Also, if you want to continue keeping an IEP open with the child’s home public school just in case you want to eventually transition back more easily, Sycamore does not provide any meaningful data or collaborate with school professionals. It’s really bonkers.

I've heard similar issues about Sycamore over the years - I would never send my kid there.

I was put off by Sycamore when they would not even have a conversation until you submitted a full application. Other schools will meet with the family and student to see if think there is a potential fit. Head of School seems pretty inflexible.

He had not required a 1:1 aide until staff loss. He did not have behavioral issues; rather, he required prompting and adult support to engage fully. All of this was disclosed to the school when he arrived there and was managed until turnover. Again, if your child does not need this support, you may fare well. My recommendation to document conversations etc remains, however, as expectations changed over time in association with staff turnover and possibly other administrative priorities of which we were not aware. I also found it extremely disheartening when the school produced fabrications to justify sending him home. That's just not a safe space for any family as I expect it would extend beyond our family. Again, happy to share details offline for anyone interested.

I have a child with disabilities, so I understand how painful it is to have to leave a school that can't provide the necessary support. But if a student needs a dedicated staff to be engaged, it's no reflection on a school to say it's not the right fit. Not all private schools can support all students, and that's ok.

I don't know what you mean when you say he has no behavior issues, but clearly he was doing something different from the other students when he wasn't being engaged.

Why would he need a 1:1 aid if there are no behavioral issues?

Hi DC Urban Moms and Dads. This is a post to help those of you who are looking at schools for ND kids in the DC area be fully aware of the environment at TSS before you enroll your kiddo there. We enrolled our kiddo there when he was in 7th grade and initially felt like our experience was positive. He was a little disengaged, but seemed to prefer the smaller classroom sizes and some members of the teaching staff. Unfortunately, there has been significant turnover in the staff and our experience changed and revealed longstanding deficits in our son's education after staff were no longer actively working to promote our son's engagement. This led to the school requesting that we furnish a 1:1 for our son at personal expense and, when we were unable to do so within a timeframe that they felt was sufficiently long (but had not explicitly communicated to us), they sent him home indefinitely, saying that he was unable to participate in the on-site community. Our son has no behavioral issues, for the record, and had already been in the school for some time. We have an email indicating that the need for 1:1 was due to loss of staff. Needless to say, this was traumatic for our family. When we attempted to work with the school, we were unpredictably rebuffed and their claims regarding communication and our son's issues are demonstrably false. I am aware of both staff and students who have had overlapping, if not identical, experiences, so, if you do decide to send your kid there, make sure you document everything (including recording conversations) and be prepared for things to change abruptly. I really wish it handle't ended up where it had. DC is in great need of a place that caters to high-functioning and kiddos who need more support than average. TSS is simply not what they claim to be. I am happy to discuss offline with any concerned parents.