Special Ed. in East Cobb (neighborhood, elementary schools, transportation)

[deacongirl]

So this seems totally obvious in retrospect and I feel dumb for not approaching it this way sooner, but here is what I would suggest to anyone researching schools:

Go on the Cobb County website and find the supervisor for the cluster of schools you are interested in, i.e. for the Walton cluster it is Dr. David Downing. My child has Down syndrome, and I didn't get any good specific information on special ed. by contacting the Down syndrome association.

This could all change depending on population of students with special needs, but for example right now the Intellectual Disabiliities Unit is at Mt. Bethel, and the Behavioral Disabilities Unit (Autism) is at Sope Creek. There is some level of inclusion at the local neighborhood schools, but for kids with more extensive needs they go to a different school.

So for my family, this means that I will driving kids to 2 different elementary schools (still waiting to determine exact placement, but I think my son will attend Mt. Bethel, and Timber Ridge is the neighborhood school). There is transportation provided but for now I don't want him on a bus. (At least until he can more clearly communicate to me the details of his day).

Hope that was helpful to anyone who needs it...again, seems obvious but because this is our first experience with public schools it didn't occur to me earlier in the process. It would have saved a lot of time!