Anonymous
Post 02/02/2015 04:43     Subject: Best elementary for special needs in bethesda
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:People come here to tell horror stories. Assuming that because of those horror stories that MCPS sucks is ridiculous.


People express concern as their child's needs are not getting met and private therapies are expensive and not 100% effective if teachers and the school will not work with the parents. It is easy for you to comment if you do not have a special needs child who needs some extra support. Language delays, especially receptive delays are often ignored and then people wonder why these kids struggle so much later on.


I have a special needs child who needs a vast amount of extra support.

Making a blanket statement about "illegal practices in Montgomery County" and teachers who have to be nudged/coerced to follow IEPS everywhere but Bethesda Elementary is elitist and makes me roll my eyes. Bethesda Elementary is one of the county's richest. It's great that everything is hunky dory there and they can sit on their laurels about inclusion and so forth. My hat is genuinely off to them and the parents who can afford to live in that district.

But making a blanket statement that BE is the poo and every other elementary school in Mo Co is shit where parents have to battle for their kids basic IEPs and stand up to illegal practices is (1) bizarre (my kid is at a Title IX elementary where no battles have had to be fought) and (2) does nothing but spread fear, gloom, and anxiety among parents with very young children who make up the majority of readers of this forum. It's like the mothers who feel they have to share the most bloodthirsty tales of their labor and delivery -- I was cut from hip to hip! I labored in agony for 80 hours! The majority of us are happy and getting our IEPs enforced.
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2015 19:54     Subject: Best elementary for special needs in bethesda
Anonymous wrote:Anyone out there with feedback on Bannockburn, Westbrook, Carderock, Burning Tree and Somerset?


A kid with anything more than very mild speech issues will go somewhere other than Bannockburn. They have almost no SN resources.
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2015 19:04     Subject: Best elementary for special needs in bethesda
Anonymous wrote:People come here to tell horror stories. Assuming that because of those horror stories that MCPS sucks is ridiculous.


People express concern as their child's needs are not getting met and private therapies are expensive and not 100% effective if teachers and the school will not work with the parents. It is easy for you to comment if you do not have a special needs child who needs some extra support. Language delays, especially receptive delays are often ignored and then people wonder why these kids struggle so much later on.
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2015 18:52     Subject: Best elementary for special needs in bethesda
Anonymous wrote:People come here to tell horror stories. Assuming that because of those horror stories that MCPS sucks is ridiculous.


That's not what PPs are saying, and when you have a child with special needs you know that specifics matter. The school could be great overall, but one bad case manager on the IEP team can halt your child's progress for the year. That's survivable.
It's worse if foot-dragging comes from the top - parents have switched schools because of antagonistic principals.



Anonymous
Post 02/01/2015 16:54     Subject: Best elementary for special needs in bethesda
People come here to tell horror stories. Assuming that because of those horror stories that MCPS sucks is ridiculous.
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2015 16:21     Subject: Best elementary for special needs in bethesda
Anonymous wrote:Anyone out there with feedback on Bannockburn, Westbrook, Carderock, Burning Tree and Somerset?


I'm the PP with the good experience at BE.
A few years ago I heard terrible stories regarding the accommodation of special needs at Somerset, which is otherwise an excellent school. The principal was highly reluctant to signing off on accommodations requests. However I do not know if she is still there or not.

Anonymous
Post 02/01/2015 15:52     Subject: Best elementary for special needs in bethesda
Bradley Hills?
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2015 15:51     Subject: Best elementary for special needs in bethesda
Anyone out there with feedback on Bannockburn, Westbrook, Carderock, Burning Tree and Somerset?
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2015 14:05     Subject: Best elementary for special needs in bethesda
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Bethesda Elementary School, MCPS.

They are an inclusive school, students with special needs are seated in the general ed classrooms, with appropriate pull-outs when necessary.
Contrary to general (illegal) practices in MCPS,
[i]they are good about evaluating children and creating IEPs.
Most teachers follow through, some need a nudge or two. But it is vastly better than other public school, and I imagine, general private schools, who have no obligation to cater to students with special needs.

We moved so that DS could go to BE. So far after 5 years of school, it's been good. Educating such children is always difficult and constant adjustments must be made, since they are continually growing and transitioning. We are satisfied.



Please clarify this statement. My DS attended Wood Acres, a highly regarded MoCo Bethesda area ES, so I want to understand what you mean by this statement. thanks.


