Anonymous
10/23/2013 15:12
Subject: Re:Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS
I've read this thread a couple of times and would be interested in any constructive input.
We currently have an IEP for our son, but the school seems to be unable to meet those expectations and realistically, given our son's condition, it seems unlikely that they will be able to. The school administration has been great in trying to accommodate his particular needs, but he is not advancing and we are coming to the conclusion that we will need to explore private options.
He has an aide, but they come from a company that contract’s with the DCPS and will never have the appropriate educational or medical background.
Our son has an ill-defined form of catastrophic epileptic encephalopathy. Ill-defined means there's no cause that can be identified despite going to Georgetown, Children's, Johns Hopkins, and NYU for evaluations.
He has frequent seizures that are resistant to conventional therapy and there is a waxing and waning cognitive component (has had a number of neuropsychological evaluations) on top of the difficulty associated with trying to think after recovering from multiple seizures (post-ictial) before and during school.
There's a lot more, but given the educational challenges and significant health risks (we take turns sleeping with him so that we can give him rescue medication to stop seizure clusters and monitor out of concern of Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP)), I'm looking for thoughts regarding private placement.
My questions are:
So many of the stories here and elsewhere are heartbreaking, but is the health risk and issue that is considered for getting private placement?
We know families who go to the Lab School and have great things to say about it, but are there any recommendations or thoughts on alternatives?
Has anyone had similar experience with these kinds of health issues, frequent seizures, and were you successful in receiving private placement? And if so where did you go and why?
Are there any thoughts on anything else?
I'm just coming from another heartbreaking experience at his school and Would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions.
Thank you
We currently have an IEP for our son, but the school seems to be unable to meet those expectations and realistically, given our son's condition, it seems unlikely that they will be able to. The school administration has been great in trying to accommodate his particular needs, but he is not advancing and we are coming to the conclusion that we will need to explore private options.
He has an aide, but they come from a company that contract’s with the DCPS and will never have the appropriate educational or medical background.
Our son has an ill-defined form of catastrophic epileptic encephalopathy. Ill-defined means there's no cause that can be identified despite going to Georgetown, Children's, Johns Hopkins, and NYU for evaluations.
He has frequent seizures that are resistant to conventional therapy and there is a waxing and waning cognitive component (has had a number of neuropsychological evaluations) on top of the difficulty associated with trying to think after recovering from multiple seizures (post-ictial) before and during school.
There's a lot more, but given the educational challenges and significant health risks (we take turns sleeping with him so that we can give him rescue medication to stop seizure clusters and monitor out of concern of Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP)), I'm looking for thoughts regarding private placement.
My questions are:
So many of the stories here and elsewhere are heartbreaking, but is the health risk and issue that is considered for getting private placement?
We know families who go to the Lab School and have great things to say about it, but are there any recommendations or thoughts on alternatives?
Has anyone had similar experience with these kinds of health issues, frequent seizures, and were you successful in receiving private placement? And if so where did you go and why?
Are there any thoughts on anything else?
I'm just coming from another heartbreaking experience at his school and Would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions.
Thank you
Anonymous
10/08/2013 21:19
Subject: Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Thank you, pp.
What some people don't seem to grasp is that funding for private placement does not include placement at any ol'private school.
There is a list of accredited SPECIAL ED schools that are dedicated to kids with learning disabilities. The schoos on the list are the only schools that can be considered.
It's not like these kids are being funded at Sidwell Friend, Georgetown day, Maret or St. ALBANS.
Private placement means Lab school, ivy mount, Kingsbury, etc.WHICH COST EVEN MORE
Don't think that these parents are getting away with anything! Believe me, we wish our child could attend our local public school with all our neighborhood kids and have his IEP needs met, but DC has no program in place to serve his needs.
The affluent, white parents I know personally in ward 3 who hire $400 an hour attorneys to (attempt to) get their privileged, white children into Diener and Lab will tell you flat out that the Dieners and Kingsburies are preferable to Murch and Hyde and Mann. That the dedicated privates have better programs overall. What they don't say, because it isn't true, is that NO DCPS could ever meet the needs of,their ADHD of with apraxia. Not at all. Just that Diener would do a better job.
