What’s WRONG with Florida and its Treatment of Students with Disabilities?
Why are we having this conversation again?
Today, I am going to highlight Paula Drew, who, as the mother of a student with profound disabilities, has run up against bullies who want unnecessary, unrealistic Florida testing. Paula has kindly shared her moving speech to the Sarasota County School Board which you can find below.
Paula’s 15 year-old-daughter, Maddy, has cerebral palsy and is nonverbal. Paula requested that Maddy be exempted from the test. Maddy’s doctor listed reasons, in a letter, why Florida’s State Alternative testing was inappropriate, but Education Commissioner Pamela Stewart denied the request.
At first, Paula was threatened that her child would be removed from her special school if she did not comply and have Maddy take the test. Officials have since changed their minds or attribute this to a misunderstanding.
Let’s be clear.
There have been, for many years, fair, observational assessments for students with profound disabilities. But that is not what this is about. This is about alternative testing What’s WRONG with Florida and its Treatment of Students with Disabilities?:
