Re: Moving to Florida need help with getting services

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much for your suggestions. I am talking with a lawyer

today to get initial advice prior to contacting the school district.

HOpefully he will have some encouraging words. It stinks that

everything we do to help our children has to be such a fight.

Thanks again, Lanier

>

> Lanier,

>

> In reviewing the new revisions of the IDEA (2004)there appears to

be a

> strong case in the language to compel the receiving district to

provide

> " comparable " level of services to what the previous district

offered until a new IEP

> can be agreed upon and implemented.

>

> However, this is Florida. You are moving to one of the worst

states in the

> union for persons with autism. Parent advocates are few and far

between

> unless you are in South Florida. So, holding the district to the

letter of the

> law is easier said than done.

>

> We did it, and quickly, but it was a case of using the school

district's

> procedural safeguards publication as our best ally. Also, I came

into the state

> already having settled two very messy due process hearings, and

spearheading

> a complaint with the OCR which ultimately afforded children with

> disabilities in eastern SC as many educational hours as their

typically developing peers

> and for facilities used to educate disabled school children to

be " equal to

> or as good as " those enjoyed by typically developing peers.

So....well....I

> found out later that our reputations do proceed us. (Both a good

and a bad

> thing!)

>

> Our district's procedural safeguards stated that if an initial

IEP within

> the receiving district could not be agreed upon, the child would

be returned to

> regular education. Since my child at that time had a well

documented

> history of extreme violent behavior, and had recently gone through

a window, nearly

> severing his elbow from his arm, we had some heavy hitting

power. The

> district finally gave in when I announced that per their

published procedural

> safeguards, since we could not agree on an IEP designed to

protect a severely

> self abusive and aggressive child while maintaining measurable

educational

> benefit, we would be at our child's neighborhood school on

Thursday at ten a.m. to

> enroll our child in regular ed. We included a list of

recommendations to

> protect our son's peers from bodily harm. We copied it to the

entire board.

>

> They balked immediately and gave in.

>

> It should never come to this, I would normally NEVER recommend

such strong

> arming, but this was a matter of life and death for our son. It

worked, but

> I've been doing damage control on relationships ever since.

>

> McKay scholarships might give you what you want, but your child

has to be

> enrolled in public school for one year (or two full time

enrollment counts)

> before he/she becomes eligible. And...in receiving a McKay, your

reliquish all

> procedural safeguards afforded by IDEA. So if you have a beef

with the McKay

> school, there are no safeguards to protect your child, no rights

of due

> process, no right to fair and impartial hearing....you're on your

own in that

> respect. But...on the flip side, there are many excellent Mckay

schools in

> South Florida.

>

> My recommendation would be that if you have any option other than

moving to

> Florida, run as far and as fast as you can. If schools are a

mess, our

> medicaid system is worse with what can amount to a dozens of years

wait for

> services. South Florida does have some fairly strong advocates

and alternative

> school settings there. They're a bit more progressive than the

rest of the

> state.

>

> If you're looking in the Orlando area, my best advice is Seminole

County

> Schools. They do have a history of " contracting out " behavioral

services IF

> you know exactly what you are doing regarding IDEA.

>

> Orange County does not contract out behavioral services in most

cases. Do

> not, no matter what you do, send your child to Orange County if

your goal is

> certified behavioral services. I've never known anyone other than

the severely

> impaired older children to get that level of help out of the

district, and

> two BCBA's have agreed that it is nearly impossible.

>

> Best of luck to you. All of this, of course, is my own (very

jaded)

> opinion! I hope someone else can give you more positive

information based on the

> actual area where you are moving.

>

> Traci

>

[Guest guest]

, We are moving to Melbourne Florida. Lanier

>

> Lanier, where in Florida are you moving. This is a very big

state.

>

> B.

> Fort Lauderdale

>

> _____

>

> From: sList

[mailto:sList ] On

> Behalf Of perrin172003

> Sent: Friday, June 30, 2006 3:07 PM

> To: sList

> Subject: Moving to Florida need help with getting

services

>

>

>

> Hi we will be moving to Florida this august. I have a 5 year old

> moderate severely affected son with autism. He has been getting

ABA

> since he was 21 months old. He is currently attending a private

ABA

> school that the school district is paying for. Is there any way we

can

> get the school district down there to pay for a private ABA school

> since it is part of his current IEP.

> Are there any advocates you would recommend?

> Thanks in advance, Lanier

>