As of today, John Fredericksen has informed local Therapists they are no longer allowed to see students on school property. Yes, some agencies actually pay these Therapists to visit children at their schools.
Fredericksen stated that it takes away from the students instructional time. That is their excuse, anyway. Nevertheless, the way we see it is, if a Parent has to take off from work, go to the school and pick up their child to go to a Therapist, (who do work 9-5 for the most part) they're not only inconveniencing the Parents, they're also allowing the student to leave school for probably 1.5 hours while they go to and from the school to visit the Doctor.
Wicomico County isn't paying for the Therapist, insurance is. The normal length of a meeting at the school is 30 minutes.
No "school based therapy" will be allowed any longer in Wicomico County.
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69 comments:
Will that include speech therapists also?
Good for him. Where does it state in the Constitution or the Bible that the school is responsible for therapy for a child? When people have children, they are taking on the responsibility of raising the child thur all 18 years. If the parents thinks school is causing them an inconvenience- perhaps they should rethink their thinking. Children do not need to be taken away from their class time. This is causing an inconvenience
for teachers, who are hired to TEACH but instead are required to work lesson plans around children who are pulled from class
Takes away from insrtruction time? Half hour session plus travel time is an hour and a half plus.if the therapist comes to the school the child only loses half hour.not to mention now parents must miss time from work.that Fredrickson has got to be the stupidest man in the world!
The BOE is the boss , they prevail over all government. It's for the children , no child left behind.
The BOE knows best , so get over it , they are educated and can make decisions for all.
We must respect them , worship them and praise them , they are the leaders of our children. Mama said the teacher knows best , mama said stupid is as stupid does.
And why is this a concern? The way I see it is that the parents are too lazy to go to the appt so the therapists interrupts instruction and the school. The therapist only gets paid if they treat the child so they take advantage of the school.
Now maybe I could get my doctor to come treat me at work when I am sick so I don't have to leave. Same idea, right?
Get off your butts parents and snow up for your appointments.
The reality is that many parents can't or won't take the child for much-needed therapy. This new rule only means the children won't be getting the therapy. So a system that wasn't perfect but did get help to kids who need it most has been replaced by a system that leaves kids with fewer ways to get therapy. Why do you think the therapist had to come to the school in the first place?
Working parents raising children need to get their priorities in line. It is a juggling act to say the least. Maybe the Orthodontist can come to my children's school so I won't be inconvenienced leaving work taking them for appointments. Get real folks a therapist is like a dotor's appointment. You have kids, than you tend to their needs. Stop complaining.
If my child is seeing a therapist, I would want to be waiting there to discuss concerns or plans of treatment after the session. Parents need to be involved in these kind of issues. Therapists can't solve most of these kid's problems without parental input. I try to make any appointments either early in the morning or late in afternoon so he doesn't miss too much school. Most employers will work with you if you don't abuse the reasons.
But they still allow child molesting teachers.
"Parents need to be involved in these kind of issues"-Excellent point, 3:32.
I would think in order to get the maximum benefits out of therapy it would be imperative that the parents be there and be involved.
Do these therapists bill the insurance companies extra for making a "school call" as opposed to an office visit?
I know this question has nothing to do with the topic at hand but I'm just wondering if this isn't something that's been written into MD law forcing private insurers to pay for therapists to visit schools thus allowing them to charge extra.
Hey.read moron! Its not the schools that are responsible for therapy.its paid for by the parents or insurance etc....no reason on the world for this.there is plenty of unused rooms through the day for a therapist to schedual with the school and parents to see children in the school.this takes no money from the school system and no man power.why would they want to unleaded the progress of a child in any way? Academically or medically!
Your an ass.its not about to lazy.its about parents missing time from work that takes money away from families. Not to mention alot of families can't afford vehicles anymore thanks to Obama.think outside the box you narrow minded creep
You all are crazy. You all mean to tell me that if your Dr.could and would visit you at work or at home you wouldn't jump on it? I can't afford time off.you guys must be able to.and as far as discussion after....a telephone conference works just the same.
3:31 and 3:32
You are responsible parents who do what is needed to take care of your children. I wish that was true for all students. It isn't. Sometimes the choice for kids with serious issues is no therapy because the parents won't do their part or have the therapist come to the school. If Dr. Fredericksen thinks parents will now step up and take their kids to therapy because he's made a rule, he's sadly mistaken and kids will pay the price. They would have missed class anyway, and much more of it, so how this became an instructional issue is beyond me.
The decision was made so that reports can't be made about all the horrific things happening in our schools.
