[kmarc]

Originally Posted by snuffybear

"Up north" many of the states have "local rule"...ie, the school districts make decisions locally (by local board of ed and administration) and services for special education can vary dramatically from district to district. Also, quality of school districts vary significantly (and agree with above post, NO state can be painted with a broad brush! There are excellent and crappy schools in every state. Reasons for moving are individual and the reason the parents are asking is because meeting their child's needs is very important and special education services are hard to assess from websites. They are hoping to gain more information from people that live in various school districts in Florida....in other words, exactly what the CD forums are for.

Fair enough. Florida already has a rather large special needs population, except it's the elderly. So, if parents would like to get a glimpse of the future for their children in Florida, visit a selection of assisted living and long term care facilities. Oh, and watch the news, some interesting stuff there as well. With some exceptions, it's fairly grim. My parents both became "special needs" parents, one for about 20 years, the other for about 10. We kept them in the Northeast (at their request, actually), but I have to admit, services were much better than what I've seen here. Fortunately, we were blessed in that there were enough family members to attend to their needs, even those of us who lived distant went back and forth.

I'm born and raised in the Mid-Atlantic, grew up and started my working life in the Northeast, moved to FL when it was very uncool to do so, got a lot of criticism from my peers for a long time about how "primitive" Florida was. I wonder what has changed all of a sudden?

[kmarc]

Originally Posted by markjames68

Well said.

To the OP, due to Section 504 and IDEA every district has to provide services necessary for a free appropriate public education. While there is some variance from district to district as DreamingofSunshine says it's impossible to do a direct compare and contrast between states.

One thing that has been helpful to me, coming from Long Island with its 124 school districts, is that in FL they are county-based, so it's pretty much a given that each county will provide services in-district. On Long Island as each district was pretty small, it might be required to bus a student 20 miles to a BOCES (shared resource) school which the district pays for because the district might focus only on physical or learning disabilities and not autism for example.

Wow, this explains A LOT, thanks for the info, I had no idea. That makes Florida look positively progressive. I remember that BOCES thingy from back in the day, that's been around for decades, used to see it in the old mimeograph school bulletins, but I was a kid then and was educated outside of the public school system, so I had no clue what it was, thought it had something to do with sports (bocce ball).

[StreetSmarts]

I can tell you FIRSTHAND (not a child of mine, but close) that as far as FL schools and programs for special needs, overall, at least 15 yrs ago or so, it is not a good place for special needs children.

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by StreetSmarts

I can tell you FIRSTHAND (not a child of mine, but close) that as far as FL schools and programs for special needs, overall, it is not a good place for special needs children.

Which schools? Which special needs? Which counties?

That's as unhelpful as saying "US schools are poor compared to the rest of the world". At an aggregate level perhaps when you average inner-city schools with wealthier ones.

My firsthand example, with my own children, has been positive. Much more so than in a state where the schools were lauded as being first-rate. I will acknowledge that that's because I'm in a wealthier school district with "A" schools.

[StreetSmarts]

Originally Posted by markjames68

Which schools? Which special needs? Which counties?

That's as unhelpful as saying "US schools are poor compared to the rest of the world". At an aggregate level perhaps when you average inner-city schools with wealthier ones.

My firsthand example, with my own children, has been positive. Much more so than in a state where the schools were lauded as being first-rate. I will acknowledge that that's because I'm in a wealthier school district with "A" schools.

Wealthier school disctrict? Compared to what? Than before?

Autism. Palm Bch County.

It may be better where I am, in Seminole Co, due to a higher income area and 2nd rated schools in the state. Like I said, this was 15 yrs ago. One thing I do know is that NC has better programs (overall) than FL does.

[ReachTheBeach]

Originally Posted by StreetSmarts

It may be better where I am, in Seminole Co, due to a higher income area and 2nd rated schools in the state. Like I said, this was 15 yrs ago. One thing I do know is that NC has better programs (overall) than FL does.

And living in NC I know a few people who have moved to different counties within NC or send child to low ratio private school (I do that) to address problems with special needs kids in public schools. But I cannot generalize and say all of NC is like that nor would I generalize and say all of FL is better or worse.

[hpotterfan77]

A little perspective....as a mom to two of those "special needs kids", I would have to say it may depend on the type of need and the district. We are currently in CT and my children go the #1 rated middle school in the state (our town middle school...public, not private). They both receive extra services due to having ADHD. Their needs however are relatively simple compared to say, someone who has true autism. If you met my kids on a normal school day, you would have no idea that they receive extra services unless you sat in class with them. I actually stop short of saying they are special needs because I think that should be reserved for the more severe cases. With that said, our move will be to the Melbourne/Rockledge area in the next year or two and from what I've researched, any school in that area would be a good fit. As I said, I think it depends on need and district/county.

[kmarc]

I wonder sometimes about this "special needs" label. When I was in elementary school, I had a classmate who I'm sure today would be labeled as mildly autistic. But back then, we considered her painfully shy. She always sort of looked down, hardly ever spoke and when she did, barely above a whisper. Did well in class, though. "A" student. Just didn't socialize well.

But that didn't stop us (classmates) from trying to engage her, one of our favorite things was to try and get her to crack a smile. It got to be like a game, in which she participated. I think she liked the attention. It was always a great day for everyone when we got her to smile and she'd cover her face sometimes so we couldn't see and then someone would grab her arm to pull it away from her face so we could see her smile. I'm pretty sure that is forbidden these days and probably would be considered bullying.

No one, to my knowledge, ever bullied her or made fun of her. She was a part of us and as the years went by, looked up and spoke more, although quietly. I like to think we all had a hand in that. One of the advantages was, she was in the same school with most of the same kids for eight years.

And it didn't stop the teachers from calling on her to answer questions, although they had to tell her to speak up. Best they could do was get her to go from a whisper to a murmur, but at least you could hear it.

Anyway, I heard she went on to become a chemist, so she did OK.

[LItransplant]

Would you care to elaborate on what county you are in? and age and services your child receives. Public/Charter/ or private. seeking this information too. Thanks!!

[LItransplant]

Originally Posted by kmarc

heh, that's what I'm so often told by individuals from the Northeast. How much better the schools are up there for special needs. Heck, I've seen it here on these boards, especially comparisons, when a relocator specifies the services available up north, and wants to know if same are available down here, and expresses frustration at not being able to find what they need. I understand the frustration, but if their children are important, doesn't it make more sense to keep them where they are being well served instead of moving them?

If "lots of kids have special needs", then it would be the norm, not special anything. And if that's the case, we need to start asking why so many are special needs and do something about root causes. And we sure as heck better start preparing a future where these kids, when they age out, can either function or be taken care of some how. Because their parents won't be around forever.

Because sometimes, you have no choice but to relocate (job) and/or you don't just have one kid but several and their well being are all just as important. So you may have a great school for special needs kid but the other kids school is not the greatest. It's about trying to get information and do what's best as a whole family. We are just trying to get information from other Florida parents who have kids in the Florida school system with special needs so we know what questions to ask so we can get the best information.