Hello Texas!
Our family currently lives in ohio and will be moving to the Dallas area next school year.. Our Oldest child has Cerebral Palsy and recieves services currently in middle school (7th). She is a cognitively at age level, with some executive function deficits. Meaning processing and short term memory are somewhat affected due to Cerebral Palsy. Currently she is mainstreamed in the general ed class with supports (paraprofessionl),modifications in class material, Ipad for writing.. but does sometimes get pulled in small group for tests.. We're looking for a district that supports mainstreaming, paraprofessional and has a handle on modifying class work as needed so that she continues to be successful in school.. Our daughter walks independently but with poor reactionary balance so at school she uses a mobilty scooter for long distances. At our current school most of the classes are close and in the same hall with the exception of related arts so she walks between classes with the paraprofessional.. Her level of function/abilities is not typical in our district which can be challenging at times when advocating for services. We are looking for a district that has a strong special needs program and strong in technology, all suggestions welcomed!!
Thanks for all the information! Some of the areas I have looked at are, grapevine/colleyville, Southlake, Flowermound, Plano, Frisco, and McKinney but am open to most areas, my husbands office is downtown but he travels acrosss the central region weekly.. So, we can be flexible in the area/direction to reside..
I also have a child with cerebral palsy. I had a lot of luck with the Mckinney isd . My son wouldn't be where he is for some of his teachers. McKinney is about 20 to 30 min. North of Dallas. Its a large school district but has that small hometown feel. Hope this helps.
I think you are smart to find the best school for your child now and then choose an area to buy a home that is driving distance.
I'd suggest you get on the phone and call the schools directly. I am sure the educators would have some advice for you. I live in North Dallas and these are some schools I would call.
I'd call these private schools that specifically work with children with learning differences first. Certainly they would know who might be your best bet:
The Fairhill School: www.fairhill.org
The Winston School: www.winston-school.org/
The Shelton School: www.shelton.org
Public Schools
We live in Richardson Independent School District. It has great schools but not sure they can help in your case. We pulled our son and put him in one of the schools I listed above because he was LD.
This website touts many high rated public schools:
http://www.davedowns.com/areaschools.htm
Dallas has many wonderful schools and I feel you have a great chance to find the right spot for your child.
I worked for Plano ISD. My first year (15 years ago) I was a para and went into classes with a student with Cerebral Palsy. He used a walker so we went between classes a few minutes before the bell rang. Curriculum was modified for him as needed. I would suggest you check the website and then talk to the Special Ed dept for their specific policies before making a decision. BTW Dallas has a train system called DART, my husband worked downtown for years and took the train in. You might want to look for areas on the train line. Good luck and welcome to Texas!
Flower Mound schools are great...and I love the area. The Flower Mound School area extends to Highland Village, Lantana and Double Oak. It is part of the LISD district (Lewisville)..but my experience with LISD is that Marcus and Flower Mound High feeder schools have more to offer.
We did live in another part of LISD several years ago and when we moved here there was a big difference!
The Dallas area is a hugely sprawling area. Can you narrow it down a little as to the location of work first of all. I cannot help you with the IEP question, but I do know that you won't want to live in Plano if your husband or you are working in Arlington, for instance. The commutes can be a nightmare.
Check into Mansfield ISD. Mansfield is right between Dallas and Ft. Worth to the south just a little bit but very easy to access Dallas and Ft. Worth. The school district is really great. We are implement I Pads for the high school this year and in the next year or two will be implementing them for the jr. high. You can all the special education dept. and talk to them.
The "Dallas area" is HUGE. It would probably be more helpful to let us know what suburb/city you are considering. Birdville ISD strives to be all inclusive if possible. Keller ISD is another great district that would probably be willing to work with you. These are both on the Fort Worth side of town.
Welcome to the area. As many have already said, Dallas is a huge area and personally I would steer clear of Dallas ISD.
We are in Plano and the school system is very good. If you choose this area, go to the PISD.edu site to look at the best schools that might fit your needs. There are many highly rated schools in our district (I'd be happy to give you as much hands on info as I have for the programs I know about and have worked with). I have been a substitute over 10 yrs and the support programs are top notch.
Of course, go to greatschools.com to get your own research on all the school systems in the area. You might find another area to fit your needs better.
Traffic can be a nightmare anywhere in the DFW area. From our location, we are about 1/2 hr from downtown and inside an hour from Love Field and DFW airport. We love our area.
We run our company from home but we have warehousing in South Dallas, Arlington and Houston. We've never run into major traffic issues other than the normal peak times of day or bad accident somewhere.
I believe you can find a good fit for your family in the DFW area. PM is you have an specific questions about Plano. We love it!
I agree with Robyn to tell you an area we really would need to know where work will be. You would probably want to stay out of actual Dallas though. Those schools are so crowded that she would probably have a very hard time getting around and would be a number.
Add: I think our school system is really good in Midlothian ISD and I think Mansfield are supposed to be good. Part also depends on the size of school that you want her to be in. Some of the schools are very large. But sounds like most the areas you have thought of are more north of Dallas. I know we moved from Dallas county to Midlothian before my oldest started school so he would not just be a number. I like smaller school districts personally.
Good luck and God Bless!
Rockwall schools are wonderful. I have a friend who moved to rockwall just for the Special needs. Rockwall is about 20-25 min from Dallas. Good luck!
Contact Richardson Independent School District (north of Dallas) - strong schools and support, I believe. And White Settlement ISD in West Fort Worth.
Good luck!
Check out Lewisville ISD. Welcome to North Texas!
I sent you a PM with additioanl info.
From things I've heard in therapy waiting rooms and from friends in the school systems, it sounds to me like Frisco is better for special ed needs than Plano.
My caution on McKinney is not special ed related but related to where they send kids to school. A few years ago they passed legislation to integrate the schools more economically, so they were going to tell people which schools their children were going to attend. While your family might live across the street from a school, your child might be sent to a school 45 minutes away by bus. I remember it being very controversial, but it had passed. I don't know whether they have changed that at all or how it is working for them. But, I know that was a concern for me when I was thinking about moving. If you decide on McKinney, investigate this to know for sure were your kids will go to school.
Also, you can compare schools at greatschools.org. Excellent site.
