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Mother and student ask ISD 279 board to reconsider high school assignment over accessibility
Summary
A Maple Grove family urged the Independent School District 279 board to reassign a student slated for Osseo Senior High School to Maple Grove Senior High because of accessibility and emergency‑egress concerns; no formal board action was taken at the Jan. 21 meeting.
Amy Jordan and her daughter, Lila Jader, told the Independent School District 279 school board on Jan. 21 that Lila, who uses a power wheelchair and has cerebral palsy, should be allowed to attend Maple Grove Senior High School rather than the Osseo Senior High School assignment the district has set for her this fall.
Jordan, a district resident, said Lila is a straight‑A student, an aspiring writer and a competitive wheelchair dancer and that while both buildings are technically accessible, Osseo’s older construction relies on retrofits that create practical barriers. “Interior doors at Osseo are heavy and lack automatic openers requiring significant physical effort to navigate,” Jordan said. She added that some accessible exterior doors “require additional steps or backtracking, which could increase her risk in a crisis.”
The concern, Jordan said, is not only daily convenience but safety and meaningful access: Maple Grove Senior High School was built in 1996 and, she said, has more automatic doors, wider hallways and better‑designed emergency exit routes. Jordan cited Minnesota Statutes section 125A.08 — which she included in a handout — and argued that denying Lila the school environment best suited to her needs would deny her “access to extracurricular and academic opportunities in the least restrictive environment.”
Lila spoke after her mother and described how accessibility differences affect her independence and energy levels. “At Maple Grove, I wouldn't have to worry as much about heavy doors, older, narrower hallways, or tricky exits,” she said. She told the board she was ready to take on more independence after a recent IEP decision reduced full‑time ESP support, but that the physical environment matters to that independence and her dignity.
The family asked the board to “reconsider the decision.” The board thanked the speakers and moved to the superintendent’s report; no vote or formal direction related to the request was recorded during the Jan. 21 meeting.
The speakers: Amy Jordan (parent, district resident) and Lila Jader (student) provided the testimony and a written handout for the board. The district did not announce any immediate change on the record at the meeting.
