Anonymous
08/30/2023 09:11
Subject: Elementary school has only one IEP class per grade
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Wtf, that sucks and is totally unfair for the non-IEP kids
We went though it one year and it was awful. We talked to the principal and they agreed that one year was enough. Thank god they pushed into another class for math because the other class crawled
Yeah, that was pretty much the same response we got. "Yes, it's suboptimal but it's only for one year, and we promise we won't make your daughter go through it again."
Anonymous
08/30/2023 08:28
Subject: Elementary school has only one IEP class per grade
Anonymous wrote:Wtf, that sucks and is totally unfair for the non-IEP kids
We went though it one year and it was awful. We talked to the principal and they agreed that one year was enough. Thank god they pushed into another class for math because the other class crawled
Anonymous
08/30/2023 08:25
Subject: Elementary school has only one IEP class per grade
Our elementary had a great policy of dividing the kids with IEPs roughly evenly among the classes so if there were 5 classes and 10 kids with IEPs they would probably assign 2 kids to each class.
This wasn't followed to the letter. They changed it depending on the child's needs and the teacher's strengths and weaknesses. One year there was a teacher who was really great at reading support so she got a few extra kids. Another year they realized a teacher was horrible at behavioral support. She would just panic and overreact. The next year we heard she got fewer kids with IEPs.
I know you're talking about elementary but it is probably helpful for you to know this issue continues through the upper grades. DC was in some "inclusion" classes in MS where they concentrate kids with IEPs. It was a disaster. The teachers were always in a bad mood and took it out on the kids. The academic level was much lower than other classes even though it was supposed to be the same. There were some kids with behavior issues that beat up on the rest, verbally and on a few occasions physically.
We had to drop the IEP.
This wasn't followed to the letter. They changed it depending on the child's needs and the teacher's strengths and weaknesses. One year there was a teacher who was really great at reading support so she got a few extra kids. Another year they realized a teacher was horrible at behavioral support. She would just panic and overreact. The next year we heard she got fewer kids with IEPs.
I know you're talking about elementary but it is probably helpful for you to know this issue continues through the upper grades. DC was in some "inclusion" classes in MS where they concentrate kids with IEPs. It was a disaster. The teachers were always in a bad mood and took it out on the kids. The academic level was much lower than other classes even though it was supposed to be the same. There were some kids with behavior issues that beat up on the rest, verbally and on a few occasions physically.
We had to drop the IEP.
Anonymous
08/30/2023 08:09
Subject: Re:Elementary school has only one IEP class per grade
Special educator for 25 years here. If you want to fix SPED services in a problematic setting then the families in that class need to come together and…
-communicate often and EVERYTHING in writing; when they call you follow-up with a detailed email of the conversation for the record; follow ANY AND ALL face-to-face communication with a flow-up email
-schedule classroom visits; take a pen and document
-tape IEP meetings; bring an advocate (look into SPED teachers from other Districts) or lawyer to meetings; don’t sign the IEP at the end of the meeting instead take it home and read it over then come back with edits
-Communicate the issues to the District level in writing, cc EVERY PERSON at the top and reference legal action
-blog about it and identify the school and grade level; hiding only perpetuates this type of failure
-this one is going to be tough and should only be done if the IEP is for more mild disabilities, or if the school is completely failing to provide services and you have documented proof of such, or if the current setting is contributing to the severity of the disability or is actually hindering your child’s progress… EXIT YOUR CHILD FROM SPED and require they be moved out the setting altogether.
Realistically, it will never get to the point of needing to exit your child if even two or three families follow these suggestions. Schools HATE when the District finds out about their secrets because it makes them look like they’re terrible at their job. It really is a knock at their competency. In education your reputation gets you promoted so bad press can be hard to overcome.
Lastly, SPED is all about money! No students, no extra money. Low number of students, fewer SPED teachers for UPCOMING school year because they project to determine staffing and funding.
-communicate often and EVERYTHING in writing; when they call you follow-up with a detailed email of the conversation for the record; follow ANY AND ALL face-to-face communication with a flow-up email
-schedule classroom visits; take a pen and document
-tape IEP meetings; bring an advocate (look into SPED teachers from other Districts) or lawyer to meetings; don’t sign the IEP at the end of the meeting instead take it home and read it over then come back with edits
-Communicate the issues to the District level in writing, cc EVERY PERSON at the top and reference legal action
-blog about it and identify the school and grade level; hiding only perpetuates this type of failure
-this one is going to be tough and should only be done if the IEP is for more mild disabilities, or if the school is completely failing to provide services and you have documented proof of such, or if the current setting is contributing to the severity of the disability or is actually hindering your child’s progress… EXIT YOUR CHILD FROM SPED and require they be moved out the setting altogether.
