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Hi, I've searched this forum and haven't seen anything recent. We're considering moving to Weston. One of our children would be enrolled in the integrated preschool under an IEP and then move up to the special education program in the elementary school afterwards. I've read online the progress made by Mike Champa in particular in his lawsuit against the school district to open their records (if you're reading this, thank you Mike!) I would like to know how the school district is doing now--has there been significant improvement in services offered or outplacement agreements? Has the budget for special ed been increased? Are there still untrained "learning assistants" teaching the special needs students? Are the older/middle school students being held in isolation rooms/closets as punishment? What forms of discipline are used and under what circumstances?
Any insights would be very much appreciated, thank you!
By the way, we also were looking at living in Newton and Wellesley but didn't find anything that fit our specific search parameters (important items, not vanity/wishlist items). We are already working with a local real estate agent and I don't want to get sidetracked into discussion here about our housing search or budget, and just mentioned these two other towns in case it is a radically different special ed experience, as I would like to know that as well. We are close to being under contract for a house in Weston though so would prioritize finding out about Weston special ed and the integrated preschool. Thank you very much!
We were in Weston for two years of preschool/kinder and then moved out of district. While they have made improvements, we felt that they were limited in Weston, mostly because there just aren't alot of special needs kids (ie. There is a lack of experience with special needs). We moved to what is considered an ok district and my kids have had significant improvements. However, their peers in Weston are wonderful. They are kind, inclusive, and down-to-earth, so we do miss that about the town.
Thank you for thinking of it, but maybe you drive faster than us (wait, was that my brother posting above? because he can probably make it in that time)--the eastern part of Weston is 25-30 min from our current location in the western edge of Sudbury, without traffic. In traffic/rush hour times, the extra distance adds a lot longer on to the new commute in the round trip. For working parents of very young kids, it means a lot to save, in the roundtrip, at least 1 to 1 1/2 hours a day of commuting time, and can mean being home with them for dinner, instead of closer to their bedtime. But yes, Sudbury's an awesome town in general, and we've heard from a local child development specialist that people move here specifically for the school system for both regular/typical and advanced students and also specifically for special needs students, as the school system is all excellent in both respects. Just want to clarify here that we are not leaving because of the school district, which is very highly regarded. We are hoping to find a similar quality special ed program and integrated preschool and have asked about it here to learn about the program in Weston, which has had some bad press over the years, and alternatively, Wellesley and Newton. Parts of those towns meet our search area. We have a few considerations beyond one commute and beyond special ed school, which I do not want to get into here, but which complicate our needs. At the moment, we are just looking to hear about special ed and integrated preschool in these 3 towns and hear from any families who are or have recently been in those systems. Thanks!
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