When a kindergartener in Bethesda, Maryland, came home Wednesday, he was excited to tell his mom what he'd learned. But there was one problem.
"I couldn’t understand him. He was literally drawing with his fingers in the air," Clarisse Bernardes Coble said.
Coble's son, a student at Ashburton Elementary School, has a speech delay.
He’s supposed to meet with a speech-language pathologist twice a week, according to his school IEP, or individualized education plan. Federal and Maryland state laws require local public school districts to provide all students with disabilities individualized or special education services.
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But Coble said her son has gone without speech therapy for weeks because Ashburton Elementary doesn't currently have a speech-language pathologist, or SLP, on staff. He had one session in all of October and hasn't been to speech therapy since.
Establishing an IEP is often a lengthy process for students and parents, requiring evaluations and meetings to put together a plan of action.
"It's extremely frustrating to have to continuously try to fight this fight and to feel like we've just been ignored by MCPS," Coble said.
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Online job listings for Montgomery County Public Schools show Ashburton Elementary is one of eight schools looking for an SLP who can start immediately.
Montgomery County Public Schools said in a statement to News4 it understands parents’ frustrations and concerns.
“The nationwide shortage of speech pathologists is a significant challenge that has affected our ability to fully staff this essential service," the school district said. “Our students’ speech and language development is important to us, and we're committed to finding solutions to ensure they receive the support they need.”
An expert in the field told News4 that SLPs who work in public school systems have expressed burnout from high case loads and, in some cases, a lack of respect.
"Schools are competing with private practices, healthcare settings, home health," said Stacey Ellison Glasgow, with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
She said speech-language pathologists play a critical role in setting up students for success.
"When you have trouble producing speech sounds, you can also have trouble hearing those sounds and understanding the sounds when you’re working on reading," she said.
Montgomery County school officials said they hired a contractor to fill in the gaps, offering both in-person and virtual speech therapy.
According to MCPS, students will get makeup sessions for any appointments the contractor needs to cancel.
Coble told News4 her son's speech session was canceled again Thursday.
The school system had previously planned to expand its preschool program this year with more teachers and speech and language pathologists. But it delayed most of those plans, citing a budget shortfall.
Coble said she plans to voice her concerns to the county's new superintendent, Dr. Thomas Taylor, during a meeting planned for Thursday night.
"I feel like I also have the responsibility to do everything I can to make sure that other families now and in the future don't experience the same challenges that I have," she said.
