The MCPS Special Education Advisory Committee will meet on Monday, Nov. 25, from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. in the auditorium of the Carver Educational Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville.
Parents of students with disabilities are invited to attend this meeting to discuss topics impacting special education services.
Contact the Department of Special Education Services at 301-279-3135 for more information.
It is commendable that Dr. Starr has initiated the Special Ed public forum. However, one hour goes very fast. The audience is "packed" with staff, who did not raise their hands when asked by Starr to be acknowledged. I agreed with him when he stated that there is a higher standard for all of our children to be successful, and that we need to find ways to come together to be effective.. However, if all is well then why does dispute resolution discussion always comes up as a heated and negative topic? How can Starr firmly state that the present dispute resolution works in almost every case and that there remains only .65% of disputes that haven't been resolved. The answer is it can't be and isn't. MCPS numbers have been "cooked up" as most disputes have not been reported. Also, if most disputes are resolved, then why does MCPS need to hire an expensive and intimidating private attorney to fight parents of children with disabilities? Lastly, he cautiously mentioned that in the past, school districts "gave away the store (his wording) rather than to battle." I am most concerned about his attitude on that matter. He claims he has been hired to protect the organization and apparently he does so while harming children with disabilities. But, there we have it, he primarily runs on numbers and cost. The Federal Law specifically mentions that designed programs must individualize services as each child is different. Instead, Starr is focused on mainstreaming certain students to lower the numbers. For some children, mainstreaming/inclusion is not the answer. Shame, shame. If Starr really understood Montgomery County, he would know that the County policy historically has been most progressive towards its vulnerable citizens.
ReplyDeleteWhy does MCPS have such difficulty admitting errors? As the youth now say today,can't they just say "it was our bad." Instead, a cloud of deception and intimidation, legal walls, etc. occurs to coverup the problems. Dr. Starr marginalizes such situations by hiding behind his .65% declaration. And, when the staff are so fearful to keep their jobs that they only add to the harm, what does that say about their integrity, professionalism, and credibility? Dispute resolution is indeed difficult, but MCPS frequently distorts information to coax parents to accept their decision and then uses "legalese" procedures to bully the family. Several teachers have told me that they are upset over what happens at IEP meetings and at a Due Process Hearing. Not only are the children of disabilities and their family harmed but so is the integrity of the staff. I would love to hear from teachers and other professional staff on this subject as they are also directly affected.
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