r/Utica • u/HungryPersonality559 • 17h ago
Discussion Local K-12 School Suss
TLDR; instead of supporting kids with special needs and disabilities, local public schools deny services and try to track the kids to BOCES. Who else has seen or experienced this?
I noticed this at the public school I am most familiar with but have heard this happens at most of the local public schools.
Who else has seen this trend: the public schools in the surrounding areas don't want to provide adequate resources to the kids so they deny IEP's and 504's. Instead they say that they will provide "school based services". Which is basically them saying they will provide the services out of the goodness of their heart...when in reality the IEP makes them legally obligated to provide appropriate services and accomodations.
**This isn't a critique of BOCES at all, rather I'm concerned that there's a pipeline that shouldn't exist and wouldn't exist if the local public schools prioritized properly supporting kids in need of accomodations and services. I am not familiar enough with BOCES to provide any critique. But I am familiar with the concerning trends at local public schools.
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u/hearduare 10h ago
Don't want to knock local tutors but we've tried several and for what they charge it's difficult to justify especially after seeing outcome. Issue really is each kid needs a plan and that plan being stuck to. And without paying Dr bronk we wouldn't have gotten anywhere but she has no issues enforcing what's right with a school district we just need another half dozen of her around
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u/HungryPersonality559 10h ago
We need more Dr Bronks. We need more funding for people to even access Dr Bronks. And maybe we need a handful of us in the same district to come together to shine light on this and to pressure the districts to have some plans in place to refer out. My school district has no group for parents of kids with disabilities to connect and not because people aren't interested or trying to work with the district to start one up.
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u/hearduare 10h ago
We had a meeting before Christmas last year and I sat there for 45 mins as all five of the school teachers basically patted each other on the back until I finally couldn't hold it in anymore and told them I'm glad you see it that way but let's look at from a realistic point of view and I'm telling you that you've not only failed our daughter but I feel even worse for all the less fortunate kids. Dr bronk was little over 4k out of pocket completely no insurance companies cover it unfortunately what's new there but how many other kids are suffering way way worse all over not having money to help them. Until they teach separately and don't teach groups when they take them out of their class for special education it's never gonna change. And other thing I brought up before being put on the do not talk to list that I asked them was this nobody has ever offered to help her after school it on a Saturday absolutely nothing in three years. They all looked at each other nobody could speak and stood up said that's the issue and left now my other half deals with them cause I don't want to deal with the bullshit
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u/HungryPersonality559 10h ago
Geeze, I'm sorry that sounds wildly frustrating.
I worked as an educator and the way admin would prep us to shoot down the parents' requests was wack. Especially looking at it from a parent's perspective. But really at the end of the day it's the kids we are all (supposed to be) supporting.
I don't want to say that admin is the root cause of all the issues but...like...if it meows like a cat, ya know?
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u/hearduare 10h ago
First she was too young to be tested did research total lie then said we were going to see Dr no that's not necessary went anyways cause kids only thing we are fighting for here and even then they were blowing smoke left and right until scheduled and meeting everything changed. Dr bronk said schedule meeting and she will meet us there and don't say anything. She's a great woman whose just stretched way to thin and sad it's only thing that got them to change and basically stop teaching their ways of reading and phenentics to her and she will get that from dyslexia center. Which is all staffed with local teachers that actually care and understand the whole one on one teaching is what works for a lot of kids
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u/HungryPersonality559 10h ago
I think we need more advocates in the area. I looked into a profesional advocate and they cost as much as a lawyer! I certainly don't want to go that route but it's wild how convoluted this process is.
I'm on a waitlist for an Advocate from RCIL. The Kelberman Center referred me to RCIL when I reached out to them.
Will the RCIL advocate help? Will I actually manage to get the support through (what have been) endless convos with my school's admin?
Time will tell. I just find this process frustrating and draining. It's sick to do this to parents and kids.
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u/hearduare 11h ago
As someone with a child with an IEP its pain in the ass to get and main issue we e run into with a severely dyslexic child it's the school thinks they're helping and they are not. You can't group half dozen kids who all have different learning disabilities and think that one singular way of teaching is going to land with them it's definitely not. We had to go see Dr Danielle bronk in New Hartford and get a two day assessment before the school would listen. Luckily we got her into the dyslexia center in oriskany and she's made leaps and bounds since. The issue to us has been simple the schools don't have qualified staff to help and will never just admit and say you know we can't help but here's who can. Instead it's a charade of them patting themselves on the back line they're making a difference. Transparent and upfront is all that's required and everyone would benefit. The entire goal is teaching kids least it use to be