I finally created my own business, Erika Warren, The Special Needs Advocate! I totally forgot about this blog I started nearly five years ago. My sweet husband reminded me about my personal blog because he said I needed to include it on my website. The irony about this blog is that I started it when I was really mad and upset over the treatment my son was receiving at his elementary school in 6th grade. Our son, Cole, was bullied and sexually abused in a classroom setting, and I didn't know the full extent of the abuse until he was in the 8th grade. Cole had a lot of friends, but they weren't in his self-contained classroom or resource classroom when the abuse happened. I would have never known about this abuse if the assistant principal hadn't called me that October (2013). You are probably wondering why I am bringing this up five years later, but it is cathartic and a huge relief to see the progress our son, Cole, has made since 6th grade. Cole is now a junior in high school and is thriving in his new school district since we moved here in 8th grade.
My good friend, Breggett Rideau, introduced to the Texas Legislature cameras in the classroom. This law was finally passed in 2015 and it goes into detail if a child receives more than 50% of their instruction in a special education setting, a camera can be put into your child's classroom. I feel if there had been cameras in the classroom where our son was abused back in 2013, I could have understood the extent of what actually happened to him. Our son could not tell us what happened, due to having autism and a speech impairment. What angered me is that a teacher reached out to me nearly two years later and told me exactly what happened after she left the school district. The reason she waited is that she didn't want to lose her job. Why are schools making teachers feel like they have no choice to report the actual abuse of what happened? I know if it was my job, I would protect my students to best extent possible. Teachers are leaving this profession because it's no longer about the students: it's about all of the meetings, disregarding student's needs in the classroom even if they need an IEP due to denial of services by the school district, as well as meeting unrealistic standards laid out by TEA (Texas Education Agency). When our students are failing reading and math because they can't read in the 7th grade, something is terribly wrong with our education system.
I feel the best way to combat bullying, abuse, and targeting students through data collection, we must stand up for our children. I have a number of friends who are like me: they are tired of seeing students learn through computers, assessments being taken to assess their mental stamina or "brightness", as well as their school district passing a T.R.E. to home owners so this money can be allocated to "pay more" to teachers. This is utter nonsense that a T.R.E. (tax ratification election) passed in Richardson ISD because the money was already there. The school board and it's supporters do not know how to allocate the money from their budget to help teachers and students because they are spending it on trips to learn more from TASB (Texas Association of School Boards), as well as multiple computer programs to "teach" our students. We no longer live in Richardson ISD and I am grateful we left when we did. However, the money that is being captured in our current school district is not being re-distributed properly to poor school districts. Why is it that one school district should be penalized for having too much money? The unfortunate reality is that things will not change until the tax payer speaks up and demands change. I hope and pray there comes a day when all school districts are receiving the proper support they need to help educate our students, but until lobbyists and political action committees are disbanded, our children will suffer.
Our son is receiving a great education and we are very happy about it. However, there are so many school districts that are still failing their students. I just helped a family acquire an IEP for their son so he could receive bus service and the proper accommodations and supports through a BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan). The harsh reality about our public education system is that no matter how much we educate ourselves to help our children, there is no "one size fits all" school or teacher that can educate those who have a disability. When a child is diagnosed medically with having a disability and they clearly exhibit a pattern of not being able to learn, an IEP needs to be put into place. Families are still fighting for Full and Individual Evaluations (FIE) and sometimes they are not accurate. I started this business to help families fight for their child's Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE), because if we don't educate our children now, they will become an adult who could possibly end up in prison.
Please feel free to reach out to me through my website if you need an advocate who knows how to help your child in the public education setting. Students are failing because their school is failing them. Teachers are tired and are walking out in droves because it is a very hard job. My website: www.thespecialneedsadvocate.com has a form you can fill out to contact me. I do not charge for the first hour because I want you to understand that I am fully invested in your child. Happy New Year and I will see you in 2019!
