Best school districts in and around Houston for kids with special needs (Conroe: home, moving to)

[agsmom]

Hello Everyone,

We are looking to move to Houston in 2-3 months from now.
I was looking to seek recommendations as to which school district is good for kids with special needs.

My child has multiple disabilities and is on a trach + ventilator. She does go to preschool here (Dublin, Ohio) and the services that she's been getting here is beyond amazing!

My new work location would be in downtown Houston, near Memorial Park. School district with great services for my child is of utmost importance to me, so distance to work is only a secondary concern.

Regards

[Houmove]

The Houston ISD school for kids with multiple disabilities is TH Rogers, check it out (it also serves as the gifted and talented school and school for the deaf). Maybe also talk to them to find out how you can get a spot. It is supposed to be a very good school but I have no experience with the classes for kids with multiple disabilities. I'm not sure about similar schools in other districts.

[agsmom]

Originally Posted by Houmove

The Houston ISD school for kids with multiple disabilities is TH Rogers, check it out (it also serves as the gifted and talented school and school for the deaf). Maybe also talk to them to find out how you can get a spot. It is supposed to be a very good school but I have no experience with the classes for kids with multiple disabilities. I'm not sure about similar schools in other districts.

Thank you so much for the information.
How about the Katy and FortBend ISDs?
Actually, how do I go about and find a school district that would best fit my child's needs?
Where I am at currently, the school mixes typically growing kids with kids with special needs and my child loves it and gets lot of stimulation. It has worked out very fine for my child so far.
Do the school districts in Houston (not just Houston ISD), make such provisions? Or do they have special schools for kids with multiple disabilities?

[Lbjen]

Yoi can call the school district's special Ed department and ask them about their provisions. That will give you a reasonable feeling of how suitable it will be. I know I crossed one ISD off my list after doing that (it was FBISD but my son has very different issues to yours).

[bohunak]

Originally Posted by Lbjen

Yoi can call the school district's special Ed department and ask them about their provisions. That will give you a reasonable feeling of how suitable it will be. I know I crossed one ISD off my list after doing that (it was FBISD but my son has very different issues to yours).

This^^^^^

You have to call special education and ask them, they'll tell you everything. That was my starting point when we moved here.
I can't speak for other district, but ours CISD (Conroe) integrating kids with special needs into regular classes. From K all the way up. I think(of course could be wrong) Katy would do the same.
Good luck

[Lbjen]

You should also really consider how far it really is from your job, even though you said commute is not a concern. You're looking at a 60-90 minute commute each way, plus you would be at least 30-45 minutes drive during the middle of the day without traffic, I don't know if you have an additional caregiver at home who is able to respond to emergencies that come up at school but you usually want to be as close as possible.

[KatieKennedy]

Look into Spring Branch ISD

[agsmom]

Thanks to everyone for your responses.

I did call FBISD and Katy ISD so far and both of them said that they will be able to tell us exactly what services they will be able to provide only after they've met my child.

Really finding it hard to finalize a school district for my child.

[LeavingDetroit]

That is so impracticable for someone coming from out-of-state. So what is one to do? Drag their kids around to all potential schools and only then get some sense of how they operate their special needs programs? Would they be able to provide any input based on documents, eg.., current IEP, Dr's evaluation, teacher's letters? It's hard enough moving to a new place and adding this extra layer of complexity I'm sure isn't welcome.

Also, don't underestimate traffic in Houston. I know you want first and foremost to do what's right for your kid, but being home earlier/leaving later or being able to get to a school meeting, has to be counted as doing what's best
for the family.

[Lbjen]

They are probably just covering their bases, in case it turns out they can't do something that they thought they could based on what you told them. They should however be able to tell you whether they have the capability to provide a service that you are currently receiving, and where the schools that can facilitate it are located, since not all can. If you are asking for something that they don't currently handle, they may need to figure out whether they have a basis to apply for funding for it first.