Percentage of students with disabilities
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After paying nearly $30,000 trying to get services for her children, Michelle Myers decided to take them out of Frederick County Public Schools.

Myers said she had so many issues trying to obtain services for her two children, who both have autism, that she was forced to seek non-public placement for both of her children at Kennedy Krieger Institute — a nonprofit that provides medical care and school-based services for kids with learning disabilities — in Baltimore and Rockville.

Follow Allen Etzler on Twitter: @AllenWEtzler.

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(12) comments

gorillagusto

How much of this is due to the "belt-tightening" that went on during the years of maintenance-of-effort?

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apsross

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Phen375

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Frederickmom2

I don't think Liz Barrett has an agenda. If she's a board member who has kids with IEP's then she has a valuable parent perspective.

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Observer10

The telling part of the article was a statement near the end. Of the 4,000 students in the FCPS receiving special education services, only 32 had concerns. That amounts to 0.8 percent which hardly qualifies as a systemic issue. Some parents of special needs children are discouraged that the school system cannot "fix" their children. It should also be noted that the two board members who want to label the school system as being unresponsive have their own agendas. Colleen was terminated by FCPS and seems to relish any avenue to be critical of the system. Liz has her own special needs child and now a vendetta against the special education component of the FCPS. From talking to some of the 30 parents who have come forward with concerns, it seems that Liz is the one pushing the agenda. No system is perfect and there will always be instances when IEPs fall out of compliance or a child loses a one-on-one aide that the parent would like to see continue, but FCPS serves 4,000 special needs students and their parents admirably. Unfortunately,two board members want to incite the community rather than to allow the professionals in the FCPS to maintain and improve the program that is a model of success in meeting the needs of special needs students.

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sevenstones1000

Many of us never spoke up, Observer. I tried to, but frankly, I had to work fulltime to support my family, and I couldn’t do both my job and everyone at school’s jobs, too. I had to trust that when they said they would do X, that they would do it. I did not know I had to hire a paid advocate to force them to do their jobs.

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sofanna

There has been a systemic problem with students getting the special education services they needed since 1986. We had to go outside of Frederick County to have the "test" results interpreted properly. Yes, Ms. Alban, there has been a systemic problem with students receiving special education since 1986, when my son was in school. During IEP meetings, my husband and I were bullied, insulted, and disrespected. When we left that particular meeting, my husband looked at me and said, "what just happened?" Not only do the parents get bullied, so do the students. We had to remove our son from FCPS and use his college funds to pay for a private school, where he excelled! He even received a scholarship. It's very sad that since 1986 nothing has improved. At the last IEP meeting the FCPS was required to have with me, the psychologist looked at me and asked, "why wasn't your son in the gifted and talented program?" How many students over the past 30 years have not received the education they deserved? How many parents have not spoken up because their fear of "retribution" on their child by teachers? Getting a child through public education in Frederick County is nearly a full time job if they need even a little help. It's hard on the student, they lose interest in school, are told they are lazy, on and on. Fortunately, I had a job that I could leave and have meetings with teachers, the FCPS special education department, principals, and IEPs. Not every parent has this ability, so their child suffers as does the entire family.

OPEN YOUR EARS AND EYES!!!!!!

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eb123

Hello -- this is Liz Barrett. I regret that you perceive that I have a "vendetta" against the FCPS special education department or any part of the school system. Quite the opposite is true. I'll be honest; I didn't know that much about special education before I was elected to the Board of Education, and then I learned significantly more when I started navigating the system as a parent. For me, systemic failures or deficiencies, don't mean the entire system is flawed. What it means is that we have systemic improvements to make -- to family engagement, to compliance, to training, to communication, to culture. One of our biggest achievement gaps is in special education. I take issue with your assertion that parents want the school system to "fix" their children. Children with disabilities don't need to be "fixed." Rather, they need a free and adequate public education, as required by law. There are thousands of tremendous teachers and staff working every single day to help every child learn. It's my job as a policy maker to make sure that work is helping to achieve the system's strategic goals and is efficient and effective, particularly in how we use our budget. I have spoken personally to dozens of parents, some of whom have had very positive special education experiences, and some who haven't. Mr. Etzler's article concerns parents and teachers who sought him out. Our job is to continuously improve. We can't do that unless we honestly and clearly address deficiencies first. We need to welcome parents and families to the table -- and welcome teachers and staff to the table, too -- for these discussions. I hope you'll consider reaching out to me if you'd like to talk more or to share additional feedback -- Liz.Barrett@fcps.org

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djdjdj

I have had many issues with FCPS special education, just no one interviewed me. I think that 32 is the tip of the iceberg, and it is your views that are off.

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gorillagusto

From the parents that I know, yes, 32 is indeed way under-counting. I personally know three that have gotten fed up and left FCPS, and I'm practically a hermit.

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LJF0929

Special Education teachers, as well as general education teachers, are so completely overwhelmed - especially at the elementary level. Elementary teachers teach all subjects - every day. Language Arts/Writing/Math/Science or Social Studies. They provide HW, newsletters, emails and phonecalls to parents, weekly professional development, staff meetings, IEP's, SST meetings, SLO's, CSI goals, articulation meetings, the list goes on and on. That requires a great deal of daily planning and prep that simply does not get done in a 45 minute time frame - and then put on top that there are students performing at all levels - and then there are parents breathing down the necks of teachers about small, insignificant matters where teachers must appease the parents - taking away vital planning and preparation time. What this really comes down to is teachers are taking on too many responsibilities when the main goal is to see students needs are met. When you pile all of that other responsibility on already overwhelmed teachers, students are left behind - in some cases the most vulnerable.

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sevenstones1000

Twenty years ago, my child was one of the first in the county to be diagnosed with Aspergers ( high functioning autism). I can confirm everything these parents report - from the deliberately bullying “team” meetings to the central office person who swanned in the last day of my child’s senior year and announced my child wasn’t on the autism spectrum at all in a deliberate attempt to get my child denied future post-high school services. (Luckily, I had three MDs who wrote letters confirming my child’s diagnosis).

Silly me, I didn’t realize I needed an advocate to get FCPS Staff to do their jobs. If my boss had to hire an advocate to get me to do my job, I would be fired.

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meulenberg4e

My very handicapped child was lucky to attend Rock Creek School, probably one of the best in America. We found everything extraordinary, the knowledge, expertise of therapists, nurses, all in frank contrast to MontCo. REPs were very clear and recommendations welcome. "Bullying" would not be tolerated. Of course, there were no "central office persons" that exist today, destroying all education, everywhere. Public schools are run on algorithms, with low costs expected ROA. Note the constant testing designed for profitable results... If this happened in my day, the uproar would deafen counterargument.
But most of the public is unaware what happens when child turns 21. Either some minimum-wage hellhole, or impoverished, spiritually broken families. Students at Change, have their tuition paid by Medicaid. Many have been notified their funding
May stop. How could anyone be so cruel? FYI: no one in the Repub "right to life" has offered to help,
nor our NRTL militants. Why isn't a cry be raised? This business is causing death and suffering.

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