Realistically, it will never get to the point of needing to exit your child if even two or three families follow these suggestions. Schools HATE when the District finds out about their secrets because it makes them look like they’re terrible at their job. It really is a knock at their competency. In education your reputation gets you promoted so bad press can be hard to overcome.
Lastly, SPED is all about money! No students, no extra money. Low number of students, fewer SPED teachers for UPCOMING school year because they project to determine staffing and funding.
Anonymous
08/30/2023 05:58
Subject: Elementary school has only one IEP class per grade
Yes, one could argue this doesn’t meet the LRE clause. It’s almost a ‘contained’ room of all IEPs. There’s no way that’s not restrictive.
Anonymous
08/30/2023 05:38
Subject: Elementary school has only one IEP class per grade
It is terrible for the IEP kids. They should be in the Least Restrictive Environment. This is the opposite. They are in the MOST restrictive environment. Their small groups, partner work, reading groups, projects, etc. are all with other IEP students. This is not helping IEP students. Also, they put one SPED teacher in the class but she is spread too thin to really devote any 1-1 attention on a kid in true need. The IEP students are all clustered together and not mixed and integrated among the grade to learn equally among the population. The school is setting themselves up for a lawsuit.
Anonymous
08/30/2023 02:06
Subject: Elementary school has only one IEP class per grade
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What did the fighting look like? What did you do/say afyer the first "no"?Anonymous wrote:It is awful for some students. I actually had to fight to give up my child’s IEP to get him out if the IEP inclusion class. He has dyslexia and was not really being taught how to read well. The general Ed and special Ed teachers’ and side’s time all got sucked up by behavior and social/emotional problems.
My kid got better services and had a wider choice of friends once he was out of that class. He was in a calmer class and got help from a gen Ed reading teacher.
I first spoke to the special ed teacher and she said it was a great classroom set up for my kid. So then I called the principal who said it was a great system. When I asked how I could get my son out of the class and transfer to a different class, he said I couldn't because my son had an IEP and that is how the school could met his needs. I asked if he didn't have an IEP could he transfer out and he talked around the issue and said how great it was my son was getting help. I said that is the issue he wasn't learning to read in that chaotic environment. There was a kid who often destroyed the classroom so it had to be evacuated. Another kid who constantly made loud humming noises, another one who constantly shouted out or would try to have have running conversations with others, another kid who would run outside and see if the aide would chase him or not come back after recess so the aide would have to stay outside and beg him to come back inside. I then said I wanted to exit my child from special ed. He tried to convince me it was a mistake, then said he couldn't do anything about it and I needed to talk to special ed people.
So I asked for the contact info of sped supervisor, and put it in writing. She called and when I called tried to convince me not to drop the IEP and threatened that they could file due process for dropping it. I said I didn't care and then they made us have an IEP meeting. The special education teacher of course didn't want to lose an easy kids who didn't have any behavior issues. I had to keep saying I want him out of sped and am working with him at home. Someone else told me not to say I was paying for a tutor because then the district would worry that I would later sue them and get them to pay for the tutoring if we dropped the IEP because supposedly they were the experts and I could claim I didn't know any better. Finally they agreed. Then I had to beg and cajole the principal to switch his class. Finally, it worked and he was transferred into an amazingly calm class with a fantastic teacher.
We dropped our iep too as it was the only way out of the classroom. They were pissed as they needed the numbers to justify the staff. They did not follow the iep or do much so it wasn’t a loss at all.
Anonymous
08/30/2023 01:42
Subject: Elementary school has only one IEP class per grade
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What did the fighting look like? What did you do/say afyer the first "no"?Anonymous wrote:It is awful for some students. I actually had to fight to give up my child’s IEP to get him out if the IEP inclusion class. He has dyslexia and was not really being taught how to read well. The general Ed and special Ed teachers’ and side’s time all got sucked up by behavior and social/emotional problems.
My kid got better services and had a wider choice of friends once he was out of that class. He was in a calmer class and got help from a gen Ed reading teacher.
I first spoke to the special ed teacher and she said it was a great classroom set up for my kid. So then I called the principal who said it was a great system. When I asked how I could get my son out of the class and transfer to a different class, he said I couldn't because my son had an IEP and that is how the school could met his needs. I asked if he didn't have an IEP could he transfer out and he talked around the issue and said how great it was my son was getting help. I said that is the issue he wasn't learning to read in that chaotic environment. There was a kid who often destroyed the classroom so it had to be evacuated. Another kid who constantly made loud humming noises, another one who constantly shouted out or would try to have have running conversations with others, another kid who would run outside and see if the aide would chase him or not come back after recess so the aide would have to stay outside and beg him to come back inside. I then said I wanted to exit my child from special ed. He tried to convince me it was a mistake, then said he couldn't do anything about it and I needed to talk to special ed people.
