Basic Info
Benjamin Tasker Middle is located at 4901 Collington Road, Bowie, MD 20715. The principal is Kendra Hill.
Benjamin Tasker Middle
0.9
Benjamin Tasker Middle
Reviews of Special Education Programs in Prince George's County, Maryland
RUN, DON’T WALK…Quite possibly the most pathetic and useless set of “teachers” I have ever had the misfortune to meet. They don’t know what they don’t know, and when corrected or informed they don’t care. The principal has made statements in IEP meetings (recorded) that shows she has no idea what is going on (if she even cares) and made some statements that were not true, claiming interventions were delivered but being unable to supply any records. Quite an achievement for a program given online.
Apparently we should feel good that in 8th grade “Capitals and periods” are considered strengths. They ignored our child’s IEP and failed to provide any of the interventions they wrote in his IEP. When challenged, the Special Ed chair literally shrugged her shoulders and said there was a scheduling mistake…for 5 months? No effort was made to apologize or make amends.
If your child is unfortunate enough to attend this joke of a school, record every IEP meeting, get an advocate, get your child independently evaluated (ask the school for an IEE at their cost), get a lawyer, and don’t trust anything they say. As a decent human being, I understand you want to think the best of people, especially the teachers who tell you that everything is fine, and little Johnny is making progress (don’t worry about his test scores dropping, his classwork grades are all As). But one day, you will no longer be able to ignore that nagging feeling and you (or your lawyer), will file for copies of records (as is your right) you will see the truth…and it will be worse than you could ever imagine. Little Johnny’s rate of progress hasn’t just dropped a bit, his absolute standardized scores have dropped, he’s regressing…and guess who didn’t tell you…anyone at the school or part of PGCPS.
Our son entered Tasker below grade level and has regressed in all levels as reported on his IEP. Tasker has failed to implement our son’s IEP and when challenged, made no apology and no attempt to make things right. The Special Ed chair went so far as to shout in an IEP meeting “he’s only one year behind” (in his best subject) and then words to the effect of don’t expect an intervention. The teachers I have interacted with have not left me feeling they know their subject, yet alone understand how to teach it to my son. We obtained independent evaluations, those recommendations were ignored, went through mediation where the County could offer no information on their proposal, and filed a state complaint which was found in our favor. Wherever we go next it will cost us a lot of money and emotional energy, but where my children’s futures are concerned…
Avoid this school at all costs.
Inclusiveness
0.1
Staffing and resources
0.1
Cooperation
1.2
Communication
0.1
Academic expectations
1
I pulled my child from Tasker after 6 weeks of non-stop struggles trying to get the staff to meet the accommodations listed on her IEP. After several meetings and many promises that we’re followed, a fight in the classroom between two students was the last straw and I transferred my daughter to Samuel Ogle. Tasker has very limited resources for students who need them the most and a lot of emphases is placed on the new advanced programs and STEM. These efforts are great for those students who thrive already, but the most vulnerable student population is left in the shadows to fend for itself. Very unfortunate.
Inclusiveness
0
Staffing and resources
1.4
Cooperation
2.3
Communication
1.1
Academic expectations
1.2
I personally think they are mostly doing the best they can with available resources. Mr Vittore (the main SN teacher) is very good. Other teachers range from useless to dedicated. But they lower expectations for our son which means he is not being pushed at all.