The person in charge of the special ed program at Mann, Ms. Braswell, is absolutely amazing. They tested our daughter when they thought there were some issues - we thought about doing it ourselves and then realized it costs thousands of dollars and that most parents have to agitate for years to get testing - and they got us airtight IEP/504s for going on to the next school, which has to honor them unless they can provide good cause. THAT in and of itself is worth its weight in gold.

In terms of the publicly offered PT/OT/SLP it is like every other public school - if your kid really has issues in one area, use the school but also go private. We are eternally grateful to Mann for addressing these issues, and we have heard that the MoCo special ed being better is a myth. Mann is small enough so they can focus and handle whoever comes their way. I cannot say enough about their wonderful treatment of sn kids and their parents.

I am the person with kids at mann, one of them has a 504 plan and so long as you are the best advocate you can be for your child, getting help will be no problem. I don't think kids are left on their own, it is a very small school and everyone knows everyone else, the teachers talk to one another when some insight is needed on a particular student, and the class size may change after the renovation. Mann is supposed to house 200 students including the trailers and is at about 300, but that is half the size of all the other blue ribbon DCPS elementaries nearby (Key and Janney) Also, I want to say that the person who said that Janney had a better social atmosphere yet has no children there does not know what they are talking about. My kids attended nursery school that "feeds into" and are in scouts with a number of Janney students, and they are different socially but Janney is so big that oftentimes parents and kids don't know each other-same with Key. EVERYONE knows everyone at Mann> the median income is greater at Mann most likely, and the ambassador's residences are in the Mann boundaries, so you have a lot of international kids that way (as does Key via World Bankers and IMFers vs Mann's embassy employees) and that alone may make you feel more at ease since you are coming from abroad. Mann is VERY proud of its international student body, and there is a great deal of ESL support considering its size. My daughter one year had 2 kids from Italy join her class, where there were two Italian kids in place already, and the ESL teacher practically lived in their classroom that year.

My kids have gone to Mann for 5 years now, and adore it. If you are moving to the Mann boundary area and planning to remain here through middle school, though, I would make sure that you are in the Deal middle school boundary as, despite its small student body (about 300 prek-5th), Mann feeds into 2 middle schools, and while Hardy is getting better, there's no comparison between the two (my kids will not be going to either). I suggest you come and meet with Liz the principal and decide firsthand.

Anonymous wrote:OP, can you afford private middle school? If not, Mann district is only good for elem, then it's a like starting all over again looking for schoools. Plus, if I had a SN kid- even minor issue- I would prefer the MC public schools over DC for the great resources alone. Montgomery county schools are great all the way through HS, where as Mann parents start pulling their hair out around 3rd grade as they start applying for privates and/or charters. The competition for DC private schools is tough, so think about that now before you decide to buy. Middle school comes around faster than you think.

Good point. DCPS's reputation with SN students is a nightmare.

OP, can you afford private middle school? If not, Mann district is only good for elem, then it's a like starting all over again looking for schoools. Plus, if I had a SN kid- even minor issue- I would prefer the MC public schools over DC for the great resources alone. Montgomery county schools are great all the way through HS, where as Mann parents start pulling their hair out around 3rd grade as they start applying for privates and/or charters. The competition for DC private schools is tough, so think about that now before you decide to buy. Middle school comes around faster than you think.