Educators, parents speak out in FCPS listening sessions

By JILLIAN ATELSEK

jatelsek@newspost.com

Special education teachers and parents of students with disabilities shared concerns with Frederick County Public Schools leaders in a pair of listening sessions this week, with many calling for stronger communication and staffing.

FCPS Interim Superintendent Mike Markoe hosted a forum for parents and community members on Monday in Walkersville, and a separate one for staff on Tuesday in Frederick. About 20 people attended each.

“I do wish we had more individuals coming out,” Markoe said. “I am very appreciative of those that did come out and (See FCPS A9)

(FCPS from A1) share with us where we can grow.”

Common — and distinct — themes emerged from each session.

On Monday, parents of special education students spoke about feeling confused and intimidated by the process of arranging services for their child. It’s a complex emotional and legal journey, several families said, and it’s often made harder by a lack of guidance from the district.

“We feel like we have no idea what’s going on,” said Megan Clark, the mother of a fourth grader who is autistic. “We don’t even know what options we have.”

And on Tuesday, several special education teachers and instructional assistants said that while they loved their jobs, they had been driven to the brink of quitting by mountains of paperwork, insufficient planning time and inadequate resources.

“I’ve reached out last year. I’ve reached out this year. Help me. I’m drowning,” Tina Abrecht, a special education teacher at Orchard Grove Elementary School, said to Markoe and FCPS special education directors Linda Chambers and Troy Keller. “I can’t keep up.”

Abrecht and other special education employees said staffing was the source of many of their problems. FCPS is working to fill more than 30 vacancies for the role of special education instructional assistants (SEIAs), who staffers say play a critical role in classroom management and student support.

Plus, said Libby Miller, an SEIA at New Midway/ Woodsboro Elementary School, the special education staff the district does have are constantly pulled away from their work to assist with children in crisis or fill in for absent employees.

That’s been even more of a problem this year, Miller and others said, because young children are struggling to adjust to classroom norms in the wake of pandemic- related closures.

“The kids are just exploding,” Miller said. “It’s anger and anxiety, and it’s coming out physically.”

Jamie Aldridge, a special education teacher at Brunswick Elementary School, said her staff’s recent goal has been to get through a team meeting without anyone breaking down in tears.

“We’re getting there,” she said.

The Frederick County Board of Education has pledged more than $9 million in extra funding for special education in next year’s budget. A large portion of that will go toward staffing and recruitment.

The overwhelming workload for special educators can be part of what creates a lonely process for families, some parents said at Monday’s session. Most speakers said they understood the pressure their children’s teachers were under.

Follow Jillian Atelsek on Twitter: @jillian_atelsek

From left: Supervisor of Behavioral Analysts Matthew Blazek, Acting Superintendent Mike Markoe, and Special Education Directors Linda Chambers and Troy Keller held a listening session for Special Education staff members at the Frederick County Public Schools building on Tuesday.

Staff photo by Katina Zentz