Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After having kids at Nottingham for almost 10 years we pulled our kids a couple of years ago and put them in private school. We had said for years that something was off with one of our kids only to be constantly assured the child was testing above grade level and fine: We finally had outside testing done and learned dyslexia was causing the problem. The year we pulled our kids, several other families did for the same reason. I was not appreciate the way the principal treated us when we pulled our kids. It seemed like she took it very personally that we were putting them in private rather doing what we thought would be best so our child could receive the needed services.

If this happened a couple of years ago, then it probably wasn’t under the current principal.

I'm the OP of the above post and it absolutely happened under the current principal. I know people had issues with the previous principal as well but our experience was with the current one. The conversation I had with her and the new assistant principal when we pulled our kids was extremely disappointing.

Every conversation we’ve had has been disappointing as well. P needs to learn some basic manners if wants to be a respected leader.

if my child wasn't actually getting poor grades or acting out in class


Schools are required to identify students with disabilities but how are they supposed to identify students who are not displaying academic or behavioral issues? If there is no academic impact there is no need for IEP testing which is to provide access to the gen ed curriculum. If your student is performing to grade level expectations then they have adequate access.

504 is different because it's not an academic impact that is required so much as an activity of daily living so it's more broad but only offers accommodations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After having kids at Nottingham for almost 10 years we pulled our kids a couple of years ago and put them in private school. We had said for years that something was off with one of our kids only to be constantly assured the child was testing above grade level and fine: We finally had outside testing done and learned dyslexia was causing the problem. The year we pulled our kids, several other families did for the same reason. I was not appreciate the way the principal treated us when we pulled our kids. It seemed like she took it very personally that we were putting them in private rather doing what we thought would be best so our child could receive the needed services.

If this happened a couple of years ago, then it probably wasn’t under the current principal.

I'm the OP of the above post and it absolutely happened under the current principal. I know people had issues with the previous principal as well but our experience was with the current one. The conversation I had with her and the new assistant principal when we pulled our kids was extremely disappointing.

I posted earlier in this thread that I had a similar kind of experience at McKinley. I don't know if all APS schools are like this, but I too had the experience that if my child wasn't actually getting poor grades or acting out in class in ways that disturbed other students, the school felt like testing for learning disabilities or other issues was not warranted. Even where the school knew our child was experiencing anxiety, difficulty managing the work, hated school, etc. -- I guess they seemed to view that as not their problem, like maybe the anxiety was caused by the family and not a function of having problems with the schoolwork.

That is why I recommend to folks reading this to get your child tested privately if you have any worries or concerns that something isn't quite right, whatever school you are at. Do NOT trust your school to have your best interests at heart. We frankly misunderstood the relationship between our school and our child -- the school ultimately cares primarily about itself and its ability to manage all of the kids under its supervision. If your child "fits" and is passing the SOLs, the school may feel it has bigger problems. So get testing if there is ever a concern if you can afford it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After having kids at Nottingham for almost 10 years we pulled our kids a couple of years ago and put them in private school. We had said for years that something was off with one of our kids only to be constantly assured the child was testing above grade level and fine: We finally had outside testing done and learned dyslexia was causing the problem. The year we pulled our kids, several other families did for the same reason. I was not appreciate the way the principal treated us when we pulled our kids. It seemed like she took it very personally that we were putting them in private rather doing what we thought would be best so our child could receive the needed services.

If this happened a couple of years ago, then it probably wasn’t under the current principal.

I'm the OP of the above post and it absolutely happened under the current principal. I know people had issues with the previous principal as well but our experience was with the current one. The conversation I had with her and the new assistant principal when we pulled our kids was extremely disappointing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nottingham IEPs are torture, absolute torture. They intentionally make it feel uncomfortable & intimidating. I don’t know about other schools though

That has not been our experience at Nottingham, but I recognize that not everyone has the same experience at any school. Special education is a mess in this country, but that’s a far more complex issue than just blaming the local schools (hello inadequately funded federal mandate).

Do parents bring advocates to these meetings? It seems like such a steep learning curve to learn about all of these things while the clock is ticking on child’s growth and needs. Though of course, not everyone can afford to spend $$ on an attorney / specialist to help them
Navigate through these issues

Yes, you’ll want to hire an advocate.