What do you say about them, these lawyers and consultants who were savvy enough to at least try to work the system to get the very best school in the region for their particular kid, on my dime? Why can't they settle for the /A/ in FAPE -- "adequate"? They'll tell you right out (because they erroneously assume the same mindset) that, say, Janney was OK and Nate was doing OK but that they hear the program at ivymount is phenomenal.
I'm sure it is probably better I resent that they want me and my neighbors to pay for it instead of them.
Simple: the A stands for Appropriate, not Adequate.
Resent all you want, your bitterness over civil rights law says more about you than it does about children with special needs. Fundamentally you're no different than a red-lined racist who resents having to pay for black children to be bused in to attend the schools in your neighborhood.
I'm glad you're resentful, and you have to suck it up.
Now instead of bitching on DCUM, go advocate for high-quality schools here in DC so that you don't have to pay to send children elsewhere.
Anonymous
10/08/2013 09:37
Subject: Re:Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS
I'd like to throw in my $0.02. We are in a similar situation in MoCo, and have decided to move our 6th grader to private. He has a robust IEP, attends a special program, but the school is not following his IEP or providing the required accommodations for him to access the curriculum. The county is failing our son, and we cannot sit by and watch him crash and burn. We've been to this rodeo before, and have decided to cut our losses and pull him before any more damage is done. We've hired advocates in the past, and understand that it is a costly and time-consuming exercise. Worth it if you can get what you need, but we've been fighting this fight for four years.
So while MoCo touts its services and programs, please don't make a move assuming that your child will be taken care of. FAPE or no, IEP or no, it often boils down to the individual teachers and staff as to whether or not your child's needs are met. There is a lot of lip service, and a lot of promises, and we have the law on our side, but there are no guarantees. You have one shot at this, and you need to get your child in the right setting before they go off the rails.
Good luck.
So while MoCo touts its services and programs, please don't make a move assuming that your child will be taken care of. FAPE or no, IEP or no, it often boils down to the individual teachers and staff as to whether or not your child's needs are met. There is a lot of lip service, and a lot of promises, and we have the law on our side, but there are no guarantees. You have one shot at this, and you need to get your child in the right setting before they go off the rails.
Good luck.
Anonymous
10/06/2013 23:56
Subject: Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS
Anonymous wrote:Be very cautious with special ed attorneys and consultants.
They are often way to optimistic and don't present a realist view of what is happening in these cases. Since Gray entered office, there have been a tremendous cutback of private funding, even in solid cases.
If attorneys presented a realistic scenario, they'd scare aware
Clients.
If you don't have independent testing and advocates/therapists to testify about your child, you will never win. Bringing a case will easily cost 20K (attorney's fees, expert testimony, independent testing, etc).
Even if you prevail, no one wins funding for more than one year-you have to continue a lengthy, stressful and expensive case EVERY year.
In the end, even if you win against a system stacked against you, you may come ahead by $10-$15K each year once all fees have been paid. Most attorney's fees are well above what DC will reimburse if you win.
These cases are time consuming and stressful for families. DCPS drags things out as much as possible to cost you more legal fees, hoping you'll give up.
If it were a one time thing, maybe it would be worth it but having to repeat the inevitable insanity every year is not worth it!
Please shut up. That is not true. You are obviously ignorant of the law, your misinformation is misleading and possibly designed to discourage. Just shut up. Keep your ignorance to yourself before you infect somebody else.
Let's bring it down a few notches, shall we? OP asked for help in an anonymous forum to hear about experiences and opinions from parents, not to get legal advice. We all know that every case is different and we have all faced frustrations or we wouldn't be checking this forum. This thread is about a child's education and a family's emotional well-being. There's no need to twist it into being about adults shutting up, getting therapy, or paying taxes.
FWIW, our experience has been similar to PP's who said it is not worth it. However, we have chosen to go the year-by-year route for our own reasons. Every case, like every child, is different.
