In this article from Mississippi Today, reporter Julia James describes one family’s journey to get appropriate special education services from their child’s school district and the obstacles they faced.
“In Mississippi, students with disabilities are also suspended at higher rates than their nondisabled peers, according to the same 2017-18 federal data set, but those gaps are smaller than in comparable national figures,” writes James. “The national pattern of Black students with disabilities being suspended at a higher rate also holds true in Mississippi.”
Many families will likely relate to this family’s story. We thank Ms. James and Mississippi Today for shining this light.
We encourage families to review the Mississippi Department of Education’s Special Education Information for Families, especially dispute resolution options. We also urge families to attend the Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities Ninth Annual Special Education Law Conference & CLE and to review the American Bar Association’s stance on the district’s retaliating against families who advocate for their children with disabilities.