And they still allow incompetent, disrespectful, arrogant, cocky administrators. And the Dr. will continue to dictate until the community makes so many complaints to the board and they fire him. Hopefully, that day will be here sooner than later.
Therapists aren't allowed but in our early intervention program, there is a supervisor who is disrespectful, uncaring and doesn't know how to tell the truth. This story will be out soon and I hope the community catches another glimpse of what happens behind the scenes. No wonder no one can provide service unless they are a BOE employee. Someone might report the truth and our system doesn't want to know the truth. When they do, it get swept under the carpet.
If the kids are having to have therapy at school, it's because their parents won't take them. Some won't get any therapy at all unless the therapist comes to school. Actually, less time is lost than if the child had to be driven to the appointment and back to school. It makes no sense that this is an instructional time issue. Of course, Dr. Fredericksen would never lie to the community.
I feel sorry for the kids this will hurt. If their parents would take them to therapy, the therapist wouldn't be coming to school in the first place. Of all the problems in our schools, why pick on kids who need therapy? They lose 30 minutes of school time if the therapist comes to them and at least an hour if they go to the therapist. How does this new rule save instructional time? What is the real reason behind this?
Music therapist goes to Pinehurst. Is she no longer allowed.?
4:40 & 6:06.... You both could not be any more right on the mark than that!!! They BOE are still continuing to close in their circle even tighter to keep others from knowing what is going on, to give themselves full control with no way for anyone to hold them accountable, and the BOE (most, not all) don't give a rat's ass about what the students need.
So, what if the decisions and actions of the BOE is aggravating the students' condition that already requires therapy? What is the school's negligence or incompetence directly impacts the students' ability to cope and is in desperate need of therapy.
The BOE will also be severing ties with parts of the community that works together with the school and family toward the same goal...
Or is it that the BOE just wants to be in full control and are not team players??? No surprise there!
first of all, you people commenting about your dr. or orthodontist coming to school...how many times a week do you take your child to the dentist? For us parents with special needs kids, therapy is a WEEKLY if not TWICE WEEKLY appointment! What employer is going to allow an employee to take extra hour of work up to 2x a week? Not many! It is not a "therapist"..therapy can be speech, occupational and physical therapy. I dont see what the difference is whether its an outside therapist or a BOE therapist. There are therapists in the school that pull the child out for 30 mins 2 or 3x a week, they are missing class time then as well. Obviously there is much more to this story, we can only hope it will eventually come out...
The administrators are fearful of outsiders reporting things taking place in the classroom. Folks, take a stroll down the hallways of the schools that service a large population of special needs children. Pinehurst, WI HI, Salisbury Middle and Wi Middle would be great places to start your tours. It's serious stuff going on. Children who need therapy several times a month from outside service providers need support as well as their parents. Dr. Fredericksen, this crap you and the supervisors are pulling will bite you in your %$#@& some day. Sadly, it will not be you who is directly impacted. It will be a neice, nephew, grandchild or maybe your own child. Then see if you reinstate your useless, wothless heartless policies.
I would like to clarify the reasons and benefits for therapy in school: kids who receive therapy in school don't always get it there "because their parents don't care" or "because parents aren't taking them". Bottom line is many parents either don't have the time to take off work each week, or lack the transportation or familial support to get a child to weekly therapy appointments. We all know how tough it can be as a parent, juggling work, schedules, appointments and kids... but imagine the life of a parent with a child with special needs, even special mental health needs. And if you have more than one child who has similar needs... I can only imagine how much of a relief it would be knowing they could receive the help they need in a place where they spend most of their day, amongst people they trust.
And for those of you who are misinformed:
*Teachers don't have to lesson plan around a child who gets pulled from class. It's treated like any other absence... the child makes up the work.
*Therapists are paid through insurance. And no, their fees aren't more because they go to schools. They are, thankfully, some dedicated, compassionate individuals who understand sometimes you need to be creative in order to make sure children have access to the services they so desperately need.
Each of us is entitled to our own opinion, but it's always best if it's based in fact and generalizations aren't made.
Community connections aren't valued at the central office level. I work in special education and administrators criticize every agency in this community. There is something wrong with all of them. Maybe, just maybe, the problem is with YOU!
It sounds like a set up for disaster. A child stops receiving therapy at school (due to the reasons mentioned above), leaving them in an unstable state without medication. The child's behaviors escalate and they are placed in a residential center for an extended period of time. I'm sorry, what were those educational concerns again??? Not to mention the cost to the state!
Is there any board of ed. member with nerve enough to stand up for the kids and tell Fredericksen this is cruel? Will there have to be more lawsuits that our county can't afford because of this man's actions?