Not bashing Wood Acres in particular, PP. I know some people there, and they have not complained about that (displacement because of construction, but that's another subject!). However I have heard complaints again and again from parents of children with special needs on different SN forums and focus groups, who did not get their basic needs met in MCPS schools. As in, refusal to evaluate a child (illegal), refusal to create an IEP after the parent has provided a damming private evaluation from an expert at great expense (illegal), or refusal to follow-through on the IEP once created (illegal). Refusal to comply is most often very insidious and difficult to manage on the part of the parent. Without a clear mandate from the school principal, and a proactive and experienced IEP team, teachers may not understand clearly what to do with an IEP, and may not even be aware they are breaking the law. Stalling is a particularly effective and frustrating tactic - parents are told that their child's issues will resolve with time, that they are still within the range of normal, etc. And they keep punting to the next school until the child's needs are too monstrous to ignore, and far more difficult to manage. Parents are also told that a particular need is not within the school's mandate to accommodate, and parents need to be highly knowledgeable in order to parse the mounds of paperwork and fine print to point out that in fact, it is.
There is a heavy burden placed on the parents to educate themselves on their child's rights, and either negotiate with the school themselves, or hire an expensive advocate (there are plenty being kept in business in the area!) to mediate with the school. It can get ugly quickly if everybody gets defensive and retaliatory, and ultimately the one who suffers most is the child.

In contrast, there is not such an atmosphere of mistrust at BE. Which is not to say that everything is perfect, far from it! Accommodating special needs can never be perfect. However in 5 years everyone has shown themselves willing, within their competency, to do what's best for my child. And that's half the battle already!





Oh, I didn't think you were bashing at all, just wanted to understand what you were saying.
[b]Our experience at Wood Acres was that the school - admin and teachers- bent over backwards to provide whatever DS needed. Actually we didn't have to ask for one accommodation..they gave them to us before we even realized DS needed them. He was general ED for science and social studies, pulled out for reading and math into self-contained.


This is so nice to hear. We just moved into this school district and I expect both my kids will need an IEP when the time comes.
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2015 12:45     Subject: Best elementary for special needs in bethesda
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Bethesda Elementary School, MCPS.

They are an inclusive school, students with special needs are seated in the general ed classrooms, with appropriate pull-outs when necessary.
Contrary to general (illegal) practices in MCPS,
[b][i]they are good about evaluating children and creating IEPs.
Most teachers follow through, some need a nudge or two. But it is vastly better than other public school, and I imagine, general private schools, who have no obligation to cater to students with special needs.

We moved so that DS could go to BE. So far after 5 years of school, it's been good. Educating such children is always difficult and constant adjustments must be made, since they are continually growing and transitioning. We are satisfied.



Please clarify this statement. My DS attended Wood Acres, a highly regarded MoCo Bethesda area ES, so I want to understand what you mean by this statement. thanks.


Not bashing Wood Acres in particular, PP. I know some people there, and they have not complained about that (displacement because of construction, but that's another subject!). However I have heard complaints again and again from parents of children with special needs on different SN forums and focus groups, who did not get their basic needs met in MCPS schools. As in, refusal to evaluate a child (illegal), refusal to create an IEP after the parent has provided a damming private evaluation from an expert at great expense (illegal), or refusal to follow-through on the IEP once created (illegal). Refusal to comply is most often very insidious and difficult to manage on the part of the parent. Without a clear mandate from the school principal, and a proactive and experienced IEP team, teachers may not understand clearly what to do with an IEP, and may not even be aware they are breaking the law. Stalling is a particularly effective and frustrating tactic - parents are told that their child's issues will resolve with time, that they are still within the range of normal, etc. And they keep punting to the next school until the child's needs are too monstrous to ignore, and far more difficult to manage. Parents are also told that a particular need is not within the school's mandate to accommodate, and parents need to be highly knowledgeable in order to parse the mounds of paperwork and fine print to point out that in fact, it is.
There is a heavy burden placed on the parents to educate themselves on their child's rights, and either negotiate with the school themselves, or hire an expensive advocate (there are plenty being kept in business in the area!) to mediate with the school. It can get ugly quickly if everybody gets defensive and retaliatory, and ultimately the one who suffers most is the child.

In contrast, there is not such an atmosphere of mistrust at BE. Which is not to say that everything is perfect, far from it! Accommodating special needs can never be perfect. However in 5 years everyone has shown themselves willing, within their competency, to do what's best for my child. And that's half the battle already!





Oh, I didn't think you were bashing at all, just wanted to understand what you were saying.
Our experience at Wood Acres was that the school - admin and teachers- bent over backwards to provide whatever DS needed. Actually we didn't have to ask for one accommodation..they gave them to us before we even realized DS needed them. He was general ED for science and social studies, pulled out for reading and math into self-contained.


