More than 60 people, all parents and students in Osceola County Schools, spoke out against the district’s proposed changes to its special education program on Tuesday.
The families met, about an hour before the school board meeting, and held signs like “special needs deserve special care.”
They called on the district to pause or reverse its plans to consolidate the district’s special education program into hubs. This will push some students into general education classrooms and could force others to move schools.
Mom Lissette Velez said her child with disabilities and medical needs will be forced to move schools.
"He has a lot of challenges, and that's why I am here, because we have been dealing for almost 12 years with his health, fighting for his life. And now we are, we are fighting for his education,” said Velez. "And it's not acceptable.”
Velez said their new commute to school could take up to 58 minutes.
“So it's not acceptable. If that happened, I cannot work, and the family would be affected because of that. We cannot do it,” said Velez.
Dad Brian Bennett was also at the rally. His son has a rare genetic disorder.
“We've gone through the school system, it is very challenging to get for him what he needs and to make sure that his needs are met, whether that's medically or whether it's education-wise,” said Bennett.
Bennett said his child won’t have to move schools, since he met one-on-one with school leadership and pleaded their case. But he said that his son’s peers won’t be so lucky, and he wants more from district leaders on these proposed changes.
“We expect transparency from the district, and what we're getting here isn't transparency. It was a one-sided push from the district to say, this is our plan for your kids, without accepting that the parents have some input into this, into the whole situation,” said Bennett. “What we're looking for is the district to kind of pause, put a pause on this plan, to really engage with parents, figure out what works and what doesn't work, and then come up with something jointly with us, rather than having something that's pushed on us.”
At the meeting, the district said flat funding from the state, a local population boom, and the need for more inclusion in schools is behind these changes.
The district said it will hold 3 additional teacher and staff Q&A sessions about these changes. It also encouraged parents to meet one-on-one with special education faculty and staff, to talk about these changes and to ask about choices their individual family might have moving forward.
Faculty and staff will be receiving additional training this spring and into the summer, on teaching kids with disabilities in a general education classroom.
School board member Paula Bronson, who is a teacher in the district, also has concerns with the rollout.
“I, as an educator, had no idea this was coming down the pipeline. And now I'm a board member, and I'm going to be honest, didn't know it was coming. And two days before the last board meeting, I was presented with that very first PowerPoint. And I just, as a board member and as an educator, I did not feel set up for success, so I can't imagine how the parents have to feel. Right,” asked Bronson.
She criticized the district’s lack of communication regarding these changes.
“I just think that we're always talking about how we want public education to thrive, and we have to be open with our families. We have to be honest with our teachers, and if we're willing to take their tax dollars, this dialogue has to be just one more thing. I am a parent and an educator, and we just have, like, an invaluable insight, and just to be included in the conversation means a lot, just to have the opportunity to share what your thoughts are,” said Bronson.
She strongly encouraged families to meet with district officials one-on-one and to let their concerns be known. These changes are scheduled to fully take effect next fall.
Watch the full school board meeting here:
