Parent tells Highlands County School Board ESE classroom is understaffed, requests action

Tina Jordan, the mother of a student identified in the meeting as Serenity, told the Highlands County School Board on Oct. 10 that her daughter’s exceptional student education (ESE) classroom at Woodlawn Elementary is overcrowded and staffed by adults without appropriate special-education qualifications.

Jordan described physical marks she said her daughter sustained, inconsistent teacher presence in the classroom, chronic absenteeism for medical reasons, and a lack of informative progress reporting from the school. “Serenity will come home. Mom, I got slapped today. Where’s the report on her getting slapped?” Jordan said during the public-comment period. She said she has repeatedly requested a daily folder of school work and progress and that, when none was provided, she created one herself.

Jordan told the board the ESE class has about 15 students, some as young as pre-K in the same room with older students, and that the staff member assigned to the classroom is qualified only for pre-K instruction. “If you don’t know the children's syndromes that they have or their disabilities, how are you gonna teach them?” she asked the board.

The board did not make a public motion in response during the meeting; Jordan said she would speak with board leadership afterward. Chair and Superintendent Doctor Longshore acknowledged the comment period and the board’s practice of receiving public remarks and then following up as appropriate.

Why it matters: Jordan’s remarks raise concerns about special-education staffing, supervision, and communication with families — issues that fall within district responsibility and state special-education rules. The transcript shows the parent requested concrete follow-up from the district and indicated ongoing problems with attendance, classroom composition, and recordkeeping.

What the board heard and next steps: No formal board action was recorded on the public comment during the meeting. Board members said they would speak privately with the parent following adjournment. The district’s process for investigating complaints and any resulting personnel or program changes were not detailed on the public record at this meeting.

Context: The remarks occurred during the public-comment segment of a regular board meeting that also included staff presentations on insurance, school safety assessments, and routine board business. Jordan said she had followed prior board advice to move her child to Highlands County from another district and that she had attempted to obtain information through school staff without success.

Ending: Jordan closed by asking whether her daughter would receive public recognition and whether the district would correct the classroom’s staffing and supervision issues before the child completes fifth grade. The board did not make a public resolution during the meeting; Jordan said she would meet individually with board leadership after the session.