there some reward handed out if a special educator negotiates back services?

Because they work for the school district not you and have probably budgets and a target number of service hours they are not supposed to exceed across all students.

That isn't supposed to be how it works under the law, but in reality, that's the way it goes much of the time.

[Anonymous]

Wow! Are you me? Are you in FCPS? I could have written your exact post. Last year, when my oldest was in 9th grade, he didn't get his accommodations for the PSAT. He came home, said he didn't think he did well and I asked, 'why not?'. He said he asked for them but was told no. I send a very reasonable email to the school asking about it. I get a call from his counselor who said that the school can't authorize the accommodations, the College Board does. I ask why no one told me - he said it must have fallen through the cracks and that I needed to follow up with the College Board. Note, this is the counselor assigned to kids with IEPs.

I then go to the College Board site to see how to get accommodation. I learn that accommodations for the PSAT 8/9, which my DS took, are approved by the school, not the College Board. And, to get accommodations for the PSAT 10 and SAT, I needed to work with the school. I summarize that information in an email to the counselor and special ed chair.

I get a call from them a day or two later and the special ed chair proceeds to tell me, among other things, that the IEP only covers academics and not all environments and because the PSAT is administered by an outside party they were not required to follow the IEP accommodations! I call her out on it. The IEP covers all school activities INCLUDING the PSAT that was administered at the school, during the school day and which the school arranged. I ended up asking for an IEP meeting with the PSL included.

This year, DS STILL did not receive his accommodations. I did all the paperwork, sent it to the school and they didn't file it with the College Board! What a cluster.

[Anonymous]

They know exactly what they are doing. Some just don’t care about the students

[Anonymous]

It’s because they weren’t trained as special education teachers. Some started out as PE teachers and took admin classes and got promoted. Others are just stupid. Some are great. Always call the PSL in and make some noise about filing a state complaint and then they’ll get some feedback.

[Anonymous]

This is sad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s because they weren’t trained as special education teachers. Some started out as PE teachers and took admin classes and got promoted. Others are just stupid. Some are great. Always call the PSL in and make some noise about filing a state complaint and then they’ll get some feedback.

This, we had an elementary school teacher brag that over the summer she did a 6 week training with kids with ASD so now she was the expert in all SN. It was a mixed class and she was clueless about my child's need and it was a very frustrating year with a know it all who really didn't know much or was willing to learn.

The training they get is very general and not specific to every disorder. Our school is very supportive of ASD and ADHD but anything else, you are pretty much on your own.

[Anonymous]

I just sat through a 2 hour IEP meeting with FCPS for my rising high schooler with severe ADHD. Really severe. I have another kid with adhd that is much less life altering so I can see the huge difference. The diagnosis came from 2 highly regarded neuropsychologists and the amazing docs at NIH.

The entire meeting they simply went on and on about how he’s just not focusing and needs to try harder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow! Are you me? Are you in FCPS? I could have written your exact post. Last year, when my oldest was in 9th grade, he didn't get his accommodations for the PSAT. He came home, said he didn't think he did well and I asked, 'why not?'. He said he asked for them but was told no. I send a very reasonable email to the school asking about it. I get a call from his counselor who said that the school can't authorize the accommodations, the College Board does. I ask why no one told me - he said it must have fallen through the cracks and that I needed to follow up with the College Board. Note, this is the counselor assigned to kids with IEPs.

I then go to the College Board site to see how to get accommodation. I learn that accommodations for the PSAT 8/9, which my DS took, are approved by the school, not the College Board. And, to get accommodations for the PSAT 10 and SAT, I needed to work with the school. I summarize that information in an email to the counselor and special ed chair.

I get a call from them a day or two later and the special ed chair proceeds to tell me, among other things, that the IEP only covers academics and not all environments and because the PSAT is administered by an outside party they were not required to follow the IEP accommodations! I call her out on it. The IEP covers all school activities INCLUDING the PSAT that was administered at the school, during the school day and which the school arranged. I ended up asking for an IEP meeting with the PSL included.

This year, DS STILL did not receive his accommodations. I did all the paperwork, sent it to the school and they didn't file it with the College Board! What a cluster.

This is just another way school systems screw with kids with disabilities. I would file a complaint that they didn't submit your request with the College Board.

The schools in my county do very little to let parents know about the process for getting accommodations for the SAT and ACT or that it is even an option. I contacted the testing person the week before dc started hs to get the ball rolling and the testing coordinator refused to help. My dc also didn't get accommodations for the PSAT. For the SAT and the ACT, the parents are responsible for getting the ball rolling. Parents need to fill out the paperwork and get it to whom ever is in charge of testing or a guidance counselor. I would stay on top of them about submitting it. You can call College Board or the ACT and ask if they have submitted it. I would threaten to file state complaints and more if they did not get it done.

Parents need to start the process immediately freshman year. I've met school staff who are very intimidated with the company that owns the SAT and AP tests. Some schools avoid it because if the accommodations require school based testing, the school is responsible for finding proctors and working out the time. My kid's hs tried to tell me that they wouldn't provide the testing. They finally relented after I complained to everyone including the school board. They put us through the wringer to get the testing done.

You may already know but the accommodations your child gets for the SAT will will apply to AP tests as well. Once you get them for the SAT, you don't have to do much more than communicate with the school to remind them that your kid has accommodations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They know exactly what they are doing. Some just don’t care about the students

No. Some really have no idea. I work in DCPS and am constantly reminding my coordinator of how the process goes. Last week I was in an AED meeting where the reading specialist told a parent that the student ‘doesn’t have a disabioty’ And that testing the student ‘ would not be an appropriate use of school resources’. The coordinator just sat there.
I shut that down & at that point knew we had to move forward with testing.
Now, I am hated by all. Good times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They know exactly what they are doing. Some just don’t care about the students

No. Some really have no idea. I work in DCPS and am constantly reminding my coordinator of how the process goes. Last week I was in an AED meeting where the reading specialist told a parent that the student ‘doesn’t have a disabioty’ And that testing the student ‘ would not be an appropriate use of school resources’. The coordinator just sat there.
I shut that down & at that point knew we had to move forward with testing.
Now, I am hated by all. Good times.

I’m in fcps and I knew the principal didn’t want to give my son an evaluation for an IEP. In the meeting she had everyone on the panel arguing her points. The one arguing the most against It just happened to be the same race I am.

Fortunately I had more than enough evidence to require testing and the school psych sided with me and they knew if I didn’t get it, I was going to complain.

I’m in FCPS and this is a situation where they know my son needs testing, but for what ever reason they don’t want to do it.

[Anonymous]

At best they offer joy and jargon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At best they offer joy and jargon.

Yeah, anything to confuse and change the narrative

[Anonymous]

In my district they are mainly just trying not to spend the money on services. It is their entire focus beyond filling out the paperwork.

[Anonymous]

"Because they work for the school district not you and have probably budgets and a target number of service hours they are not supposed to exceed across all students.

That isn't supposed to be how it works under the law, but in reality, that's the way it goes much of the time."

Of course, this is EXACTLY how the law is supposed to work.

Their job is to balance your DC's needs with ALL the other special ed cases in the school/cluster/system.

Every year they ask for more money. They can't ask for all they want to because no school board or elected official would get reelected if they raised taxes that much.

All government jobs are to spread what money and resources they have to where it will do the most good. They mostly get it right if people communicate with them about twice as often as they are required to.

-Parent of student with 9 years of IEP experience who thought like the OP for years but now that DC is doing well in college, understands that DC needed a little help over MANY years and that even LOTS of help over those years would not have fixed DC.