Of those for whom English is NOT the primary language of the home…
- 0% receive all written materials and forms in the primary language
- 34% were not told they were entitled to have an interpreter at no charge
- 0% had an interpreter at their meeting
- 0% paid for the interpreter themselves
Before the meeting:
Of those meetings where school evaluations or assessments were discussed …
- 49% requested to see the results or summary before the meeting
- 53% received the report or summary two or more days before the meeting
At the meeting:
Of those meetings where there were unexpected Team members …- 16% of the parents were informed that they could ask the unexpected participant to leave
- 14% of the parents asked the person to leave, and they did not leave
Of those meetings where there were a Team member did not show up …
- 15% had a proper substitute attend
- 59% of the parents were asked at the start of the meeting to agree to excuse the person
- 13% of the absent Team members submitted a written report for the Team to consider
During the meeting:
Of those meetings concerning a student 14 years old or older …
- 74% of the students were formally invited to the meeting
- 70% of the meetings discussed Transition
- 44% discussed transition before goals and services
- 50% discussed transition after goals and services
- 7% discussed transition after placement
Of those students participating to some degree in the general education curriculum, or expected to …
- 8% did not have a general ed teacher on the Team
- 6% had a general ed teacher on the Team who did not know the student
IEP Goals:
Services:
Related Services:
- 87% did NOT discuss Related Services
Of those that did …
- 6% had the related services turned down or the discussion put off because they are not available in the district or there must be a discussion with people outside the Team.
Additional Evaluations or Assessments
- 17% of the school districts want additional testing
Of these,
- 0% explained what they were testing for and how the tests are conducted
After school and extra curricular activities
Extended School Year – ESY
Of those Team meetings that discussed ESY …- 69% of Teams decided that the student needs ESY
Of these
- 93% only offered a set period of time for ESY (“cookie-cutter”) and did not discuss other options
Placement:
Of those who had a Placement Team meeting …- 43% did not feel as if they were a Team member and part of the discussion
- 94% feel the placement decision was pre-determined
- 33% were given a Placement Form that was already filled in
As the meeting ended:
They listened to our concerns but placement and goals were already predetermined. I felt like we were being herded into a predetermined plan.
Because we're not part of the thinking process, we're not being consulted enough and when we give feed-bask it seems that the district is more interested in proving us wrong rather than dealing with the issue raised.
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The school psychologist offered to meet with my son to discuss options for transition programs.
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Very informative. Got to understand more of the school dynamic.
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Appeared to follow protocol. Letus spend 3 hrs meeting. I brought an outside eval
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Everyone was very nice and professional and we felt like we were working together to help my daughter.
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My experience from the annual IEP meeting is greatly different from my initial meeting to ensure that my daughter qualified for an IEP. We had to hire an educational advocate to help us navigate these early meetings. The results of the assessments were not easy to understand, unless you had experience in the field of education. My daughter was 2 grade levels behind in reading at the end of 4th grade, yet the team assembled made ridiculous suggestions that ranged from having her eyes checked to (yet again) working on her reading fluency. Clearly, if her reading fluency had not improved since 1st grade, there was something else going on. Despite having poor working memory and being 2 grade levels behind, it took an educational advocate to help us obtain an IEP for my dyslexic daughter. Once the IEP was secured, the annual meetings were much more positive and inclusive.
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unprofessional
out of district coordinator was incompetent and a known issue smong several parents
parent was not allowed to speak on key issues like academic goals, behavior challemges and lack of interbention and regression
inadequate hygiene/ADLs not addressed appropriately despite neglectful situation
It took 4 months to be enrolled and placed, no call backs, no explsnation of process, multiple delays, no transportation provided in a timely manner, out of district options d
were not viable for 45 day assessments. Schools were equslly booked. Walked and talked in circles instead of finding aplropriate solution
home/hospital intervention denied extension for lack of viable reason despite repeat letters from developmental pediatrician and DESE forms (sogned 3x) then rehected by district.
Proposed 7 yr old child to go on random buses to school for 20 min theraoy sessions and not carried out
Insisted on school speaking with pediatrician in case pediatrician’didn’t knoe what he was doing’ despite being head of developmental behavioral pediatrics at boston childrens
threatened by school resource officers and a Brookline social eorker who came to search my home for no valid reason as a thinly veiled threat – and under the pretense that the home ABA provider called the school (when they did not) as thry have their iwn crisis intervention procedures. 99% of notes state ‘great session today!
reprimanded by dustrict when informed of contacting an attny for our protection.We regret every moment of moving to Brookline only to find ourselves in an even worse situation of lack of LRE and a learning environment amd months of no placement. Child is in ood in a safe placement. Ramp up amd transition period has lost significant time and delay of 6 months without any worm or documetation of IEP goals.
Brookline SPED departmemt smd interim staff are rude, condescending and insppropriate at all levels.
Escalation to School Committee resulted in retaliation amc intimidation tactics.
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Huge improvement.
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I have had to fight for services since 1st grade and this was at the end of the 5th grade. Unfortunately, a lot of hostility had built up including me having to hire an attorney to get results. The SPED director’s testing was poorly done and in direct contradiction in results to the private neuropscych a year before. The SPED director said we will not be discussing the reports as the results are not similar. There was no discussion of asking was she every bullied or concern about being bullied and I received my parental rights 6 months after the meeting.
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I feel like my child is being discriminated against, because he has an IEP. We were never offered full day. The special ed principal said it was illegal. And I.E.P kids can’t have full day. Unless they’re a role model child.
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The town had failed our family this year.
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