Before spending more money on professional services or moving, explore public and charter options in DC for yourself. If you find a program and administrators in a public or charter school who can and want to implement IEP, then OSSE will be able to help your child get into that public or charter school to ensure FAPE in LRE. (God, I hate acronyms.) Do the same homework for MCPS before thinking about moving.
If a specific private school can implement your child's IEP and your child has been accepted at said school and you enroll your child by paying fees upfront, then you might get reimbursement for tuition but not necessarily fees or outside services.
The new normal, for good or bad and for lots of reasons, is that DCPS will not proactively place or pay for your child to go to a private school.
HTH
Anonymous
10/06/2013 13:54
Subject: Re:Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS
[quote]IB school isn't a fit, school agrees. IEP hasn't been implemented. We have consultant and lawyer. Child is disruptive and learning delay. Is there any chance of a private placement? My DH thinks we will be fine. Maybe I have been on here too long but I think our chances are slim to none but not sure what will happen. Will they try to move DC to another school? Not autistic so not sure what DCPS program would work. I don't want DC to suffer anymore and want to move to MCPS. That worries me too since I don't know their process. Just go private or hold out hope for a placement?
[/quote]
OP, your question is difficult to answer without more details, which, I understand, you may not feel comfortable sharing. For example, what exactly is the diagnosis, and why hasn't the IEP been implemented? Has the IB school not implemented because they can't and that is the basis of why they agree that they are not a fit? if so, please know that this automatically doesn't mean a private placement. More likely, it means another DCPS school where your child can be accommodated. You will be expected to try that option, and any other options, before DCPS will agree to a private placement. Yes, an advocate and lawyer can object to this process, but the DCPS defense that they can't provide a FAPE is often that you weren't willing to give them a chance to use their resources. I'm not suggesting this is right or wrong, I'm just saying this is how it goes.
So, while you may eventually win funding for a private placement, it takes a long time and is uphill and you will want to consider whether, given the specifics of your child's challenges, you want to continue in this process or go private on your own, or move to another system.
It's a difficult system all the way around and I wish you luck in whatever you choose to do.
[/quote]
OP, your question is difficult to answer without more details, which, I understand, you may not feel comfortable sharing. For example, what exactly is the diagnosis, and why hasn't the IEP been implemented? Has the IB school not implemented because they can't and that is the basis of why they agree that they are not a fit? if so, please know that this automatically doesn't mean a private placement. More likely, it means another DCPS school where your child can be accommodated. You will be expected to try that option, and any other options, before DCPS will agree to a private placement. Yes, an advocate and lawyer can object to this process, but the DCPS defense that they can't provide a FAPE is often that you weren't willing to give them a chance to use their resources. I'm not suggesting this is right or wrong, I'm just saying this is how it goes.
So, while you may eventually win funding for a private placement, it takes a long time and is uphill and you will want to consider whether, given the specifics of your child's challenges, you want to continue in this process or go private on your own, or move to another system.
It's a difficult system all the way around and I wish you luck in whatever you choose to do.
Anonymous
10/06/2013 13:51
Subject: Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS
Poster 13:24
My child's special ed tuition is less than Sidwell Friends and sat. Albans. Not by much, but ess.
My child's special ed tuition is less than Sidwell Friends and sat. Albans. Not by much, but ess.
Anonymous
10/06/2013 13:42
Subject: Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS
Forgive me, but my child made no progress (proved by extensive testing by DCPS & independent evaluators) in two years within DCPS. In fact, his math scores decline in the two years he wasted inside DCPS.
Zero growth in any area?
Is that appropriate education (fAPe)?
Should we have let Our child rot in DCPS until grade 12 or whenever he stopped being promoted? I guess ignoring that he can barely read at age 11 is just fine until he applies for welfare and Medicare at age 18, which tax payers will have to pay for for decades. Keep kicking the can.
If DC can't follow the Ferderal law by implementing appropriate programs, they need to pay Now---or pay a lot more later.
By the way, he has made more progress in one year of private school than 3 years of DCPS.
Zero growth in any area?
Is that appropriate education (fAPe)?