We’ve never needed an advocate to get out kids the services and accommodations they need.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nottingham IEPs are torture, absolute torture. They intentionally make it feel uncomfortable & intimidating. I don’t know about other schools though

That has not been our experience at Nottingham, but I recognize that not everyone has the same experience at any school. Special education is a mess in this country, but that’s a far more complex issue than just blaming the local schools (hello inadequately funded federal mandate).

Do parents bring advocates to these meetings? It seems like such a steep learning curve to learn about all of these things while the clock is ticking on child’s growth and needs. Though of course, not everyone can afford to spend $$ on an attorney / specialist to help them
Navigate through these issues

Yes, you’ll want to hire an advocate.

Anonymous wrote:After having kids at Nottingham for almost 10 years we pulled our kids a couple of years ago and put them in private school. We had said for years that something was off with one of our kids only to be constantly assured the child was testing above grade level and fine: We finally had outside testing done and learned dyslexia was causing the problem. The year we pulled our kids, several other families did for the same reason. I was not appreciate the way the principal treated us when we pulled our kids. It seemed like she took it very personally that we were putting them in private rather doing what we thought would be best so our child could receive the needed services.

If this happened a couple of years ago, then it probably wasn’t under the current principal.

After having kids at Nottingham for almost 10 years we pulled our kids a couple of years ago and put them in private school. We had said for years that something was off with one of our kids only to be constantly assured the child was testing above grade level and fine: We finally had outside testing done and learned dyslexia was causing the problem. The year we pulled our kids, several other families did for the same reason. I was not appreciate the way the principal treated us when we pulled our kids. It seemed like she took it very personally that we were putting them in private rather doing what we thought would be best so our child could receive the needed services.

I’ve never felt like I needed a lawyer or advocate. We are at Nottingham and we have had 3 meetings this year between amendments and eligibility and IEP. I feel like they basically wanted to give us whatever we wanted.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nottingham IEPs are torture, absolute torture. They intentionally make it feel uncomfortable & intimidating. I don’t know about other schools though

That has not been our experience at Nottingham, but I recognize that not everyone has the same experience at any school. Special education is a mess in this country, but that’s a far more complex issue than just blaming the local schools (hello inadequately funded federal mandate).

Do parents bring advocates to these meetings? It seems like such a steep learning curve to learn about all of these things while the clock is ticking on child’s growth and needs. Though of course, not everyone can afford to spend $$ on an attorney / specialist to help them
Navigate through these issues

Not at Nottingham, but our APS IEP meetings started getting easier when we started bringing a lawyer with us. But that's what it took. Worth it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nottingham IEPs are torture, absolute torture. They intentionally make it feel uncomfortable & intimidating. I don’t know about other schools though

That has not been our experience at Nottingham, but I recognize that not everyone has the same experience at any school. Special education is a mess in this country, but that’s a far more complex issue than just blaming the local schools (hello inadequately funded federal mandate).

Do parents bring advocates to these meetings? It seems like such a steep learning curve to learn about all of these things while the clock is ticking on child’s growth and needs. Though of course, not everyone can afford to spend $$ on an attorney / specialist to help them
Navigate through these issues

Anonymous wrote:Nottingham IEPs are torture, absolute torture. They intentionally make it feel uncomfortable & intimidating. I don’t know about other schools though

That has not been our experience at Nottingham, but I recognize that not everyone has the same experience at any school. Special education is a mess in this country, but that’s a far more complex issue than just blaming the local schools (hello inadequately funded federal mandate).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nottingham IEPs are torture, absolute torture. They intentionally make it feel uncomfortable & intimidating. I don’t know about other schools though

My experience at Nottingham IEP meetings was the same.

I can't speak to the IEP meetings at Nottingham; but they are definitely NOT torture at all schools. I've never had an issue with any IEP meetings in south Arlington schools until freshman year at Wakefield, mostly due to a completely incompetent case carrier and a bunch of fill-ins on the team who didn't know my child and were mainly interested in defending their colleagues. Subsequent case carrier and IEP meeting....smooth sailing and the shortest duration we've ever had.

Anonymous wrote:Nottingham IEPs are torture, absolute torture. They intentionally make it feel uncomfortable & intimidating. I don’t know about other schools though

My experience at Nottingham IEP meetings was the same.

Nottingham IEPs are torture, absolute torture. They intentionally make it feel uncomfortable & intimidating. I don’t know about other schools though