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Why Jon’s taking legal action against his son’s school

Why Jon’s taking legal action against his son’s school

As my friend and former U.S. Representative Bob Schaffer says, no taxation without education.

Pardon the highly personal nature of this note, but I’m hoping you can help me reach other parents of disabled children to let them know that I’m taking legal action against Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) in hope of restoring my son’s chances for an education. They may be interested in doing the same.

A quick recap. “Online learning” is no learning at all for my 16-year-old son, Chance. Given his Down Syndrome, he needs hands-on, in-person education with actual human teachers, therapists, and peers.

BVSD hasn’t provided this, their core function, for over half of a year and counting. I detailed this in one of my Gazette columns about a month ago. Read it HERE on CompleteColorado.com

It is wanton cruelty to kids like Chance; they atrophy and regress as they have been denied schooling. They are not just being ignored, they’re being injured.

This should not reflect on those great teachers and staff that want to help Chance—they do love him. But the policy makers of this state and school district are starving my son, failing him completely. The damage of this educational regression is permanent. He only gets so much time before he ages out of the system.

Chance is hardly alone. Special needs kids require a lot more attention than general education kids. They need a lot more hands-on, direct instruction than their non-disabled counterparts.

I have retained Colorado education rights lawyer Igor Raykin to legally challenge BVSD on the grounds that my school district is violating the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA ensures students with disabilities are provided a “free appropriate public education” that is tailored to their individual needs.

It is shameful that the oh-so enlightened, tolerant, and diversity-celebrating Boulder school system has been so hurtful to special needs students that we must rely on courts to save our kids from their life-damaging neglect.

I hope your school district cares for special needs kids more than mine does. And if not, I encourage you to join the fight.

Think Freedom,

-Jon