Pierce Downer Elementary School

My daughter had a wonderful experience at PD and missed it greatly when she moved on to middle school. She said it was like a big family and everyone knew everyone else. We particularly enjoyed PD because it is a true neighborhood school.

I don’t have the time or energy to deal with District 58 special Ed anymore, but I do feel an obligation in my heart to warn parents in the district or looking to move into the district about their sped department before we leave Downers Grove. I have not bat an eye selling our dream home here knowing that my son deserves better. Unfortunately hindsight is always clearer, but Pierce Downer is not an inclusive school and I truly believe had I kept my son in the RISE program permanent damage would’ve been done to his development. I will not name names, but the kindergarten RISE teacher, the Pierce downer principal and social worker, the Director of Special Ed, all the way up to the Superintendent of special Ed, were beyond disappointing, uneducated, and unapologetic for what my son went through this year. To any parents of special needs kids in district 58: our kids deserve to be included, loved, and supported despite their challenges and differences. There is a lack of education on how to work with and properly support autistic children, along with a lack of oversight of programs, lack of resources, and they’re clueless about what inclusion truly looks like. I was a trusting, naive parent and put my trust in district 58 after only hearing positive things moving from the city. They took advantage of that and did the bare minimum and I believe they truly imposed harm to my son. I hope this post will give parents some knowledge to advocate for what is best for THEIR child when it comes to their education and overall well being. I highly advise bringing an educational advocate into IEP meetings when working with district 58. I don’t know where I’d be without mine, but I am forever grateful for her. They are doing a disservice to this community as a whole by not promoting inclusion for neurodiverse kids. Some reminders for this district: kids do well when they can, and not actively including is passively excluding.

This school does not offer Foreign Language during the school day, gifted program, art more than 2 times a month, music, and PE. There are many angry parents that are involved in running this school without an educational background, and just because parents volunteer doesn't mean they should be used for pulling kids out of class and teaching a lesson. Parents here think this school is the best in the district pride on it and have a bad reputation, and really it's not a good place. It's a very angry competitive place for children. Pierce Downer needs to go through some necessary changes to be a better school. Puffer, Highland, and Whittier have better test scores than Pierce Downer.