Just got DSs school placement info.
Quick background: He'll be 3 in Sept. Attended a special needs preschool in the public school system from March to June of last school year. Took to it well and showed progress in that time. The placement wasn't at the nearest school to us since we were coming in mid-stream and had to take what was available.
Now to todays question: The placement letter came. He is in the morning session, which we wanted, but NOT at the school he was at last school year. He's at the school nearest to us (a mile from us vs 10 miles from us).
My question is that I'm wondering if it would be worth it for him academically to schlep him (and by default his infant sister) to/from the school he went to last year. If he went to the school he was assigned to, he could be bussed. It is likely a transportation reason that he wasn't assigned to the other school. I've been told in a previous call to the program that the assignments are pretty much transpo driven and that if we'd drive we could likely get him in to any program. I'm wondering if it would be worth it or if he'd likely do just as well at the local school.
BFP#2 2.5.11 (EDD 10.15.11) DS born 9.28.11
BFP#4 8.27.13 (EDD 5.6.14) DD born 4.23.14
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Re: School question
Kindie attendance isn't relevant in our case. DH is military and is slated to retire when DS is 4. We'll move for sure, just not sure where to.
BFP#2 2.5.11 (EDD 10.15.11) DS born 9.28.11
BFP#4 8.27.13 (EDD 5.6.14) DD born 4.23.14
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~All AL'ers welcome~
BFP#2 2.5.11 (EDD 10.15.11) DS born 9.28.11
BFP#4 8.27.13 (EDD 5.6.14) DD born 4.23.14
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~All AL'ers welcome~
I talked with DH a little more about it this evening and I think we're going to stick with the assigned school.
In addition to all the points you all made, the final selling point was us getting in touch with a good friend of ours and finding out that her mom happens to work as an aide in the class he'll be in. We knew she was in the program and at that school, but not that she'd be one of his teachers. Actually knowing one of the ladies that he'd be with while there will be nice.
I'm going to see if I can bring him by the school sometime in August, maybe see if that friends mom could meet us. I figure showing him around the school, me finding out where I need to park and such in case I have to pick him up for whatever reason, and my getting any registration stuff done would be nice to get out of the way. They have an open house at the end of the month, but that would only allow days to switch schools if need be (which I doubt it would need to be done).
BFP#2 2.5.11 (EDD 10.15.11) DS born 9.28.11
BFP#4 8.27.13 (EDD 5.6.14) DD born 4.23.14
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~All AL'ers welcome~
BFP#2 2.5.11 (EDD 10.15.11) DS born 9.28.11
BFP#4 8.27.13 (EDD 5.6.14) DD born 4.23.14
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~All AL'ers welcome~
Least restrictive environment. As part of IDEA a IEP child is entitled to free public education in the least restrictive environment that can serve their needs.
I looked it up just to make sure I was interpreting what @hopecounts was saying correctly. Saying the LRE is the school for which he is discricted (the one that he was assigned to in the letter we just got) is assuming that they are also capable of providing the same educational opportunities as the other school, correct? To my knowledge they are capable of doing so, I just wanted to clarify if that was the case.
We aren't going to send him to the other school anyways (the one he attended last year, that is 20 mins away rather than the 2 mins for the new one)...but if we were to we'd have been transporting him ourselves. My understanding is that the school district has to provide an appropriate education, but that if they can do so at a closer school that they wouldn't have to transport him to the further one just because it's what we wanted. Basically they wouldn't have the burden of the extra driving when they can do the job much closer to home.
BFP#2 2.5.11 (EDD 10.15.11) DS born 9.28.11
BFP#4 8.27.13 (EDD 5.6.14) DD born 4.23.14
My Recipe Blog
~All AL'ers welcome~
They have to be able to provide the Same services as the other school and adequately meet his IEP goals but to my understanding as with any school quality of the education may vary.