Osceola County Schools will move forward with a plan to consolidate the special education department starting Aug. 11, the first day of school.
The district’s plan, which was announced earlier this year, creates special education hubs, which will force some ESE students into general education classrooms or to move to other schools in the district.
In April, parents and special education students protested outside Osceola County School Board meetings calling for the district to stop or slow the consolidation.
Melanie Thomas is the mother of a student with disabilities in the district, who led many of the protests in the spring.
“There's a lot of anxious, really anxious parents out there right now. You know that are trepidatious about how the school year is going to work,” said Thomas. “And I share some of that. But I also know that, I will not allow my son to slip through the cracks, I will be the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.”
Thomas said her concerns are the same as they were in February when these changes were first floated at district school board meetings.
“You know, our student safety, the other kids, the combination of having regular education and ESE kids in the same classroom, the teachers not being certified and capable and able to address the issues that they are going to now see because of the mixed classrooms,” said Thomas. “And then on top of it, transportation has been a big issue.”
She’s heard from parents about their concerns that schools some students are assigned to are now farther away.
Thomas is encouraging families of students with disabilities to take note of any concerns or issues that they have as the school year begins and to speak up.
Districts are required by law to make sure students with special needs have access to a free appropriate public education, also known as FAPE, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
She said this is also crucial as many families, including her own, can’t send their children to private schools, even if they have access to a voucher.
“I've gone around to all of the schools that are private that my child would be a candidate to go to, and the private sector schools do not have the programs or resources or services in place to be able to handle my child's particular needs. So he has actually been denied entrance to a lot of the private schools that are within driving distance to my home,” said Thomas. “So that is the reality for a lot of parents in my situation. Public school is the only viable option for an education, and so we do not have a choice. They say that we have a choice, but we do not have a choice.”
Osceola County Schools said these changes are needed to improve inclusion, which happens when kids with disabilities are educated in the same classroom, or alongside their non-disabled peers.
Inclusion has been shown to improve educational outcomes for neurodiverse students and their neurotypical peers. It also supports socialization and prepares students for life and work settings, after school.
