OUR STORY

Speaking Up, Standing Out: Our Family’s Special Education Advocacy Revelation

Troy was always one step ahead of the curve, whether it was on a growth chart or intelligence scale. However, when he was in first grade, his teacher wanted to have him tested. She said he had a lot of energy and was disruptive in the classroom. Sound familiar? Two pediatricians found him to be neurotypical, but a behavioral therapist discovered Troy was being bullied by some older kids in his before and after school program. A neuropsych evaluation soon diagnosed him with generalized anxiety disorder, and he was placed on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). He was later diagnosed with ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but at the time, we never questioned his IEP team and the accommodations and services they suggested. Troy began to feel safe again at school. His principal was very nurturing, and his teachers were encouraging. They genuinely wanted and tried to see him reach his full potential. I had no doubts.

When his IEP team changed in middle school, my concerns started to grow. Troy no longer rushed to get out the door for school. In fact, he started to say he was sick or fought us as we tried to just get him through the school’s doors. We learned at parent-teacher conferences that he was having behavioral issues in both science and spanish classes. Upon asking more questions, we soon learned his science teacher was triggering his anxiety and his spanish teacher would send him into the hallway right away so she didn’t have to deal with him. Troy no longer felt safe, and these teachers were not complying with his IEP. We asked the principal if we could move him into a different class, and after numerous emails and months of additional trauma, we were told no. Troy’s case manager, who was supposed to be his advocate at school, did nothing. As a parent, I knew it wasn’t right, but I didn’t understand the system and didn’t have an advocate to help me navigate my rights. I was blindsided, thinking every teacher and school administrator had my child’s best interest at heart but that’s not always the case. Now that I know better, I want to help other families avoid the path we were on.  

Read Our Blog

Boy makes a funny face for the camera

My Name is Troy

My name is Troy. I am a neurodiverse kid who never has a typical day at school or any place, really. Experts say I process information in a different way due to my Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Anxiety. My mom calls it my Triple-A Super Power!...

TX: How Education Department’s end could hurt Texas special ed

The Texas Tribune President Donald Trump's order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education last month came with promises that federal dollars for special education will stay intact. In CNN’s State of the Union, U.S. Education Secretary Linda...

Support Medicaid, Protect Children with Disabilities

When Congress returns next week, the House and Senate will dive headlong into negotiations to develop the budget reconciliation package intended to support corporate tax cuts. To pay for the tax extensions, some Congressional Republicans have targeted Medicaid for...

As Trump guts support for disabled students, their families are fighting back

Truthout A letter to Congress, signed by 15 disability rights groups, made clear that removing federal oversight of critical civil rights laws like IDEA “leaves students vulnerable to the variation in state implementation and threatens to bring us back to a...

Parents say federal cuts have slowed civil rights investigations

NPR Amy Cupp says that after weeks of trying to get G's school to change the way it handled her daughter's behavior, she filed a complaint with the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, or OCR, which investigates discrimination in schools. That office...

HHS plans to cut funds used to investigate abuse at group homes

Mother Jones On Wednesday, a leaked draft Health and Human Services budget document revealed, among other sweeping cuts to health- and disability-related services, that Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s department plans to defund protection and advocacy services for...

Bills in Congress detail path to closing the Education Department

K-12 Dive Several Republican-led bills introduced in Congress this year propose how to divide up the U.S. Department of Education’s responsibilities among other federal agencies — and thereby carry out President Donald Trump’s plan to eliminate the 45-year-old agency....

Special needs students are underserved in DODEA schools, watchdog report finds

Stars and Stripes Some special needs students attending Defense Department schools are being underserved due to staffing shortages and high turnover among special education personnel, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report released Thursday. The...

CT: State leaders put focus on special education funding

NBC Connecticut State and local leaders visited New Britain High School on Monday morning to highlight the work of special education teachers and staff. It comes on the heels of celebrating National IEP (Individualized Education Programs) Writing Day, which is the...

IN: ‘Why am I so bad?’ Indiana schools suspend tens of thousands of students with disabilities

WBAA Bella’s school first suspended her in Kindergarten. Five-year-old Bella had hit a teacher's aide and run out of the classroom. A month later, the school suspended her after she tipped over a desk and fled the school. Eight days later, she was suspended again for...

ME: Districts share positive signs after special education for young children shifted to schools

Maine Morning Star Timothy Tweedie, superintendent and principal of the Veazie Community School, said he’d seen an uptick in students entering kindergarten with unmet special education needs in recent years and wanted to get a jump on addressing that. So last year,...

Join our newsletter and get Special Education news and helpful information delivered to your inbox!