So I asked for the contact info of sped supervisor, and put it in writing. She called and when I called tried to convince me not to drop the IEP and threatened that they could file due process for dropping it. I said I didn't care and then they made us have an IEP meeting. The special education teacher of course didn't want to lose an easy kids who didn't have any behavior issues. I had to keep saying I want him out of sped and am working with him at home. Someone else told me not to say I was paying for a tutor because then the district would worry that I would later sue them and get them to pay for the tutoring if we dropped the IEP because supposedly they were the experts and I could claim I didn't know any better. Finally they agreed. Then I had to beg and cajole the principal to switch his class. Finally, it worked and he was transferred into an amazingly calm class with a fantastic teacher.
This is all kinds of bad. I mean, I’m glad it worked out for your kid, but it doesn’t seem to be working well for the others.
Anonymous
08/30/2023 01:39
Subject: Elementary school has only one IEP class per grade
Anonymous wrote:What did the fighting look like? What did you do/say afyer the first "no"?Anonymous wrote:It is awful for some students. I actually had to fight to give up my child’s IEP to get him out if the IEP inclusion class. He has dyslexia and was not really being taught how to read well. The general Ed and special Ed teachers’ and side’s time all got sucked up by behavior and social/emotional problems.
My kid got better services and had a wider choice of friends once he was out of that class. He was in a calmer class and got help from a gen Ed reading teacher.
I first spoke to the special ed teacher and she said it was a great classroom set up for my kid. So then I called the principal who said it was a great system. When I asked how I could get my son out of the class and transfer to a different class, he said I couldn't because my son had an IEP and that is how the school could met his needs. I asked if he didn't have an IEP could he transfer out and he talked around the issue and said how great it was my son was getting help. I said that is the issue he wasn't learning to read in that chaotic environment. There was a kid who often destroyed the classroom so it had to be evacuated. Another kid who constantly made loud humming noises, another one who constantly shouted out or would try to have have running conversations with others, another kid who would run outside and see if the aide would chase him or not come back after recess so the aide would have to stay outside and beg him to come back inside. I then said I wanted to exit my child from special ed. He tried to convince me it was a mistake, then said he couldn't do anything about it and I needed to talk to special ed people.
So I asked for the contact info of sped supervisor, and put it in writing. She called and when I called tried to convince me not to drop the IEP and threatened that they could file due process for dropping it. I said I didn't care and then they made us have an IEP meeting. The special education teacher of course didn't want to lose an easy kids who didn't have any behavior issues. I had to keep saying I want him out of sped and am working with him at home. Someone else told me not to say I was paying for a tutor because then the district would worry that I would later sue them and get them to pay for the tutoring if we dropped the IEP because supposedly they were the experts and I could claim I didn't know any better. Finally they agreed. Then I had to beg and cajole the principal to switch his class. Finally, it worked and he was transferred into an amazingly calm class with a fantastic teacher.
Anonymous
08/30/2023 00:52
Subject: Elementary school has only one IEP class per grade
What did the fighting look like? What did you do/say afyer the first "no"?Anonymous wrote:It is awful for some students. I actually had to fight to give up my child’s IEP to get him out if the IEP inclusion class. He has dyslexia and was not really being taught how to read well. The general Ed and special Ed teachers’ and side’s time all got sucked up by behavior and social/emotional problems.
My kid got better services and had a wider choice of friends once he was out of that class. He was in a calmer class and got help from a gen Ed reading teacher.
Anonymous
08/29/2023 21:39
Subject: Elementary school has only one IEP class per grade
Anonymous wrote:Wtf, that sucks and is totally unfair for the non-IEP kids
It sucks for the iep kids with mild needs who get ignored because they don’t have enough help and they get ignored.
Anonymous
08/29/2023 21:38
Subject: Elementary school has only one IEP class per grade
Anonymous wrote:Wtf, that sucks and is totally unfair for the non-IEP kids
But not the kids with IEPs who are getting even less support than their plans provide?
Anonymous
08/29/2023 21:37
Subject: Elementary school has only one IEP class per grade
My kid has an extensive IEP for dyslexia and zero behavioral issues. This set up is extremely harmful. It isn’t our problem the schools are short staffed. They need to figure out a better system. Complain enough and they’ll find you a solution.
Anonymous
08/29/2023 21:36
Subject: Elementary school has only one IEP class per grade
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This sounds like it would be against least restrictive environment and you could likely fight against it with a threat of legal action. This is not good for the students or the teacher.
We don’t have enough bodies to meet the service minutes if we split them up. So pick your poison I guess. It’s just reality.
You’re already not giving them their service minutes if the resource teacher is dividing their time between 10 kids. This idea that the mere presence of a resource teacher or aide in the room counts as instructional support is absurd if that person is spending 90% of their time with other students.
Anonymous
08/29/2023 21:35
Subject: Elementary school has only one IEP class per grade
Wtf, that sucks and is totally unfair for the non-IEP kids