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Dolphinsbaby
My 3 little guys!
Member since 12/10 2943 total posts
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Anyone use a lawyer for CSE turning 5 meeting?
My ASD son is not turning 5 until next year but we are starting to think about kindergarten. He is going to need a lot of supports in place and I'm getting nervous. A few people have mentioned to me I should look into private placement and possibly getting a lawyer? Anyone have any experience? I don't sleep at night anymore bc I am constantly researching, ugh. I wish I could turn my brain off.
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Posted 2/8/17 1:06 AM  |
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LIF Adult
Member since 1/17 2249 total posts
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Re: Anyone use a lawyer for CSE turning 5 meeting?
I don't know about a lawyer but I know lots of parents who hire parent advocates. I did speak with one who told me to hire her only if absolutely necessary. They are expensive but I know of parents that hire them every year for their CSE meetings. I think hiring a lawyer would only take place if something more serious was going on.
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| Posted 2/8/17 10:08 AM |
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Dolphinsbaby
My 3 little guys!
Member since 12/10 2943 total posts
Name:
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Re: Anyone use a lawyer for CSE turning 5 meeting?
Thank you. Any idea how much an advocate costs?
The only reason I was thinking of a lawyer is because I am thinking of putting him in private placement which I heard the district (we are in Queens-so NYC) can and will give me a hard time about without trying a public school setting first. I have heard too many horror stories and not willing to take the risk and waste time when this is most likely our end goal. I say most likely, because we are still researching all our options for kindergarten placement for him.
I wish I was rich and could just pay for one of these autism schools that are over $100k like the celebrities do . Just want what is best for him.
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| Posted 2/8/17 10:45 AM |
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KarenK122
The Journey is the Destination
Member since 5/05 4430 total posts
Name:
Karen
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Anyone use a lawyer for CSE turning 5 meeting?
The advice that I give parents in my district is to go to the first meeting and see what happens. Know what you want and what you will be satisfying with getting. Many districts will surprise you and give you what you need as long as you ask for it.
Starting out your school years with a lawyer or an advocate immediately puts the district on the defensive and it will stay that way for the entire time you are in school and everything will be a fight. So go to the meeting and see what they say. You can always table the meeting and reconvene at another time if you do not like what they are offering. That is when you would get an advocate, when you can't do the fighting on your own. A lawyer I would save until you absolutely need it because once you lawyer up, there is no going back.
If your district has a placement that is a right fit for your son, you will not get placement in a private setting even with an advocate or a lawyer. You will need to try their program first and it would need to fail. It sucks and it is not fair.
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| Posted 2/8/17 12:09 PM |
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LIF Adult
Member since 1/17 2249 total posts
Name:
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Re: Anyone use a lawyer for CSE turning 5 meeting?
Posted by KarenK122
If your district has a placement that is a right fit for your son, you will not get placement in a private setting even with an advocate or a lawyer. You will need to try their program first and it would need to fail. It sucks and it is not fair.
Yes this exactly!
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| Posted 2/8/17 1:25 PM |
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MrsM0824
LIF Zygote
Member since 10/13 46 total posts
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Anyone use a lawyer for CSE turning 5 meeting?
As a special education teacher in Queens, I can tell you that you will have to try out the program first. There are so many options and schools that the DOE will not pay for a private program until you can prove that the public school did not meet your child's needs. If you child is placed in public school, document everything that you dislike or you feel is not best for your child. Then, request a reevaluation for private school. They cannot deny your request to reevaluate. They would have to send the request to CBST (Center Based Support Team - basically CSE) and that's when it would go to an impartial hearing and you would need a lawyer.
That being said, I work for District 75. I know there are horror stories but there are also a lot of really amazing teachers and success stories. Why do you think it won't be appropriate for your child? Please feel free to fm me if you have any questions about D75. I have been in the same school for 10 years. I have had numerous students make amazing progress and return to district based classes with their typically developing peers. I have had students come back who have passed state tests after returning to district. I'd love to alleviate some of your fears if possible.
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| Posted 2/8/17 1:53 PM |
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babyfever24
LIF Adult
Member since 1/11 3340 total posts
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Re: Anyone use a lawyer for CSE turning 5 meeting?
Posted by MrsM0824
As a special education teacher in Queens, I can tell you that you will have to try out the program first. There are so many options and schools that the DOE will not pay for a private program until you can prove that the public school did not meet your child's needs. If you child is placed in public school, document everything that you dislike or you feel is not best for your child. Then, request a reevaluation for private school. They cannot deny your request to reevaluate. They would have to send the request to CBST (Center Based Support Team - basically CSE) and that's when it would go to an impartial hearing and you would need a lawyer.
this.....unfortunately the DOE will not agree to private school basically ever.....they feel that district 75 placements should be suitable. if you don't agree to the placement then you can hire a lawyer and request an impartial hearing, usually the hearings keep getting postponed and you are under something called "pendency" which the doe then pays the tuition for the private school you choose.....the catch is most schools require you to pay monthly and the DOE reimburses the parents every three to four months making it hard for the families....i work with a few families that are going through this currently....FM me if you would like more info......
Also, i toured a lot of D75 placements with these families and was not opposed to all of them......it all just depends on the school and the teacher to be honest.
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| Posted 2/13/17 9:45 PM |
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SLPRunner
LIF Adult
Member since 12/13 1101 total posts
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Anyone use a lawyer for CSE turning 5 meeting?
Also work in a D75 schools and agree with this. They aren't all bad. Depends on the program and teachers. But you will need to try a placement first to prove that it doesn't work before asking for private placement. I had a student's family try that when the student was in kindergarten. Family started out the year contentious and didn't even give us a chance. To be honest, I didn't think we were the best placement, I think there were probably more suitable D75 placements, but the family was dead set on a private school.
My advice would be to try to find an Autism program, not just a D75 site with Autism classes. I think I work in a good DOE program, but not necessarily for kid that requires a more structured ABA type setting and other Autism related supports. I worked for many years in a non-public school for students with Autism so I'm familiar with those types of programs.
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| Posted 2/13/17 10:05 PM |
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Re: Anyone use a lawyer for CSE turning 5 meeting?
Posted by KarenK122
Starting out your school years with a lawyer or an advocate immediately puts the district on the defensive and it will stay that way for the entire time you are in school and everything will be a fight. So go to the meeting and see what they say. You can always table the meeting and reconvene at another time if you do not like what they are offering. That is when you would get an advocate, when you can't do the fighting on your own. A lawyer I would save until you absolutely need it because once you lawyer up, there is no going back.
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ITA
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| Posted 2/18/17 11:49 AM |
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