Parent criticizes UPK placement and communication after district assigns son with type 1 diabetes

Danielle Bones told the Williamsville Central School District Board of Education her 3—2-year-old son, Caden, who has type 1 diabetes, was assigned to a UPK placement she says cannot accommodate his medical condition.

Bones said she contacted district staff repeatedly beginning in January and discussed her son's medical needs at a CPSE meeting in late January, yet she found no indication of his medical diagnosis on his IEP. She said the UPK director at the assigned site, Pixie Village on Main Street, told her the program could not manage a child with type 1 diabetes and recounted that a family had previously been hired by the program to assist with care. Bones said she was disappointed by the lack of communication from the district and that she was not provided district contacts until March, when staff directed her to Christine Harding and Dr. Marie Bailing.

Bones said district staff told her she must accept placement at Pixie Village or forfeit the UPK option. She said kindergarten could present similar issues and that she was "disappointed with [her] interaction with the district" though she said she trusts Christine Harden to do what she can for her son's safety.

The board heard the comment during the public expression period; the transcript records no immediate resolution or change of placement during the meeting. Board staff previously explained that public-comment matters that involve student-specific or personnel details are handled through administrative channels rather than addressed at the podium.

Why it matters: The parent raised concerns about the district's UPK placement process for a child with a medical need and about communication between families and district offices. Those issues, if accurate, relate to how the district screens and places medically complex students and how it communicates options and contacts to families.