If the speech delay is recognized in an IEP, then ask for a new teacher. Otherwise, you should get started on creating or updating an IEP.

Interestingly, my first grader's pre-K 4 teachers were masked all year two years ago, her kindergarten teacher was masked all year last year, and her current first grade teacher says she plans to mask until she gets a booster in the fall.

My first grader, unlike yours, is an avid talker (we get comments all the time about her language) and is reading at grade level.

In your situation, I would get your child evaluated for his delays, because this is NOT the teacher's fault. It's just that your child is behind, and that's okay, please get him help instead of playing the blame game.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:His 1st grade teacher masked all year too. He has a speech delay and is behind in reading. His teacher said she is immunocompromised and plans to mask all year and maybe beyond “just to be safe”. I get it from the teacher’s perspective. But my perspective is valid too. I feel stuck.

WOW OP - get your child in speech therapy and hire reading tutor. Stop blaming your problems on someone else. You sound awful.

+1000

Anonymous wrote:His 1st grade teacher masked all year too. He has a speech delay and is behind in reading. His teacher said she is immunocompromised and plans to mask all year and maybe beyond “just to be safe”. I get it from the teacher’s perspective. But my perspective is valid too. I feel stuck.

WOW OP - get your child in speech therapy and hire reading tutor. Stop blaming your problems on someone else. You sound awful.

Anonymous wrote:Special Education programs were so short staff that ESY students didn’t have in person services this summer. The shortage included speech therapists.

Focus on your child. Follow up with whether or not your child receives the services in the IEP. Go private if you can afford. Check your health insurance to see if it will cover some of the cost.

The SPED shortage is because MCEA won’t let MCPS increase the pay of SPED teachers. The English/social studies/elementary school teachers don’t want other areas to get paid better than them.

Get speech therapy. Your child's teacher is a generalist, not a specialist, and her first priority should be her own health.

Anonymous wrote:And, how is this an issue? Its better they mask vs. be out for a week or two sick and make their family sick. If your child has a speech disorder, get them private therapy and an IEP. MCPS is offering free tutoring again this year so take advantage of it.

Its none of your business why they choose to mask. But, good for them.

These selfish people will not stop. Why would anyone want to be a teacher now?

Special Education programs were so short staff that ESY students didn’t have in person services this summer. The shortage included speech therapists.

Focus on your child. Follow up with whether or not your child receives the services in the IEP. Go private if you can afford. Check your health insurance to see if it will cover some of the cost.

I’ve had two children with speech delay and specific learning disability in reading. MCPS speech therapy was a joke. The hours offered and group setting provided my children without meaningful progress. Same for reading. Private testing made recommendations for my children’s needs but MCPS dragged its feet and wanted to fight vs. providing the services considered best practice for their disabilities.

This was before COVID and all teachers did not wear masks. You should focus on getting your child private services vs. being worried about masks. As PG County is demonstrating, masks can be mandated at any whim of the school board. My children blossomed with the private services. MCPS will never attempt to do what your child needs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And, how is this an issue? Its better they mask vs. be out for a week or two sick and make their family sick. If your child has a speech disorder, get them private therapy and an IEP. MCPS is offering free tutoring again this year so take advantage of it.

Its none of your business why they choose to mask. But, good for them.

How could it NOT be an issue?? All the other 2nd grade teachers were unmasked at open house today… I felt a bit jealous.

This is so entitled.

Exactly.

+2 Parents like OP are exactly why teachers are leaving the profession in droves.

+1000...THIS! Entitled and gross, feel free to homeschool your child mask free. And instead of being jealous of other maskless classrooms, maybe be grateful your kid even has a teacher, the teacher shortage is no joke.

Aaaand this is why we have a teacher shortage because you literally don’t care about their lives.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And, how is this an issue? Its better they mask vs. be out for a week or two sick and make their family sick. If your child has a speech disorder, get them private therapy and an IEP. MCPS is offering free tutoring again this year so take advantage of it.

Its none of your business why they choose to mask. But, good for them.

How could it NOT be an issue?? All the other 2nd grade teachers were unmasked at open house today… I felt a bit jealous.

This is so entitled.

Exactly.

+2 Parents like OP are exactly why teachers are leaving the profession in droves.

How dare you for thinking you have any right to even comment about how a teacher chooses to protect themselves in a classroom. This is exactly the point that was brought up when they decided to end the mask mandate: entitled parents such as yourself being upset about teachers being masked. “That would never happen!” Yeah right. Anyone with a brain knew better and could see this coming.

Anonymous wrote:His 1st grade teacher masked all year too. He has a speech delay and is behind in reading. His teacher said she is immunocompromised and plans to mask all year and maybe beyond “just to be safe”. I get it from the teacher’s perspective. But my perspective is valid too. I feel stuck.

Good for her for putting the safety of these children first!

Anonymous wrote:And, how is this an issue? Its better they mask vs. be out for a week or two sick and make their family sick. If your child has a speech disorder, get them private therapy and an IEP. MCPS is offering free tutoring again this year so take advantage of it.

Its none of your business why they choose to mask. But, good for them.

This. A lot of teachers are masking.