Should we have let Our child rot in DCPS until grade 12 or whenever he stopped being promoted? I guess ignoring that he can barely read at age 11 is just fine until he applies for welfare and Medicare at age 18, which tax payers will have to pay for for decades. Keep kicking the can.
If DC can't follow the Ferderal law by implementing appropriate programs, they need to pay Now---or pay a lot more later.
By the way, he has made more progress in one year of private school than 3 years of DCPS.
Anonymous
10/06/2013 13:24
Subject: Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Thank you, pp.
What some people don't seem to grasp is that funding for private placement does not include placement at any ol'private school.
There is a list of accredited SPECIAL ED schools that are dedicated to kids with learning disabilities. The schoos on the list are the only schools that can be considered.
It's not like these kids are being funded at Sidwell Friend, Georgetown day, Maret or St. ALBANS.
Private placement means Lab school, ivy mount, Kingsbury, etc.WHICH COST EVEN MORE
Don't think that these parents are getting away with anything! Believe me, we wish our child could attend our local public school with all our neighborhood kids and have his IEP needs met, but DC has no program in place to serve his needs.
The affluent, white parents I know personally in ward 3 who hire $400 an hour attorneys to (attempt to) get their privileged, white children into Diener and Lab will tell you flat out that the Dieners and Kingsburies are preferable to Murch and Hyde and Mann. That the dedicated privates have better programs overall. What they don't say, because it isn't true, is that NO DCPS could ever meet the needs of,their ADHD of with apraxia. Not at all. Just that Diener would do a better job.
What do you say about them, these lawyers and consultants who were savvy enough to at least try to work the system to get the very best school in the region for their particular kid, on my dime? Why can't they settle for the /A/ in FAPE -- "adequate"? They'll tell you right out (because they erroneously assume the same mindset) that, say, Janney was OK and Nate was doing OK but that they hear the program at ivymount is phenomenal.
I'm sure it is probably better I resent that they want me and my neighbors to pay for it instead of them.
What are you talking about? I don't think Diener even accepts special education funding. And the A in FAPE is not for adequate -- it's for approrpriate.
Anonymous
10/06/2013 13:24
Subject: Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Thank you, pp.
What some people don't seem to grasp is that funding for private placement does not include placement at any ol'private school.
There is a list of accredited SPECIAL ED schools that are dedicated to kids with learning disabilities. The schoos on the list are the only schools that can be considered.
It's not like these kids are being funded at Sidwell Friend, Georgetown day, Maret or St. ALBANS.
Private placement means Lab school, ivy mount, Kingsbury, etc.WHICH COST EVEN MORE
Don't think that these parents are getting away with anything! Believe me, we wish our child could attend our local public school with all our neighborhood kids and have his IEP needs met, but DC has no program in place to serve his needs.
The affluent, white parents I know personally in ward 3 who hire $400 an hour attorneys to (attempt to) get their privileged, white children into Diener and Lab will tell you flat out that the Dieners and Kingsburies are preferable to Murch and Hyde and Mann. That the dedicated privates have better programs overall. What they don't say, because it isn't true, is that NO DCPS could ever meet the needs of,their ADHD of with apraxia. Not at all. Just that Diener would do a better job.
What do you say about them, these lawyers and consultants who were savvy enough to at least try to work the system to get the very best school in the region for their particular kid, on my dime? Why can't they settle for the /A/ in FAPE -- "adequate"? They'll tell you right out (because they erroneously assume the same mindset) that, say, Janney was OK and Nate was doing OK but that they hear the program at ivymount is phenomenal.
I'm sure it is probably better I resent that they want me and my neighbors to pay for it instead of them.
The "A" is actually 'apprpriate', not adequate. But your point is still made.
Anonymous
10/06/2013 13:11
Subject: Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS
Anonymous wrote:Thank you, pp.
What some people don't seem to grasp is that funding for private placement does not include placement at any ol'private school.
There is a list of accredited SPECIAL ED schools that are dedicated to kids with learning disabilities. The schoos on the list are the only schools that can be considered.
