Special Ed in the Adirondacks

[montcalm]

Wasn't quite sure where to put this or if I'll get any response, but mainly interested in school districts in and around the park and how their special education programs are.

Thanks!

[WinterWarlock]

Originally Posted by montcalm

Wasn't quite sure where to put this or if I'll get any response, but mainly interested in school districts in and around the park and how their special education programs are.

Thanks!

I know here in Schroon Lake our school system has a special education department and program. Unfortunately (well, fortunately actually) I moved here after my children were grown and have not interacted with it directly, so just know of it from conversations with locals.

[montcalm]

I'm actually not entirely sure what schools do these days, but I think most of the schools in my area integrate most kids, except those that perhaps need very specialized and/or intensive support.

While it's hard to say where my boy will be in the next few years, which is when I'd like to move, I can say he has language albeit delayed compared to his peers and has no other significant physical disabilities. I'd guess he'll be in a integrated classroom in the next few years, possibly with a 1:1 aid or less.

This is a difficult prospect to assess, even in a large district with a lot of resources like the one I live in currently. But this is something I need to understand before I decide to move somewhere. I know a lot of people use facebook forums specifically for Autism (AutismUp) to discuss these kinds of things. Not sure if I can find anyone in these communities and whether or not their needs are being met, or even if their needs are somewhat similar to ours, so I'm casting a lot of nets.

(I know this is a big ask)

[adkman12986]

Tupper Lake has a Special Ed department

[bluequill]

I believe that Keen/ Keene Valley has a full time speech pathologist but not sure of a special ed program at the school.

[jordalyst]

Hi Montcalm:

I am a NY educator.

Each school District in NY will have a special education department/staff and a Committee on Special Education and chair that assist families and have responsibility for creation and enforcement of a student's individualized education plan (IEP.)

I can't speak specifically for the North Country as I teach in the Finger Lakes Region, but; as you begin to consider making your move I encourage you to meet/speak with folks from the school districts you are considering purchasing property in. They will be able to share more specific information.

Best of luck to you and your kiddo!

[montcalm]

Originally Posted by jordalyst

Hi Montcalm:

I am a NY educator.

Each school District in NY will have a special education department/staff and a Committee on Special Education and chair that assist families and have responsibility for creation and enforcement of a student's individualized education plan (IEP.)

I can't speak specifically for the North Country as I teach in the Finger Lakes Region, but; as you begin to consider making your move I encourage you to meet/speak with folks from the school districts you are considering purchasing property in. They will be able to share more specific information.

Best of luck to you and your kiddo!

Thanks for the response.

My wife is a middle school educator so she knows a lot of what you explained but she wants to know as much as she can about potential districts before she even considers looking there.

We are also strongly considering suburban Albany and Plattsburgh area for this reason.

[chairrock]

gone

[gebbyfish]

I'm south of the park in Saratoga Springs and I know that the neighboring town of Ballston Spa has very good special ed.

[Tick Magnet]

This was actually one of the key factors when we moved back to NY over a decade ago. While all school districts are required to have a special education program, all are not equal. We found that a large number of ADK school districts bus the children out to "foothill" districts to comply with state requirements. For the property we were looking at in southern Hamilton County, it would have meant 2-3 hours a day on a bus for our daughter.

We were fortunate enough to have some options in where we resettled. Our kids welfare was #1 on the list. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find a ADK school district that had an in-house special needs program through age 21. I'm sure they exist within the blue line, but simple economics forces the smaller districts to consolidate this highly specialized need amongst several districts within the region.

In the end, we relocated to the "worker's paradise" with excellent special needs programs and live vicariously through ADK Forum posts of wilderness adventures. I don't regret it at all.

[montcalm]

Thanks Fish and TM.

I have a feeling that this may force us into suburban Albany. Because of my wife's retirement, we are tethered to NY, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. We would just like to be closer to the Adirondacks, if not inside or very near the blue line.

I also know about the differences in special education. My son has been going to school since 2.5 and he is now 4.5. We also had EI before that (at home services). The pandemic has made things difficult, but we changed schools last year and we were actually happier with the first school, although it had no shortage of issues. We were swayed by a better facility but programming seems to be not as good. Also, the pandemic is to blame. Our current school district seems very good, and we hope he will do well there next year, but we'd like to relocate sooner than later. We were too busy with babies before the pandemic, and now things are difficult for a number of other reasons. But I'd like to move before the kids become older and settled in the district (and make friends they'll miss).