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Parent, student tell board classroom lacks ESE teacher and IEP; communication gaps cited
Summary
A Highlands parent and her child described missing individualized educational supports, discipline concerns and inconsistent communication for an ESE student at their child's school.
Tina Jordan, speaking for her daughter Serenity during public comment at the Highlands County School Board meeting, said she is concerned that her child, an ESE student with Williams syndrome, had not received a timely individual education plan (IEP) and that an ESE teacher was not assigned to the child's class.
"She is ESE student, with special needs," Jordan told the board. "There was supposed to be an IEP. There has not been one yet." Jordan said classroom aides in the child's class have been supportive but that she had been told about repeated minor physical incidents — pinching and pushing — involving her daughter.
Jordan also described confusion over the school's monthly behavior/communication planner and said color-coded reports (orange, green, pink) were not explained clearly to parents. "I would like to have more communication," she said, offering to provide a tablet if that would help two-way messages between parents and staff.
Serenity addressed the board briefly and described herself as having autism and Williams syndrome. "I am I am a autism and and Williams syndrome," she said, and asked for kindness and patience in school interactions.
Why it matters: The comments highlight operational concerns about ESE staffing, IEP development and home-school communication. Board members and staff confirmed the district is seeking an ESE teacher for the class, and the public comments prompted acknowledgment from administrators.
Board response: Trustees thanked the speakers and acknowledged the need for improved communication. The superintendent and other administrators later described ongoing searches for ESE staff and described ESE procedural requirements elsewhere on the agenda.
