Anonymous wrote:"We think that maybe the stress of your wife's eating disorder is really taking its tole on DD."

-My wife had lost 25 pounds because of her cancer treatments and was at chemo during this meeting. I blew up.

Ok. We have a winner.

So sorry for the PP who posted it. Honestly, do school staff have any sense of professionalism? I love how they play armchair psychiatry and totally miss the mark. We are entrusting our kids to these type of people?

i just read this thread and no IEPs for me, but it made my blood boil. So sorry for all of you. I simply cannot believe some of these horrible comments.

I am university professor and so also deal with students who need accommodations. Thanks for helping me to remember to remain as sensitive as I can.

"We think that maybe the stress of your wife's eating disorder is really taking its tole on DD."

-My wife had lost 25 pounds because of her cancer treatments and was at chemo during this meeting. I blew up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From an IEP meeting this week in MCPS -

Special Education Coordinator with MANY years in MCPS says, "It seems we are not in agreement and out of time. Let's take a vote."

A vote??? When the MCPS representatives outnumber the parents 5-1? LOL!!

IDEA 1997, Appendix A states –
“The IEP team should work toward consensus, but the public agency has ultimate responsibility to ensure that the IEP includes the services that the child needs in order to receive FAPE. It is not appropriate to make IEP decisions based upon a majority ‘vote’.”

How many of us parents feel the decision is made before we come into the room? How open is the discussion and is the data we present by reputable experts in their fields given due consideration? Nope. This Special Education Coordinator phrased the vibe that was in the room from the beginning - MCPS has the VOTES at the table and they have no motivation to work toward a consensus. After all, what am I going to do? Spend $30,000+ to go through Due Process? Who is willing to enforce IDEA? State of MD - NOPE. The Feds - NOPE.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From an IEP meeting this week in MCPS -

Special Education Coordinator with MANY years in MCPS says, "It seems we are not in agreement and out of time. Let's take a vote."

A vote??? When the MCPS representatives outnumber the parents 5-1? LOL!!

IDEA 1997, Appendix A states –
“The IEP team should work toward consensus, but the public agency has ultimate responsibility to ensure that the IEP includes the services that the child needs in order to receive FAPE. It is not appropriate to make IEP decisions based upon a majority ‘vote’.”

Anonymous wrote:From an IEP meeting this week in MCPS -

Special Education Coordinator with MANY years in MCPS says, "It seems we are not in agreement and out of time. Let's take a vote."

A vote??? When the MCPS representatives outnumber the parents 5-1? LOL!!

From an IEP meeting this week in MCPS -

Special Education Coordinator with MANY years in MCPS says, "It seems we are not in agreement and out of time. Let's take a vote."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:<<Anonymous wrote:
"We're having trouble with your child's needs and we don't think this school is a good fit. Have you thought about going somewhere else?" (Public school special ed coordinator)


+1 - In PK4>>



i actually don't think that's so crazy. Isn't that better for them to be upfront and honest -- especially in public, where the disctrict is obligated to find a placement that can meet the kdi's needs....

(written by a parent who was told the same thing about their child and is now very glad child is in a different school)

Agree. I was told that in a private school and at the time, I was super offended. But my DS thrived in public school, despite the large class size. I'd rather know stuff like that up front, before I have to spend a lot of money on a place that can't accommodate my kid.

It's quite a different thing to be told this by a private school, which has neither the resources nor the legal obligation to educate disabled kids, than to be told it by a public school. (Although even a private school must make accommodations for the disabled.)

Public school is a public good paid for by everyone and available to all. Special ed families are explicitly told or implicitly pushed to leave the system. It's not right, and it's what the law, IDEA, was designed to end. If the school says, "have you thought about going somewhere else?" without offering alternative placement in the system or paid private placement outside, then it's disability discrimination pure and simple.

Anonymous wrote:DS has an expressive speech delay, we requested speech services at his school.

"Oh, we can understand him, no worries. His articulation is fine." Yes, but the kid can't really express him either orally or in writing.

We ended up "coughing up" a ton of $$$ for private SLP.

+1. We had this exact experience in MCPS. It seems that the speech and language pathologists in MCPS only look at whether articulation is adequate enough for words to be understood by a third party. They do not look at whether the expressive speech as a whole makes sense (or even if the kid is able to express himself to the degree capable).

The special education teacher, the primary teacher and OT decided to imitate my DS's stim in over exaggerated way to defend a bully during first IEP meeting in a new elementary school. I know my DS's stim. It's harmless stim when he is super excited and he had done it for years and most people don't even notice it. No one had ever imitated him, not even his peers. I was too shocked to say anything.

Anonymous wrote:<<Anonymous wrote:
"We're having trouble with your child's needs and we don't think this school is a good fit. Have you thought about going somewhere else?" (Public school special ed coordinator)


+1 - In PK4>>



i actually don't think that's so crazy. Isn't that better for them to be upfront and honest -- especially in public, where the disctrict is obligated to find a placement that can meet the kdi's needs....

(written by a parent who was told the same thing about their child and is now very glad child is in a different school)

Agree. I was told that in a private school and at the time, I was super offended. But my DS thrived in public school, despite the large class size. I'd rather know stuff like that up front, before I have to spend a lot of money on a place that can't accommodate my kid.

Anonymous wrote:<<Anonymous wrote:
"We're having trouble with your child's needs and we don't think this school is a good fit. Have you thought about going somewhere else?" (Public school special ed coordinator)


+1 - In PK4>>



i actually don't think that's so crazy. Isn't that better for them to be upfront and honest -- especially in public, where the disctrict is obligated to find a placement that can meet the kdi's needs....

(written by a parent who was told the same thing about their child and is now very glad child is in a different school)

Yeah but no private placement was offered or suggested. And when private placement was mentioned she clarified that she meant we should sell our house and move.

DS has an expressive speech delay, we requested speech services at his school.

"Oh, we can understand him, no worries. His articulation is fine." Yes, but the kid can't really express him either orally or in writing.

We ended up "coughing up" a ton of $$$ for private SLP.

<<Anonymous wrote:
"We're having trouble with your child's needs and we don't think this school is a good fit. Have you thought about going somewhere else?" (Public school special ed coordinator)


+1 - In PK4>>



i actually don't think that's so crazy. Isn't that better for them to be upfront and honest -- especially in public, where the disctrict is obligated to find a placement that can meet the kdi's needs....

(written by a parent who was told the same thing about their child and is now very glad child is in a different school)

Anonymous wrote:"We're having trouble with your child's needs and we don't think this school is a good fit. Have you thought about going somewhere else?" (Public school special ed coordinator)

+1 - In PK4