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Post by aprilfay21 on Aug 17, 2023 20:23:57 GMT
I would have my child go to a public school to get the needed support. Go to the public school, talk to the admin, walk the halls. See what is there. You may be surprised. If the private school has lost so many children that's why they are charging more for everything. They have to make up the money from tuition of others some how. To do this they nickel and dime you until they have recovered what they need. I couldn't handle the stress of always wanting more money. I just couldn't. They can afford to get her the support she needs, it's just that the very basic things they've asked for have never been an issue until now, and they were given no notice before they were told they'd have to pay $2500 a month extra to get her those very basic accommodations. It's the principle. |
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Post by Merge on Aug 17, 2023 20:24:59 GMT
if you live in a place where the public schools are so bad you dont want to put your child in them, I could definitely see that the private school kids wouldnt be behind. That wasnt the situation in the instances I mentioned I live in the Houston area, where public school are hit or miss. My particular district is terrible, but all the districts around our private school are good to great. We just aren't zoned for those. My friend is, but she prefers private. Sounds like you have an issue with private schools. HISD? Alief? Aldine? You don't have to answer - just professional curiosity.  If it is HISD, yes, we're a mess overall right now. But many individual schools in the district are great and will continue to be so, and if you need it, I can help direct you to one that might be a good fit. Sometimes if you go and plead your case to the principal - we public school folks tend to be sympathetic to kids done wrong by other systems - they will give you a principal's transfer so you can go to a school outside your zoned area. Just a thought. Feel free to ignore. Or DM me. |
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Post by littlemama on Aug 17, 2023 20:50:07 GMT
if you live in a place where the public schools are so bad you dont want to put your child in them, I could definitely see that the private school kids wouldnt be behind. That wasnt the situation in the instances I mentioned I live in the Houston area, where public school are hit or miss. My particular district is terrible, but all the districts around our private school are good to great. We just aren't zoned for those. My friend is, but she prefers private. Sounds like you have an issue with private schools. Nope, I have seen the reality of them in several instances. Note, that I said that these were MY experiences, not a statement about all private schools. |
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Post by twinks on Aug 17, 2023 22:13:14 GMT
personally, with a child who went to private high school for special needs, partly paid by district.. I would not want my child at a school that does not want my child. that would be more soul crushing than in the local public school, whatever its test scores or other measurements are. my other kids went to public schools. not perfect, but there were great teachers there and the kids made friends with all sorts of people.. which has helped them in life. Personally I totally understand what happens to a child who is not wanted. It breaks them. It is devastating. My DD was misunderstood and misdiagnosed. Her life at school was miserable and she was often mistreated. And this was in public school. It doesn’t matter what kind of school, public or private, nor the amount of $ you have to pay, if your child isn’t wanted for whatever reason, you would do best to move her out of the situation rather than fight it. My poor daughter spent 15 years in that situation. 3 placements in 3 different schools in 1st grade alone. I finally sued the school district (due process) and placed her in a private special education residential school. It makes me teary eyed when I look at the miracle of my DD at Riverview School in Cape Cod. It was literally life changing. They can’t come right out and say that they don’t want your friend’s daughter in that school because of her adhd or other challenges. That would be discrimination. They can make it hard to keep her there. Looks like charging for SP Ed services is the beginning. There is a group of Jewish parents in CA who are suing the State because they want their Sp Ed students to continue going to a private Hebrew school and they want the public finding. It will be an interesting case to watch. No opinion, no judgement. |
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Post by ntsf on Aug 17, 2023 22:17:14 GMT
yeah.. I went to due process three times when my kid was in middle school and the district's lawyer knew who we were.. not good. she had a terrible terrible reputation and she showed why.. treated my kid as if she was an idiot. in a meeting.
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Post by lilacgal on Aug 17, 2023 23:02:14 GMT
I just started year 21 of teaching third grade at a Catholic school. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why they would charge $2500/month for basic accommodations like those. I can’t understand why they’d charge anything to be honest! Who does that money go to? Is there someone they’re paying to give her extended time on tests? That, by the way, is the only way any of it makes sense. A kick band and breaks to move around seem like something a teacher should be able to do without involving anyone else. I changed my entire classroom to allow movement. I have adhd and know how much trouble I have as a grown adult to stay seated for long periods!