The BOE are team players only when they try to cover up one anothers wrongs. Come on Dr. F. Can't you fond another new policy to put into place? You truly are heartless.
This is school based therapy is not paid for by the school system. It is a service that is offered Thu the agency u take your child to. A lot of people are very uneducated on mental health. People think u need to see an illness in order to have it taken care of. Or have people understand it. Mainly people who do not have children with a mental health illness. It's sad to watch these kids suffer. While the school system degraded them. More and more help is coming to surface to help the children and families. Now back to the school system. Let's start off simple for people to understand..u have a child. We will name him johnny.. he enters the school system. Things go well the 1 st few yrs .. then..all of a sudden johnny isn't doing well in school. He can't focus. Pay attention...with drawn..sad. lonely.. johnny gets notes sent home. Recess taken. Made to sit on the stage during lunch time. Bad comments. No stars. Talk to as a bad child. Meanwhile Johnnys grades are suffering. Parent is trying to help but school pushes u aside. Tries to make the parent feel shame for johnnys behavior. When all the parent is trying to do is find help. Well since there is such a high demand for mental health and not enough providers to help. There is a wait. Usually a month or 2. In the meantime the school refuses to help..you don't have a 504 or IEP.. parent in turns ask school and or teachers if they could help out some. Like extra time for test. Or anything. They could do. Parent understanding johnny isn't the only child in the school. However parent is told nope u have to have a plan.. which is another long process. In the meantime johnny is getting picked on..grades slipping fast. Teacher is fed up trying to teach a child that will not focus. Then the behavior issues start. BOE makes sure every parent gets a code of conduct. What can and cannot happen in school. And what happens if rules are broke. However nothing is handed out letting parents know the IEP process or things the school is willing to help with. I think the BOE feels that mental health is made up. However. There are also many adults with the same issues. These children are not bad. Most children with mental health issues are highly intelligent if given the right tools to succeed. All these workshop days these schools take off for. You would think things could be better. But again that falls on the BOE.. telling teachers what they can and can't do. All children are expected to sit..learn..do..no talking .. no moving.. don't do this..don't do that.. for 7 hrs a day. I don't know not one adult that can sit in a chair a learn all day long. And these test.lol.. our kids don't even need them to get into collage. It's a money game. The school with the highest scores gets money. Money...you torture our children..stress them to the max for money.. so for the people who think they know or have all the answers for mental health or blame the parent..fine go ahead ..I guess u should consider yourself lucky..but please go on your computer and read. Really read. And for the parents that have children with such issues.. advocate! Never give up keep fighting.. if we don't do it for them no one else will. There is a book called my beautiful broken shell...read it..I for one will not be sitting back and allow the boe to dictate my child's health care. The last time I checked my name was on the birth certificate....
Huh snow up for appts .. okie dokie. I guess Ur the parent with perfect kids..with your perfect life. Wake up Dork! Most of our kids issues is cause by our school system.. the ingorance. The lazyness of boe and teachers. No child left behind.. ha! And we parents that have children with issues.. well. Every nite we have to reteach what the teacher flew thru. Boe says speed up.. we need more money.. or I can't go on my vacation..or buy that new car.. of eat out at fancy dining.. who cares if the mental health kid gets it..
So not true. The therapist come to the school because that's where a lot of issues are. Also to help .. this is a great service ..has nothing to do with lazy parents or poor people not getting kids to agency..
I'm so tired of reading remarks bout the parent and then u can get another Dr to come to your work or child's school..a lot of these kids have a hard time in school. And with the school based in combination with more appts then its like a extra support for the child .someone to answer questions .. but then again the people that answer this with the answers given are not educated on mental health. Nor have a child like this. So I guess from a parent with children with mental illness. Go read. Oh but u wont. U see people won't read on something that isn't seen. Sad world we live in. To watch so many rude people down the children and parents. I can tell you that we don't have the luxury to work a fulltime day without being called by the school. Or the luxury of not worrying.. or what else can i do to help my child feel normal. Answer questions of why the teacher is so mean. Or why do I get beat up all the time and no one helps. Teachers turn their heads boe don't care. Are they allowing this cuz I couldn't sit in my seat. That long.. child ask teacher can I use thevrestroom please. teacher says no u wasted enough time at beginning of class. Child has to hold it. Now u tell me why this is fair... And why the boe thinks they should have control of a childs mental health..
Most board members don't have the backbone to stand up to Freddy. Hats off to Carolyn Elmore and Don Fitzgerald for voting no to renewing his contract. If the the others would vote yes to firing him. True, things will change as the lawsuits continue.
