Dear TPMS Families,

Our school is known for its incredible diversity and its commitment to inclusion, particularly through our ARS (Autism Resource Services) and LAD (Learning and Academic Disabilities) programs.  The ARS program in particular is hosted in only three MCPS middle schools. However, recent and upcoming budget cuts from the MCPS Central Office are putting these programs—and our students—at risk.

We have seen the removal of critical Autism Specialists and are facing a future of even deeper staffing cuts. This doesn’t just affect students with IEPs; it affects every classroom where these students learn, grow, and build friendships. When our special education staff is overextended, the entire school loses the support it needs to thrive.

Want to know more?  Read the talking points and information provided by xMinds (Non-profit improving education for autistic students in MoCo) here:

• Autism services
• Additional bullet points
• A separate, but also important issue on defunding and descoping a summer learning program for kids with Autism.

How You Can Help:

Please take two minutes to email the Board of Education and the Superintendent. You can use the template below – feel free to add a sentence about your own child’s experience at TPMS to make it even more impactful.

To: boe@mcpsmd.org, superintendent@mcpsmd.org

And/or send to individual BOE members and MCPS administration:

Subject: Protect Special Education Staffing at Takoma Park Middle School

Dear Members of the Board and Superintendent,

As a parent at Takoma Park Middle School, I am writing to urge you to restore and protect the specialized staffing resources for our ARS and LAD programs.

The recent removal of the centralized Autism Specialist has left our school leadership to manage 160+ IEPs without the necessary district-level support. We are seeing the impact of these cuts on our staff’s ability to provide the high-quality, inclusive education that TPMS is known for.

Further cuts projected for 2027 are unacceptable. I am asking the Board to:

1. Restore the Autism Specialist positions to support our ARS programs.

2. Increase RTSE staffing so that each specialized program has dedicated leadership.

3. Ensure transparency regarding how MCPS plans to support neurodivergent students moving forward.

Our students deserve a school that is fully staffed and legally compliant. Please prioritize our most vulnerable learners in this budget cycle.

Sincerely, [Your Name] TPMS Parent