McKinney/Allen/Frisco ISD.. ? (Plano, Boyd: school district, live in, relocating to)

[shortjjaz]

My husband and I considering relocating to the McKinney/Allen area and I am wondering how the schools are there in terms of the non traditional student or student that has special needs? I have seen great reviews on McKinney, Allen and Frisco ISD but nothing on specifics about working with children who have learning disabilities.

We have a 6 year old daughter that has Nonverbal Learning Disorder and ADHD and the city we live in currently is not very experienced with children that have any kind of learning disability, let alone one such as NLD that is not diagnosed very frequently. The city itself is very closed minded and affluent so we are really looking for a welcoming community that accepts families for who they are and wants their children to succeed even if they don't fit the cookie cutter mold!

Any thoughts, personal experience and/or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[txgolfer130]

Originally Posted by shortjjaz

My husband and I considering relocating to the McKinney/Allen area and I am wondering how the schools are there in terms of the non traditional student or student that has special needs? I have seen great reviews on McKinney, Allen and Frisco ISD but nothing on specifics about working with children who have learning disabilities.

We have a 6 year old daughter that has Nonverbal Learning Disorder and ADHD and the city we live in currently is not very experienced with children that have any kind of learning disability, let alone one such as NLD that is not diagnosed very frequently. The city itself is very closed minded and affluent so we are really looking for a welcoming community that accepts families for who they are and wants their children to succeed even if they don't fit the cookie cutter mold!

Any thoughts, personal experience and/or advice would be greatly appreciated!

We have experience with McKinney's programs and have to say that they have been great. The administrators, teachers and specialists have kept us in the loop at all times, worked great with our child and have made them feel non-stigmatized or out of the ordinary. We don't have experience with ADHD specifically but with our school-friends and their kids have all said they have been great.

[aw2006]

Plano ISD is also a very good early-intervention school district.

[shortjjaz]

Thank you so much for the replies, I really appreciate it!

[Saintmarks]

I don't think you will go wrong with any of these districts, all will do well at accomodating your needs. You will see threads on here claiming one of these over the other, but all have excellent schools, IMHO.

My daughter was heavily involved with PALS while at McKinney Boyd, went to local elementary schools and worked with special needs students. She found her calling doing this, is majoring in Speech Pathology and plans to work with special needs kids for her career.

[shortjjaz]

That is awesome Saintmarks! What is PALS?

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by shortjjaz

That is awesome Saintmarks! What is PALS?

Sorry it took me so long to see this. PALS is a program in the MISD High Schools (don't know if it is a state wide program or just the MISD's program). It stands for Peer and Leadership... (oops can't get the S to come up in my brain and neither of the kids that have done it are answering!!!!)

Basically, high school students that sign up for this program will go into one of the local elementary schools and work with students there that need a little encouraging. Could be a student that is detatched or going thru a struggle or some other situation where the teacher in the ES believes that a high school student's attention would be of benefitl. My son has worked more in this avenue, the teachers have put him in situations where the family was going thru a divorce and the child was withdrawing. My son recently went to one of the 5th graders school program, made the kid's day that he came!

The program also works with special needs kids in the elementary schools as well. My daughter primarily worked with these students when she was in high school. I'm sorry I don't know more, I am sure you could call one of the three high schools and find out more.

[Bigger G]

I reckon its a state program as PISD has it as well, starts in 8th grade.

[Saintmarks]

Will try to get better info to you. What you have so far is the understanding of the non custodial parent about what his kids have told him in bits and pieces over the years....