About Public schools having IEP in Denver (Lakewood, Arvada: transfer, school districts)

[Rishi.csc]

Hi All,
we currently live in New Jersey(NJ) area and might have to move to Denver area after sometime in future.My son is currently getting IEP and inclusion classes in his public school in NJ and I want to know if there are any such public schools in Denver area ? Do they provide any IEP(Individualized Education Program), PT, OT, Speech classes and inclusion in the class? How is access to MAPs Doctor there ? Can you please give some guidance so that I can decide if we should go there or not. Many thanks in advance!

[otowi]

IEP is required by law nationally, I believe. The exact details of services may vary by school. I would suggest if you have an idea where you might be moving that you call the most likely school(s) and ask your questions. I work in a school in Colorado and I know every Special Education student has an IEP required by law, some students are in isolated classes for all or part of the day but the majority are in team-taught regular-ed classes all or part of the day. Some students are part of a transitions program that involves field trips for occupational training, etc., in the community. We have a speech therapist at the school but I don't know about physical therapy on campus or actual speech classes, etc., and I don't know what a MAPs doctor is - not in the field.

[WinterJo]

I agree with otowi. It would be best to call schools in the areas you are thinking about moving to. I can't speak about Denver since I live in southern Colorado but I have two with IEPs. They brought them with them from Alaska. One has multiple disabilities and spends most of her time in a contained classroom because that is the appropriate placement for her. The other one is in all mainstream classes. IDEA requires that they be placed in the least restrictive environment for their educational needs. Schools implement this differently to calling around would help you out. Mine are in different schools (and school districts) and each school/district does it a little bit differently.

[Augie Daugie]

Here's a Facebook group that should better help you get specific answers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/Denv...rentCommunity/.

I want through the IEP process here in Colorado for my son and wound up sending him to private school instead since the public school we were at seemed determined to deny services at every turn. However, I know many parents who have their kids at public school with an IEP and are very satisfied...I think it really depends on what you need and getting the kid in the right school.

[Rishi.csc]

Thanks to all for your suggestions and I will explore them

[Alisha Fleming]

Hi There,

I own a small behavior therapy company that provides ABA Therapy and so I have the pleasure of attending a LOT of IEPs on the North side of Denver. Most of my kiddos attend school in Jefferson County which seems to be a mixed bag. Generally, families seem pretty happy with school placement and services on the North side of JeffCo (Arvada, Westminster, Wheat Ridge). However, I've heard mixed things about the South side of JeffCo (Lakewood, Littleton) and about Denver Public Schools. In these areas, it seems to be more about the school that the child is placed in rather than the district.

[Locali]

Hi, California special educator here. We get IEPs transferred from other states all the time. I can’t imagine that CO would be much different. If your child is coming with an IEP that includes speech and Ot, then as far as I know, that must be honored by the district until the time for a three year (tri annual) is up and testing is completed again, to make sure your child is still receiving appropriate services.

The goal is ALWAYS least restrictive environment, so your son should be included in the gen ed class as much as possible. Sometimes para professionals are provided if necessary. If the school provides a special day class, they try to include the kids in that class into the gen ed population as much as is appropriate. The point is, the school needs to work with you. You and the school are partners. It is the law.

I worked in a special day school here in CA too. After working both non public and public, I think public is the way to go, and they are held most accountable by law. Again, I’m in CA so things may be a little different in CO, but you have serious rights and I would most definitely call the school districts to see how the transfers of out of state IEPs work, and if necessary (and affordable) an advocate could be very helpful.

[Haolejohn]

Out of state, IEPs normally are amended. We will do a new evaluation often times, though we also do file review to make sure we can implement the IEP as written.

The goal of an IEP is to ensure a child with disabilities is able to access the gen ed curriculum or have their educational needs met. Not every school is able to meet the needs of some students.

[WoundedSpirit]

My daughter had an IEP in middle and high school in Denver, and she was in the Cherry Creek school district, which was supposed to be one of the best. She has a mental illness rather than a physical handicap or learning disability, and they really had no idea how to deal with her, IEP or not.

She was put in classes for "at risk" students, which typically meant those with drug or behavior issues, neither of which applied to her. She was not placed in mainstream classes because the other students treated her badly because she was "different." No matter how specific her IEP was, whenever she had a problem (which were addressed in detail how to handle) they just called me to come and get her. The at-risk students were abusive towards her, and she dropped out twice because of this. However, she was determined to graduate, and she kept trying until she did, regardless of the cruelty of the students and the ineptitude of the faculty and staff in dealing with her problems.

I believe they only gave her an IEP because it was required by law, not to help her get an adequate education. I am sure this is not the case for most students needing an IEP, but it certainly didn't make a positive difference for her.