Last night I mentioned this to someone who has been involved in a school system in another state for 30 years. They said this whole school based therapy thing is a scam. First of all they are companies contracted out by the school systems who employ therapists of all specialities, so it's not like they are someone the parent can even choose.
That being the case, the therapists are under pressure to make money for the companies. Insurance does pick up the tab if it's available but if not available then the county or school district picks up the bill.
If a child has even so much as poor handwriting it will be recommended that they need occupational therapy.
Now here's the kicker-In the past few years these companies themselves are saying that pulling children out of the classroom for therapy isn't such a good idea and should be moved to more of a group setting. What this amounts to is the company wanting more responsiblities in the schools which equates to more money for them.
If you google School Based Therapy Services there are a ton of these companies.
For the record to those who say who wouldn't take advantage of a work place or school-- alot of people wouldn't and don't. Alot of people not only want but insist that they choose their own providers of therapy based on their experience levels and other qualifications. There is also the privacy issue and some parents absolutly do no want their child's invaded and will forego the school offered therapy and go to a private provider.
There is a therapist , BOE employee, who will not provide direct service if the child is dirty. There is a therapist, BOE employee, who says they are providing services 30 minutes a cycle. But in an IEP meeting, had no clue who the student was. But let's not let the local therapists in. Guidance counselor at one school sleeps through meetings, but lets keep the locals out. Hey, and let's not forget how furious BOE therapists were when they were told they had to make up missed appointments. But don't let the locals in. And the school psychologists were cut hours due to budget cuts, but don't let the locals in. WE, THE BOE CAN DO EVERYTHING, ALL BY OURSELF!
Sounds like he needs to pay a therapist a visit himself!!!!
Are these therapists BOE employees or contracted out by a company?
If from a company contracted out, how is it paid? If it's per child using the services offered then there's the possibility of "inflating" the child's so called problems.
If it's recommeded that a child does see a therapist is the parent giving the choice of using one other than those contracted by the county?
These are not physical therapists, speech therapists or occupational therapists. They are mental health therapists. The main reason they come to the schools is to shorten the time children are out of class. Period. Are there some that wouldn't get therapy b/c parents can't or won't take them? Sure. But the bottom line is that children miss much more time being taken out of school (or not coming at all on therapy appointment days, which is common) for these appointments than the 30 minutes or less out of class when the therapist comes to the school. I can not even begin to justify the BOE's decision on this one.
I think these 'school based counseling teams' are the ones behind this Ritalin epidemic that has infiltrated the public school system.
The whole school systems are a wreck and it all started with political correctness.
A whole lot of kids were showing behaviour problems and instead of calling a spade a spade-Fetal Alcohol Syndrone and other invitro preventable conditions and home life terrible conditions they came up with the name Autism Specturm Disorder because God forbid parents take any responsiblity.
So then they had to figure out a way to integrate these children into the public school system and the mass drugging of children with Ritalin began.
the last thing I would ever do is let my child be pulled out of class to see a mental health therapist. Maybe your child doesn't but my child has a right to privacy and so does my family.
If someone wants their child's and there own business known to the whole school then that's their prerogative.
Let me tell you, from experience of working in our system, teachers tell parents their children need ritalin. It's not ciming from the outside. Mire often than not, its our own. Do you know a principal of a local middle school told a parent that their child couldnt come to school until he was put on meds? And she is not a doctor, therapist or even a good vice principal. The system is falling apart under the current leadership.
Sadly alot of people could care less that children do have a right to privacy and confidentiallity. To them the less they have to do the better.
9:23 - get your head out of your ass and take a step outside of your little bubble of a world! If you knew anything about Autism, then you would know that it affects all types of families...including families that are extremely involved parents and have done everything possibly to help their child succeed. To be blunt, most of these families biggest hurdles are that the school system plays games with their kids and won't provide the services needed therefor hindering the student's success. The parents can advocate and spend thousands of dollars on outside therapy to undo the ignorance of the school system which these families are mandated to send their kids to regardless of how much they suck! If the dumbass school officials won't provide needed services, then when the families spend their own money to hire a therapist to visit their child at school each week to help the child deal with school based issues, then Dr. F has no right to interfere!
This therapy program is nothing more than another govenment program paid for by the federal, state and local governments-Medicaid. It's not paid for by private insurers.
Parents are told that it is not a substitute for more intensive medical based therapies if the contracted company is honest. And also are told that parents must realized that the level of school based services will not match those of services provided in a medical model.
