I'd suggest looking seriously at newton. Excellent schools overall, plus EDCO school for the deaf.

Have you considered private schools? I know they are crazy expensive but the cost difference between a house in Billerica and one in Winchester is probably the same delta. I'm sure there are programs, grants, etc. Just have to do the leg work.

I only say this because I went to public school in one of the wealthier metro west towns and I know many parents who are not getting the support for their special needs children. The best public schools focus most of their efforts on the kids who excel under traditional learning methods.

Is your goal for your child to remain in-district with services or to be placed out-of-district? If Billerica cannot meet his needs in-district, they would be obligated to fund an out-of-district placement.

I'm not sure the extent of the accommodations needed, but I know the Acton-Boxborough school system pretty well. Had a classmate for whom the teacher would wear a device that amplified their voice directly into the student's hearing aid, all of us would use it when giving presentations, etc. It was totally chill and uneventful.

We also had a lot of classroom aides and special education resources, though not sure about resources for complete deafness.

Good luck!

30 year teacher of the Deaf here. The number 1 option is a residential placement at the Learning Center in Framingham. While sending your child to a school away from home may seem callous or even cruel, it is the accepted and favored option for most members of the Deaf community

. Residential schools are staffed by Deaf people and have historically been the place where Deaf children become fluent in American Sign Language, familiar with Deaf culture and develop strong and lifelong friendships with other Deaf kids who share the same challenges but more importantly, the same language (ASL) as their own

TLC is a private school, and one of the few in Mass. Most other states in the country have a residential school for their Deaf kids, but MA. does not have this option.

Its true that some cities and towns have higher quality schools than others, but in the case of your Deaf child, its been my experience that they will have a more complete and fulfilling education at a residential school staffed and equipped for Deaf children.

Placement in a traditional education setting (esp since he/she is profoundly Deaf) will only prove to be extremely isolating and difficult for your child.

Please, please, please.....start sign language classes now. All of you. It may be the single most important thing you can do

Good luck. I really wish you the best!!

Teacher here. Worked in Billerica and left after a year. Ugh. Best bang for your buck is Lexington. They will take care of your kid. Also, get a good advocate of you don’t already have one.

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I think you need less help around where to move and instead need to meet with some kind of expert on deaf children resources.

If you send your kid to any public school, they're going to get services that are spelled out in their IEP. The school has to do what is spelled out in the IEP and you can bring in a lawyer if they don't.

If the school can't meet the child's needs the town will pay to send them somewhere that will.

I'm not saying that any of this is easy, but maybe look into resources for the deaf and see if they can recommend something before you go and move to district that will basically just run you through the same process.

I've known a family to move out of a good district because their kid was special needs and the district couldn't/wouldn't handle it. I would only recommend you know the district you're moving into would be willing to step up for your child's needs.

Ok. Head on in to Faneuil Hall. Wander around for approximately 5 minutes. Congrats you have seen Faneuil hall. Take a pic or two and post them online. Go to the Dunks at 20 North St and grab an iced coffee. Next you want to see Beacon Hill. Wander up Cambridge St and then poke around Beacon Hill. Take some pics of yourselves. Congrats you have been to Beacon Hill. Reward yourself by going to the Dunks at 106 Cambridge St. get an iced coffee. Next head to the North End. Take a pic of yourself outside of Mike’s Pastry and grab a slice at Regina’s. Then wander to 180 canal st where you will find a dunks. Grab an iced coffee and look at the TD Garden which is across the street. Next go to 22 Beacon St. there is a Dunkin’s there. Grab an iced coffee and check out the state house and then wander through the Common towards the public garden. Take a detour to 147 Tremont St. There is a Dunks there. Grab an iced coffee. Go back into the common and head toward the public garden. Wander through the public garden and check out all the cool stuff there. Wander down Newbury St and then cut over to 715 Boylston St where you will find a Dunks. Get an iced coffee. Now head towards Kenmore Square! Make a stop at 153 Mass Ave and grab an iced coffee at Dunks. Then continue onward to Kenmore. Wander through the edge of the Fens then go past Fenway Park. Hit 530 Comm Ave and get an iced coffee at Dunks. Next you will want to see Harvard Square! 65 JFK St has a dunks. Get an iced coffee. After that, I suppose you can hit the Hong Kong and get smashed. Hope this helps.

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I suggest moving wherever is the best place for you without this in mind & hiring a very good educational advocate to fight for their rights in that school system. And if they can’t provide FAPE, request to be sent to a collaborative on that towns dime.

There’s EDCO which was already mentioned, and the North Shore Education Consortium that specializes in Deaf/HOH as well, but any collaborative that the town is a part of will have specialized resources. That’s why they exist.

Bedford is great with the appropriate technology and small elementary school class sizes. The question is can you afford at least 850k for a single family 3br house? (Edit: if you can even find a smaller home for sale - most listings on Redfin right now are 4br in the 2 mil range)

Hi,

I know you want to stay metrowest but I'll just put it out there. Clarke Northampton is a great option. Northampton is also a sweet little town with affordable homes.

I suggest signing up for Nextdoor and asking there, as you can get a cross section of people from nearby towns.

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