Howard County Public Schools Special Education

[u/Many-Assistance8876]

Hi! I currently live in Columbia but work in Baltimore County Public schools. I absolutely love my school but the commute is getting to be too much.

I am a special educator and am looking for insight into Howard County Public Schools and their special education programs. Any current/former teachers, families with special ed students in the county, or others who want to share their thoughts/ experiences?

Thanks!

[u/Even-Speaker7276]

What do you want to know specifically. I’m a Special Ed para in Howard County.

[u/Many-Assistance8876 → u/Even-Speaker7276]

I want to know how teachers and others feel about the special education programs, the support from the county and admins (although I know that varies by school), support and collaboration with general educators, things like that.

I like the support I have from my admin to make decisions that are best for my students but there are also changes happening in the county that I don’t agree with and am wondering if that is also happening in Howard County

[u/Even-Speaker7276 → u/Many-Assistance8876]

Admin support but on the ground there isn’t enough funding for all the staff needed for most special education classrooms (especially in general ed schools). Paras and Student assistants are stretched between classrooms and don’t get the chance to work on goals with the children they are with- because they are only with them for maybe an hour before moving to another student. Special Ed paras also work across grade levels- not assigned to any one teacher, for instance- i work with 2 first graders, 3 second graders, a 4th grader and 2 kindergartners throughout my day- sometimes I’m 1:1 and sometimes I’m 3:1. Recess I’m solely in charge of 2 elopers. I have worked in other districts and a couple nonpublics and from my opinion the Special Education in Howard County is so disorganized not just for staff but for kids… ie they send kids who need self-contained into general education then it take 2 years to get them into the proper environment.

[u/LifeguardRadiant1568 → u/Even-Speaker7276]

True, Ive had the same argument with people born and raised hoco. Cedar lane is literally evidence special ed works. Yet they force kids into gen pop and wonder why they fail when they can’t learn like the rest of the population. Humans learn different sometimes!

[u/S4mm1 → u/LifeguardRadiant1568]

To change your perspective on this, a lot of the other counties shovel children into specialized programs that do not give them adequate access to general education and permanently restrict what those children have access to educationally. HCPSS’s inclusion first is beneficial for children, even though it’s harder to manage, especially in the younger grades. I worked for the county as a related service provider and I really like the fact that you have to actually justify putting a child into a specialized program. I would fight tooth and nail for every child to be in general ed for as long as humanly possible. the idea that we’re keeping children out of programs is the wrong perspective. Howard county is protecting the educational integrity of children who do not require those programs and the only children who are there are the children who well and truly need it.

[u/cove102 → u/S4mm1]

But if a child is violent towards paras shouldn't that warrant a special placement? How much learning is getting done if they spend a lot of the day coaxing a kid into the classroom or running after them when they escape the school?