Wish that was our experience but sadly, no. We fought for an IEP or 504 but got all the stalling and delaying tactics from the principal and psychologist.(Individual teachers were great and did as much as they could but my child needed more.) We supplemented with tutoring and counciling, all out of pocket. Once we reached MS his needs were addressed immediately and he had an IEP within months. Makes me crazy to know how much stress DC and our family went through to try and get services at Wood Acres that were needed and should have been provided. Made school so much more difficult that it needed to be.
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2015 12:44     Subject: Best elementary for special needs in bethesda
Anonymous wrote:How severe is the speech/language? Has to be pretty severe to qualify for services. Most schools don't understand sensory issues unless they are, again, pretty severe.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My little one has speech, language and sensory issues.any bethesda elementary recommendations for those specific issues?



Most schools will not do anything for sensory issues unless it's causing major behavioral issues.
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2015 12:41     Subject: Best elementary for special needs in bethesda
How severe is the speech/language? Has to be pretty severe to qualify for services. Most schools don't understand sensory issues unless they are, again, pretty severe.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My little one has speech, language and sensory issues.any bethesda elementary recommendations for those specific issues?
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2015 12:29     Subject: Best elementary for special needs in bethesda
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Bethesda Elementary School, MCPS.

They are an inclusive school, students with special needs are seated in the general ed classrooms, with appropriate pull-outs when necessary.
Contrary to general (illegal) practices in MCPS,
[b][i]they are good about evaluating children and creating IEPs.
Most teachers follow through, some need a nudge or two. But it is vastly better than other public school, and I imagine, general private schools, who have no obligation to cater to students with special needs.

We moved so that DS could go to BE. So far after 5 years of school, it's been good. Educating such children is always difficult and constant adjustments must be made, since they are continually growing and transitioning. We are satisfied.



Please clarify this statement. My DS attended Wood Acres, a highly regarded MoCo Bethesda area ES, so I want to understand what you mean by this statement. thanks.


Not bashing Wood Acres in particular, PP. I know some people there, and they have not complained about that (displacement because of construction, but that's another subject!). However I have heard complaints again and again from parents of children with special needs on different SN forums and focus groups, who did not get their basic needs met in MCPS schools. As in, refusal to evaluate a child (illegal), refusal to create an IEP after the parent has provided a damming private evaluation from an expert at great expense (illegal), or refusal to follow-through on the IEP once created (illegal). Refusal to comply is most often very insidious and difficult to manage on the part of the parent. Without a clear mandate from the school principal, and a proactive and experienced IEP team, teachers may not understand clearly what to do with an IEP, and may not even be aware they are breaking the law. Stalling is a particularly effective and frustrating tactic - parents are told that their child's issues will resolve with time, that they are still within the range of normal, etc. And they keep punting to the next school until the child's needs are too monstrous to ignore, and far more difficult to manage. Parents are also told that a particular need is not within the school's mandate to accommodate, and parents need to be highly knowledgeable in order to parse the mounds of paperwork and fine print to point out that in fact, it is.
There is a heavy burden placed on the parents to educate themselves on their child's rights, and either negotiate with the school themselves, or hire an expensive advocate (there are plenty being kept in business in the area!) to mediate with the school. It can get ugly quickly if everybody gets defensive and retaliatory, and ultimately the one who suffers most is the child.

In contrast, there is not such an atmosphere of mistrust at BE. Which is not to say that everything is perfect, far from it! Accommodating special needs can never be perfect. However in 5 years everyone has shown themselves willing, within their competency, to do what's best for my child. And that's half the battle already!





Oh, I didn't think you were bashing at all, just wanted to understand what you were saying.
Our experience at Wood Acres was that the school - admin and teachers- bent over backwards to provide whatever DS needed. Actually we didn't have to ask for one accommodation..they gave them to us before we even realized DS needed them. He was general ED for science and social studies, pulled out for reading and math into self-contained.
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2015 10:34     Subject: Best elementary for special needs in bethesda
Bethesda Elementary.
We are not Wood Acres but the Wood Acres post could have been written about our school which is also in Bethesda.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My little one has speech, language and sensory issues.any bethesda elementary recommendations for those specific issues?
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2015 10:16     Subject: Best elementary for special needs in bethesda
Anonymous wrote:OP here. My little one has speech, language and sensory issues.any bethesda elementary recommendations for those specific issues?


PP with the child at BE here. I don't know about sensory issues, but Kathleen Flaherty, the speech therapist at BE, is WONDERFUL. She has been there for decades (treated my cousin years ago at that school), and my child improved with her when all other (private) STs had made no headway at all. And this in a group setting, when the other STs had been one-on-one. She really "got" my son, and every parent I have spoken with has been very happy with her. Because of her seniority, she does not hesitate to speak up during IEP meetings to advocate for the child's best interest when I have seen younger and less experienced therapists/paraeducators just going with the flow.