Montgomery County parents slam plan to cut staff for autistic students
DARNESTOWN, Md. - Parents in Montgomery County are expressing major concerns over a planned staffing change in the upcoming school year impacting students with autism.
Currently, 60 students attend the Darnestown Learning Center at Darnestown Elementary School. The center has 12 paraeducators, which are school employees who work under the supervision of teachers or other professional practitioners.
Half of them will be reassigned to other locations in the next school year, a Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.
"6.125 paraeducator positions will be re-assigned next year due to reduced enrollment projections. Bottom line, an IEP is a legal document that lays out required services that must be provided. These services will be provided at Darnestown despite this change," a spokesperson emailed FOX 5 Tuesday.
Montgomery County parents slam plan to cut staff for autistic students
Eugene Kim is the father of a student at the learning center and was among the parents who offered statements during the public comment portion of Tuesday's school board meeting.
"A para, if you have a ratio of one para to one teacher to two kids, three kids … Then that para’s ability to maintain the kid in position to stay - not disciplined - but to keep them on track becomes far more beneficial than allowing a kid to just run around," Kim said. "If you look at Darnestown, there are classrooms upwards of 12 kids and two paras. There have been elopement issues. I mean, I don’t want to say who or what grade level, but there have been cases where a kid has escaped through the window."
Jamie Doyle also urged the school board not to reduce the staffing level.
"With Autism Awareness Month approaching, I respectfully request that you continue the program in its current form and consider expanding it to other sites to accommodate the deluge of autistic children that will be coming," Doyle said.
According to the school district, the paraeducators are being reassigned to other locations to service increasing special education needs countywide. Parents, however, say they have been told the needs will continue to increase at Darnestown.
Silvia Hou, a parent of a Darnestown student, said parents were not consulted about the process.
"These children’s IEP’s placement made them eligible for Darnestown because a traditional learning center could not meet their needs. The special education staff does not realize they have created a ripple effect," Hou told the board. "Board of Education, Dr. Felder, ask those special education staff in this building, are you absolutely sure we are not going to increase costs elsewhere? I respectfully ask that you return the paraeducators to Darnestown Elementary and do not eliminate this much-needed program, which serves a huge autism need and population in our county."