FEATUREFRIDAY - A Kindergarten teacher recently told me in a meeting that she runs her classroom as though all students have ADHD, providing movement breaks, sensory flexibility, and emotional co-regulation.

But isn`t this what Kindergarten should look like?

These aren`t special accommodations. They`re developmentally appropriate practices — grounded in decades of child development research.

Five-year-old brains need movement. They need a calm adult to co-regulate with before they can self-regulate on their own. They need sensory flexibility.
The fact that it feels remarkable says everything about how far we`ve drifted — more desk time, more direct instruction, earlier academic benchmarks — driven by policy pressure rather than by what we actually know about how young children learn.

This teacher isn`t doing something extraordinary. She`s protecting her kids from a system that has quietly asked kindergarteners to sit still, comply, and perform — on a timeline that was never designed for them.

Every family walking into an IEP meeting deserves to know: this is what good general education looks like. This is the baseline worth expecting — and worth asking for.

🧡 Share this if you believe every child deserves a classroom built around how they actually learn.
#GeneralEducation #Neurodiversity #DevelopmentallyAppropriate #EarlyChildhood #Kindergarten #ADHDAwareness #IEP #SpecialEducation #Kids1stAdvocacy #InclusiveClassrooms #ParentAdvocate

Check out Troy`s most recent TRUTH BOOTH Q&A - Feel free to comment below and share whether you agree or not. https://lnkd.in/g_pnrx4u

Take Action: Tell Your Governor to Protect Students with Disabilities Under the New Federal Tax Credit Voucher Program

Governors are making decisions about the Federal Tax Credit Voucher Program under HB1, and your voice is needed. Whether your state has already opted in or has not yet made a decision, you can send a letter urging your governor to protect students with disabilities and ensure strong accountability.

☑️ If your state has opted in, urge your governor to add protections for students with disabilities and require accountability from participating private schools:
Take action - https://lnkd.in/g5UnwrES

☑️ These states have opted into the program as of early 2026:
Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming

➡️ If your state has NOT opted in, tell your governor to oppose the program and protect public schools and students’ civil rights:
Take action https://lnkd.in/gGnZeUzM

➡️ The following states have NOT accepted the Federal Tax Credit Program as of early 2026:
Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin

Your advocacy can make a difference.
#ActionNeeded #OpposeVoucherProgram

🚨 Know Your Rights: IEP Meetings WITHOUT Parents? That`s a Violation

Can a school hold an IEP meeting without you? NO.

Under IDEA, parents are required members of the IEP team. Schools must: ✅ Provide adequate notice (typically 10 days) ✅ Schedule at mutually agreeable times ✅ Make reasonable efforts to ensure parent participation ✅ Document all attempts to secure participation

Red flags: ❌ Meeting held when you said you couldn`t attend ❌ Last-minute schedule changes ❌ No documentation of attempts to include you ❌ Decisions made without your input

"But the annual IEP deadline is coming up..." ⚠️ It doesn`t matter if your child`s IEP is up against the deadline for its annual reporting period. Administrative timelines do NOT override your right to participate. The district`s poor planning is not your emergency—and it`s certainly not a legal justification to exclude you.

"That`s the only date/time our providers are available..." ⚠️ Not good enough. The law requires schools to schedule meetings at mutually agreeable times. Staff availability does not supersede parent availability. If providers can`t meet when parents are available, the district must find alternatives - not exclude parents.

The ONLY exception: A meeting may only be conducted without a parent if the school has exhausted all reasonable efforts to convince the parents to attend and the parents still refuse to participate. Even then, the district must keep detailed records documenting every attempt made to secure parent participation.

Translation: If you want to attend but can`t make their proposed time, they CANNOT proceed without you.

Why parent participation matters: As stated in Doug C. v. Hawaii: "Parents not only represent the best interests of their child in the IEP development process, they also provide information about the child critical to developing a comprehensive IEP and which only they are in a position to know."

What to do: 📧 Document everything in writing 📞 Request a new IEP meeting immediately ⚖️ File a state complaint if the district refuses💪 Contact an advocate or attorney

💥Your presence isn`t a courtesy—it`s a legal requirement.

MLK DAY - Dr. King reminded us that true education builds both intelligence and character. As we honor his legacy today, we renew our commitment to ensuring every child has access to the education they deserve—one that develops their full potential and meets their unique needs.

Welcome back! This is an important week! As students return from winter break, there`s a critical question many parents overlook: Is your child`s IEP team checking for regression?

Why This Matters Now: Extended breaks can affect skill retention, especially for students receiving special education services. Progress monitoring after breaks isn`t just good practice—it`s essential for:

👉 Identifying any skill loss during the time away; Determining if compensatory services are needed; Adjusting goals or services based on current performance; Documenting whether ESY (Extended School Year) should be considered for future breaks

What to Look For: Your child`s team should be collecting data on IEP goals immediately upon return. Any additional time means services are being provided and students are being assisted in meeting goals—and that means we have no baseline data to measure the impact of the extended break on your student.

The Evidence Trap: The window for capturing true regression data closes the moment intervention begins. This is the evidence trap districts often create (intentionally or not)—they start services immediately, then claim there`s "no data showing regression" because they never captured the post-break, pre-intervention baseline.

Your Data Matters Too: Parents should also share their own data from winter break, showing how their child performed when structure and routine are removed. Even Santa can`t fix that. Your observations about behavior changes, communication struggles, self-regulation challenges, or skill loss at home are valid evidence for the IEP team to consider.

What You Can Do: Reach out to your child`s case manager and ask directly: "What progress monitoring is happening immediately upon return to assess for any regression?" Document their response.

If regression is identified and services aren`t being adjusted, that`s when you request an IEP meeting to discuss compensatory education or increased services to recoup lost skills. This is also when ESY eligibility needs to be addressed—documented regression after breaks is one of the strongest indicators that your child requires Extended School Year services.
Check the website.