Sticky location situation for child with IEP (Orlando, Seminole: purchase, school districts)

[keliyra]

Hi All -

I've lurked for awhile off and on. Let me give you the gist of our situation. I recently relocated from the Kansas City area to Orlando. My husband is from Orlando. He was going to move to KC this summer but because of our respective job situations and the economy (his job is pretty stable and he's been at it for almost 10 years) it made more sense for us to move to Florida.

Now for the sticky part I have until mid-July to find an area for us to live in. I have a 7 yr old girl and a 13 yr old boy who will be entering 2nd and 8th grades respectively. My concern is my son. He has an IEP and has finally started to be successful at school. He requires a para with him most of the day so his IEP needs are not light. I've been watching the news and obviously I'm concerned about the situation with Orange county schools. However, I've heard that Osceola isn't in much of a better boat. He actually works in Osceola county at the juvenile detention center. Because of that I am reluctant to look on the north end but have heard and read that Seminole schools are probably are best bet - the problem is that's about an hour a day commute for him and I really want to pick the right area for our family the first time so that my children won't have to change schools again and can put down some roots.

Can some parents out there - particularly any with special needs children but I will welcome all input- share some advice on realistic areas that might work well for us?

Oh - and my son's diagnoses are ADHD, Aspergers, and Anxiety Disorder. I'd also be interested in finding out any information about doctors in the area as obviously we'll need new therapist/psychologists/GPs

Thanks very much

[keliyra]

I should have named my last post better. I shouldn't type when I'm tired.

Basically my questions are:
1) If we want to stay south which school district will be better for my son - Osceola county schools or Orange county?

2) Which schools or area in each county are the best for working with a child with an IEP?

Thank you for your help

[Micktooth]

I'm sorry nobody has responded to help you . Unfortunately my family and I live in Colorado. We have family in Orlando so that's why I check this board. There is a good group here called parent to parent. I looked it up and there is a similar one in Florida. Parents Helping Parents of Florida You might want to check out that site and ask your question there. I hope it helps. Good luck, I know what you are going through.

[keliyra]

I will check out that site. I appreciate your response. I'm surprised also but maybe there just aren't that many parents of special needs kids on the Orlando board. I haven't given up hope though - I'm hoping that they're still out there

[Guntersville Boomer]

I was not sure what IEP was, I just looked it up, I haven't had a child in elementary school in a long time but, my daughter was ADHD so I understand that issue. You are right about your husband having an hour each way drive if you go to Seminole Co. so do keep inquiring in Osceola Co., I was thinking, why don't you call the Osceola County School Board offices and tell them you would like to speak with someone about what the district offers in IEP. From what I read it is ADA related so I would think they must offer something. This really is a nice place to live, you just need the right school situation....Good Luck!

[tiggergolf3]

I have a son with an IEP in the Orange Country school district. I also teach in Orange County. We moved from another state a year ago. What you will find with OCPS (Orange County Public Schools) is that there are no para professionals in the classrooms. It was quite a disappointment and a struggle for my son.

Please be very careful when checking out schools/districts. Remember even if you are zoned for one school one year, that can change the next year. You really need to talk with staff at the middle schools where you are looking to purchase a home. Now is a great time to set up meetings with potential schools.

[keliyra]

I certainly will be talking with the schools, I was just hoping to speak with some parents to narrow down some areas first.

The reason why I didn't start with the schools is because they are technically required to provide assistance and my experience is that they're often not forthright with everything that they can provide since it costs them money they try to get parents to take the minimum in accommodations so that they don't have to put as much money into one child.

So, basically, I thought that some of the local parents with experience could tell me which schools or school districts are more "IEP friendly".

tigger - thanks for your input. My son definitely needs para support to be successful. If that's a districtwide policy then that would definitely put Orange County out of contention. He's made a lot of progress this last year and his current school wants him to enroll in regular math and english classes next year but in order to be in those he'll definitely need support.

Thanks for your input