It's not like these kids are being funded at Sidwell Friend, Georgetown day, Maret or St. ALBANS.
Private placement means Lab school, ivy mount, Kingsbury, etc.WHICH COST EVEN MORE
Don't think that these parents are getting away with anything! Believe me, we wish our child could attend our local public school with all our neighborhood kids and have his IEP needs met, but DC has no program in place to serve his needs.
The affluent, white parents I know personally in ward 3 who hire $400 an hour attorneys to (attempt to) get their privileged, white children into Diener and Lab will tell you flat out that the Dieners and Kingsburies are preferable to Murch and Hyde and Mann. That the dedicated privates have better programs overall. What they don't say, because it isn't true, is that NO DCPS could ever meet the needs of,their ADHD of with apraxia. Not at all. Just that Diener would do a better job.
What do you say about them, these lawyers and consultants who were savvy enough to at least try to work the system to get the very best school in the region for their particular kid, on my dime? Why can't they settle for the /A/ in FAPE -- "adequate"? They'll tell you right out (because they erroneously assume the same mindset) that, say, Janney was OK and Nate was doing OK but that they hear the program at ivymount is phenomenal.
I'm sure it is probably better I resent that they want me and my neighbors to pay for it instead of them.
Anonymous
10/06/2013 12:53
Subject: Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS
Thank you, pp.
What some people don't seem to grasp is that funding for private placement does not include placement at any ol'private school.
There is a list of accredited SPECIAL ED schools that are dedicated to kids with learning disabilities. The schoos on the list are the only schools that can be considered.
It's not like these kids are being funded at Sidwell Friend, Georgetown day, Maret or St. ALBANS.
Private placement means Lab school, ivy mount, Kingsbury, etc.
Don't think that these parents are getting away with anything! Believe me, we wish our child could attend our local public school with all our neighborhood kids and have his IEP needs met, but DC has no program in place to serve his needs.
What some people don't seem to grasp is that funding for private placement does not include placement at any ol'private school.
There is a list of accredited SPECIAL ED schools that are dedicated to kids with learning disabilities. The schoos on the list are the only schools that can be considered.
It's not like these kids are being funded at Sidwell Friend, Georgetown day, Maret or St. ALBANS.
Private placement means Lab school, ivy mount, Kingsbury, etc.
Don't think that these parents are getting away with anything! Believe me, we wish our child could attend our local public school with all our neighborhood kids and have his IEP needs met, but DC has no program in place to serve his needs.
Anonymous
10/06/2013 11:56
Subject: Re:Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:PP. is this from recent experience? My understanding is that even with teh school supporting and a good consultant, the central office is under a lot of pressure to reduce private placements and come up with alternatives in the system -- even if the local school is supporting a private placement.
And, it's about time.
Says the ignorant parent.
Says the dc taxpayer since 1990 who is tired of paying millions of dollars to send too many kids to private school.
It used to be almost automatic, back in the 90s-To-late-Tony-Williams era. DCPS accounted for almost all of Lab Schools operating budget back then.
Now it's very difficult, and much scrutiny is given to claims that there isn't one single placement that could work (before the checkbook comes out for $50,000 a year) This is great for the whole.
+1. Thank you for daring voice a probably quite unpopular opinion here.
Fine, then. That's your opinion. As I stated before, I believe my son costs DCPS close to what it costs to educate him in a private school. (Like the PP teacher said, private placement is not always what is best for the child, as this officially takes him out of an inclusive environment) It's that expensive, because our school is complying with the law and is providing the maximum amount of accommodations. It used to be automatic because DC grossly failed special ed students by throwing them in the basement and letting them fall through the cracks of the system. I am all for scrutiny, but that goes both ways. DCPS continues to struggle with providing an adequate environment for children with HFA, which is no secret. There are few schools that provide a classroom for this population, because according to DC, it interferes with the LRE requirement. I don't agree with that, but because of this, we had to get a dedicated aide for my child, along with a high amount of specialized instruction.
Do you really want your child to be in a classroom with a child whose behavior is out of control? I assume you don't. So there are times when a private placement is necessary and indeed great for the whole.
