Public Record for Special Ed Classes (attorney, school districts, costs)
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There are no public records for information like that. You'd have to call the district's Special Ed Director (or whatever title they give that person) and ask them, assuming you are a resident of the district, they shouldn't have any qualms about telling you. If you're not a resident but are planning on moving into it, maybe go to meet this person and bring your child's IEP to help them determine if their needs can be met in any one building vs another.
Classes offered in individual buildings may change from time to time depending on what disabilities the special ed kids have who go there and what their IEP's are.
You might also want to ask the school how they handle a child with an IEP for which they currently have no appropriate program/classes. Ask if they "refer out", in other words, are they willing/prepared to pay whatever it takes so the child gets the IEP appropriate education, even if it means sending them to a special school?
There are some school districts on Long Island that have been taken to Court repeatedly, because they refused to refer out, even though it was called for and NYS mandated. (It costs the SD precious $$.) The SDs lost in Court, but I would imagine that some parents don't realize that their children have a right to the appropriate education, regardless of what the SD wants or not, so they just accept the school's decision without pursuing it further.
You may want to give a bit more detail as many here have experience in the various districts' programs. For example, I have a kindergarten aged child with ADD or a 3rd grader that is autistic and name the district.
In the huge district of Sachem, I've been told that there is only one Special Ed class for each grade level. My son has been bounced from school to school in the last three years of moving here. Not happy!
If you can afford it, I would spend the consultation fee now with the ideas that he/she might be able to guide you to what your expectations should be as opposed to what you may think for you kids. We have a dear friend with 2 autistic kids on opposite ends of the spectrum, and without the guidance all along the way of an good attorney, I remain convinced that they would have fallen into an abyss. Incidentally, these area good parents who fought all the time for the rights of their kids too and finally had to sue the school district to get the services they were due.
I'm not looking to sue anybody. I'm trying to understand how a district this big only has one Special Ed class for each grade level. Once a child is situated in a classroom setting, and is thriving, why in the world would you want to shuffle them out and into another school. I have been told by the "top" that "although the district is a big one, unfortunately, we cannot accommodate every student's needs, at every level, in every school". So that being said, you will not know which school your child will be placed in until the placements are made over the summer for the following school year. My husband and I have been told at meetings what recommendations will be made and are always told "but we are not sure which school he will be attending next year".
I'm not looking to sue anybody. I'm trying to understand how a district this big only has one Special Ed class for each grade level. Once a child is situated in a classroom setting, and is thriving, why in the world would you want to shuffle them out and into another school. I have been told by the "top" that "although the district is a big one, unfortunately, we cannot accommodate every student's needs, at every level, in every school". So that being said, you will not know which school your child will be placed in until the placements are made over the summer for the following school year. My husband and I have been told at meetings what recommendations will be made and are always told "but we are not sure which school he will be attending next year".
It's all about the $$$
Have heard horror stories about Sachem (no personal experience though).
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