There's been this sudden increase from certain type of people to have their child diagonosed with Asperper's Syndrone which is a highly functional form of autism, if in fact the syndrone even exists. These certain type of people themselves usually have quite a few common demoninators. You know multiple baby daddy's, history of drug and/or alcohol abuse, criminal histories....
Wow!U are so horribly misinformed.
Look at the research 10:26. No need to shoot the messenger if the message shot lands too close to home.
If you don't think the diagnosis of FAS is often blanketed under the broad umbrella of not only Autism Spectrum Disorder but also ADD and ADHD then I have a bridge to sell you.
Please point out any misinformation you have observed and feel free to correct with fact based information, 11:05.
10:58 Seriously! Are you that ignorant???I would say you have quite a few common denominators with narcisstic personality then! You know critical of others, grandiose, pessimistic.....
This decision has given this community another reason to terminate the superintendent. I do have a couple questions? Joe, can we get some answer? 1. What data was used in deciding outside therapists were disrupting classroom instruction, invading privacy or any other ridiculous reasoning for the decision? Because data drives all decisions made in education, so they say, who and where is the data? 3. Who served on the team that investigated this issue? We, the community, have a right to know.
it appears as if the super may be on the spectrum, in my opinion.
Whatever the real reason for this new policy, saying kids miss more time when the therapist comes to school is about the dumbest excuse he could have invented.
11:10
The point is that ASD is real and those students need accommodations and services. Just because other doctors or people use the blanket of ASD incorrectly does not invalidate the reality of an Autism diagnosis when diagnosed appropriately.
A good therapist/clinic makes accomidations to see clients in the evening between 5-7pm because they know some can't be there 9-3pm. Lower Shore Clinic is one place thet does that.
I can see the point that alot of parents wouldn't bother taking their kids to see a therapist if it's recommended but if that's the case then it's doubtful that the child is getting the full benefits of the therapy because of disconnected parents. Then I guess it goes to a little is better than nothing.
10:18. If a child needs to have meds to allow the chold to be successful in school would it not be neglect if the parent fails to make sure the student takes the medication. would you want a child that is contageious coming to school if they did not take their medication.
You dont know to you have been there. I am in the school system. Many childrent are perfect if they are on their meds. if they are not they need to be put away.
folks realize this is just a temporary thing. I dont think all the facts have been shared. Schools have been told to keep the therepist out untill there is a meeting next week establishing some procedures. Once some procedures are established I am sure things will be back to normal. Evidently there have been issues in some schools. But honestly all some of these people do is come into the building and play games with the kids.
Did it become a "temporary" policy before or after public outcry? Amazing how one man can cover his tracks so well but I guess he has lots of practice.
He thinks hes covered his tracks. Once the lawsuits start being heard, the tracks will be uncovered. Salisbury, hold onto your hats. There are some tough times ahead for BOE.
I have had one voice conversation with him and secveral emails back and forth. He is a cocky, arrogant individual who needs to go back to where he came from.
nothing like drugging kids into submission 4:37 is there?
I've had some experience with this sort of thing from the BOE. My son needs a communication device, a "talker" that speaks for him because it is hard to understand him. This makes it difficult for him to participate in class, ask questions etc. Hence the communication device. We had a professional evaluation done, decided which one would be most beneficial for him and purchased it through our insurance ($8000 thank you very much). The school would program the different themes into it so he could participate in class discussions/learning activities. That was LAST year. Guess what? Now the BOE has said they not only won't program "parent owned devices"....you also can't take them to school. Guess what they gave him instead. An iPad! Apparently, there's an app for that. Now I have an $8000 paper weight and he has an iPad. Makes no sense to me.
It's not about your child and what is best to meet his needs. Its ALL about control. Until the board realizes there are major issues under the current leadership, nothing will change. Power and control have trickled down into most department heads. When is enough, enough?
Assistive technology is a joke. It doesn't matter what is appropriate for the child. It's whatever the director of that department wants.
Interesting 454. What is the reason you were given for that decision? It's interesting because i was part of a team that assisted in getting a student an 8000.00 device, paid for by insurance company. As one very involved with many cases in this county, i was encouraged by the AT director and a teacher to help with the fererral. I submitted the referral and the device was approved. I would hate to think case managers are working hard to assist students and "devices" are not being used after we fight so hard to get them. I will be investigating this one myself.
There was a speech therapist, from the school as involved in getting the 8000.00 device.
Goes to show the BOE doesn't support , encourage or value healthy partnerships with local agencies. Sad times in Wicomico County. It truly takes a village. But go ahead BOE, try to do it all by yourself. Epic failure in the near future. Stay tuned........
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