Anonymous
10/06/2013 11:48
Subject: Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Be very cautious with special ed attorneys and consultants.
They are often way to optimistic and don't present a realist view of what is happening in these cases. Since Gray entered office, there have been a tremendous cutback of private funding, even in solid cases.
If attorneys presented a realistic scenario, they'd scare aware
Clients.
If you don't have independent testing and advocates/therapists to testify about your child, you will never win. Bringing a case will easily cost 20K (attorney's fees, expert testimony, independent testing, etc).
Even if you prevail, no one wins funding for more than one year-you have to continue a lengthy, stressful and expensive case EVERY year.
In the end, even if you win against a system stacked against you, you may come ahead by $10-$15K each year once all fees have been paid. Most attorney's fees are well above what DC will reimburse if you win.
These cases are time consuming and stressful for families. DCPS drags things out as much as possible to cost you more legal fees, hoping you'll give up.
If it were a one time thing, maybe it would be worth it but having to repeat the inevitable insanity every year is not worth it!
Please shut up. That is not true. You are obviously ignorant of the law, your misinformation is misleading and possibly designed to discourage. Just shut up. Keep your ignorance to yourself before you infect somebody else.
I beg to differ. No one is guaranteed funding for more than one year. Maybe in fantasy land but not in DC.
By the way, you may want to seek funding for an obivious anger management
Problem.
Pp is correct. No one receives funding for more than one year at a time.
Anonymous
10/06/2013 00:57
Subject: Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Be very cautious with special ed attorneys and consultants.
They are often way to optimistic and don't present a realist view of what is happening in these cases. Since Gray entered office, there have been a tremendous cutback of private funding, even in solid cases.
If attorneys presented a realistic scenario, they'd scare aware
Clients.
If you don't have independent testing and advocates/therapists to testify about your child, you will never win. Bringing a case will easily cost 20K (attorney's fees, expert testimony, independent testing, etc).
Even if you prevail, no one wins funding for more than one year-you have to continue a lengthy, stressful and expensive case EVERY year.
In the end, even if you win against a system stacked against you, you may come ahead by $10-$15K each year once all fees have been paid. Most attorney's fees are well above what DC will reimburse if you win.
These cases are time consuming and stressful for families. DCPS drags things out as much as possible to cost you more legal fees, hoping you'll give up.
If it were a one time thing, maybe it would be worth it but having to repeat the inevitable insanity every year is not worth it!
Please shut up. That is not true. You are obviously ignorant of the law, your misinformation is misleading and possibly designed to discourage. Just shut up. Keep your ignorance to yourself before you infect somebody else.
I beg to differ. No one is guaranteed funding for more than one year. Maybe in fantasy land but not in DC.
By the way, you may want to seek funding for an obivious anger management
Problem.
Anonymous
10/06/2013 00:16
Subject: Re:Realistic chance of private placemt in DCPS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:PP. is this from recent experience? My understanding is that even with teh school supporting and a good consultant, the central office is under a lot of pressure to reduce private placements and come up with alternatives in the system -- even if the local school is supporting a private placement.
And, it's about time.
Says the ignorant parent.
Says the dc taxpayer since 1990 who is tired of paying millions of dollars to send too many kids to private school.
It used to be almost automatic, back in the 90s-To-late-Tony-Williams era. DCPS accounted for almost all of Lab Schools operating budget back then.
Now it's very difficult, and much scrutiny is given to claims that there isn't one single placement that could work (before the checkbook comes out for $50,000 a year) This is great for the whole.
+1. Thank you for daring voice a probably quite unpopular opinion here.
The voices against Jim Crow used to be quite unpopular too. Fortunately, morality trumped the anti-Civil Rights crowd. This is no different. You either care about the IDEA Civil Rights legislation or you don't.
If DC wants to stop paying for expensive private schools to provide FAPE, there is an easy solution: create and fund public schools to provide FAPE.
Until it does, let's enjoy making taxpayers whinny and whine that their money is going out-of-state in order to fulfill the law.
(If you want to effect change, hit people in the pocketbook.)