This makes me so angry! There is no good reason for this! 😤 I just want to hug that poor child and tell her I have room in my class. She’d be welcome at my school. 💜
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Post by cecilia on Aug 17, 2023 23:17:04 GMT
[/quote]It's crazy that I never considered it until I read your post, but they boast a 100% college acceptance rate. I wonder if that's because they weed these kids out. It's a Christian school and every single day they prove to be less and less Christian.[/quote]
The 100% acceptance rate reminds me of a documentary I saw called 'Accepted' about a rural, mostly black charter school in LA that went viral for acceptance videos. I would watch it if you get a chance. The school faced issues when the truth came out
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Post by cecilia on Aug 17, 2023 23:19:23 GMT
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Post by Merge on Aug 17, 2023 23:36:29 GMT
When I saw the amount they wanted for the accommodations you listed, that was the first place my mind went. Private schools and charters (depending on how they are funded) are free to make life uncomfortable for the families of kids who need extra services or kids who don't score high enough on standardized tests. Like adding over $20,000 to a tuition bill. I'm the first to say public schools need some serious help, but I will stand behind them forever because they take every kid who walks through their doors. It's crazy that I never considered it until I read your post, but they boast a 100% college acceptance rate. I wonder if that's because they weed these kids out. It's a Christian school and every single day they prove to be less and less Christian. I hadn’t seen this post earlier, but yes - it’s common for charter and private schools that boast certain academic outcomes to weed out the kids who may detract from that. They’ll tell you they never kick anyone out, but they do exactly what you and your friend have experienced - they make it very difficult for certain kids/families to stay. Just getting on my soapbox here - when voucher advocates tout better outcomes from private/charter schools as a reason to give them taxpayer money, remember that they get to cherry pick their students and the public schools don’t. |
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CeeScraps
Pearl Clutcher
~~occupied entertaining my brain~~
Posts: 4,063 
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Post by CeeScraps on Aug 18, 2023 0:19:02 GMT
I would have my child go to a public school to get the needed support. Go to the public school, talk to the admin, walk the halls. See what is there. You may be surprised. If the private school has lost so many children that's why they are charging more for everything. They have to make up the money from tuition of others some how. To do this they nickel and dime you until they have recovered what they need. I couldn't handle the stress of always wanting more money. I just couldn't. They can afford to get her the support she needs, it's just that the very basic things they've asked for have never been an issue until now, and they were given no notice before they were told they'd have to pay $2500 a month extra to get her those very basic accommodations. It's the principle. A school’s budget runs from I think July 1 or maybe it’s August 1 until the following year. It is not on the same schedule as a school year. I would bet between that time frame and registration the district saw how much money they are short. A private school can do what they wish. It’s private. Like I said….I would bet they are trying to make up the money they’ve lost by the people who have left the school. They really don’t care. It’s a money issue. |
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Post by PenandInk on Aug 18, 2023 12:09:12 GMT
As an ex public and private school special education teacher and former private school mom, I’m going to disagree with the idea that accommodating this student doesn’t cost the school any more money. If she’s leaving the room to get a drink, or take a short walk, she may need supervision. As she’s gotten older, does she roam further away during her short walk? Does she disrupt other classes?
When the class ends and she needs more testing time, who is supposed to monitor her for her extended time? If the teacher has another class coming in, and she remains in the classroom taking the test, the new class will be disruptive to her testing.
And whatever the foot thingie is that she’s allowed to have, could it possibly be distracting to other students? When one child’s accommodation disrupts another child’s concentration, further modifications need to be made.
For a child who needs to be allowed extra time, short breaks to walk around, and the ability to use a fidget device during what should be a quiet testing period, extra space and personnel are absolutely needed so to not disrupt other students. This extra fee might not actually be because they want to “weed the student out” but in reaction to other students complaining that the disruptions are affecting their own test performance.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Aug 20, 2023 3:53:25 GMT
Private schools can do whatever they want as others have stated. Religious private schools spend so much time on religious indoctrination that when their kids move to public school, they tend to be behind and have behavior issues that were never corrected at their previous schools. This is of course my experience with private school students who left and went to my ds' school and with our niece and nephews who moved to public high school. This doesnt apply to all private schools or all private school children, but is my experience. This reminds me of someone I knew whose kid attended the same private Catholic K-8 school I went to as a kid (decades earlier, of course). The kid had ADD or ADHD and really struggled in school but continually got passed along because he wasn’t generally a troublemaker. Once he got through 8th grade, he decided FOR HIMSELF that he needed serious remedial help in English and math before heading to high school so his parents sent him to a paid tutoring service place. 🙄 I couldn’t help thinking if that kid would have gone to the local public school (which was always highly rated, BTW) all through elementary he would have received the services he needed to be at grade level all along and wouldn’t have had so much catching up to do. |
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Post by auntkelly on Aug 20, 2023 14:09:21 GMT
My kids have attended both public and private schools. The first private school they attended in Oklahoma had a program for kids who needed extra help. They met for an hour before school started and the program cost an additional $1400 per year. That was twenty years ago, so I'm sure it's gone up since then.
The private school my son attended in Texas billed itself as a true college prepatory school and didn't offer tutoring or any accommodations, as far as I know. They made no bones about suggesting underperforming kids find a school which better fit them.
Both of these schools were secular and I don't think either school would be interested in receiving any money from the government, especially if it came w/ strings attached.
Obviously, I think private schools have their place, but I don't think they ought to receive any government funds and I don't think parents should get a tax break for sending their kids to a private school, for all the reasons which have been discussed on this thread.
In this particular case, I can't help but wonder if there's more to the story about why the school is charging so much for such seemingly simple accommodations. I'm not saying the parents aren't being truthful, but people often leave out key details of a story which don't support their position. Of course, the school can't talk to other parents about this child. They can't tell their side of the story.
If I was in the OP's position and felt the school was dealing unfairly w/ other students I might go to the administrators and talk in a general way about how they handle students who need accommodations. If I felt the school wasn't living up to their mission statement, I might call them out on it.
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If it is HISD, yes, we're a mess overall right now. But many individual schools in the district are great and will continue to be so, and if you need it, I can help direct you to one that might be a good fit. Sometimes if you go and plead your case to the principal - we public school folks tend to be sympathetic to kids done wrong by other systems - they will give you a principal's transfer so you can go to a school outside your zoned area. 
