Sarah Maslin Nir scooped a fascinating New York Times article today, Private Schools ‘Counsel Out’ the Unsuccessful. The first time this subject has been handled in print, the article details how kids with special needs–academic or emotional–are often counseled out of NYC private schools.
This is a key point of which to be aware. Mainstream New York private schools often don’t want to–and are often not able to–serve kids with issues. Why should they, when there are so many presumably less troublesome kids from which to pick?
Every year I get calls from parents in this situation. Sometimes, the parents themselves have been counseled out, often for ill advised comments to school administration and staff.
If your child has issues which concern you, I would think seriously about handling them privately versus through your school. Private schools have a lot of power, and you need to do what is best for your child. Toby Glick, a special needs school advisor and president of ParentConfidante has helped a lot of families in similar situations. If you have a special needs child or know someone who does who needs help, you can reach Toby at 646-300-1881 or Toby(at)ParentConfidante.com.