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Parents and students urge more dyslexia screening, trained staff and in‑district supports at Glen Ellyn SD 41
Summary
Multiple students and parents testified at the Oct. 20 meeting urging earlier dyslexia screening, Wilson‑trained specialists or equivalent programs, and expanded in‑district options so families do not need to pay for private placements.
Multiple students and parents addressed the board during public participation on Oct. 20 urging the district to expand dyslexia screening, training and in‑district interventions.
Third‑grader Annabelle Johnson, who said she has dyslexia, told trustees she had to attend therapy outside school and urged universal early screening. "Dyslexia is not a disability. It's just a different way of thinking," Annabelle said. Her mother, Madeline Johnson, described having the family privately fund therapy because the school district did not provide the help they needed early enough.
Several other parents and students told similar stories and made actionable requests: early kindergarten‑center screening, more Wilson‑level‑1 certified instructors or equivalent evidence‑based approaches such as Take Flight, keeping Wilson instruction through higher levels rather than stopping the program midstream, and creating dedicated dyslexia support spaces. Dawn Rice, a parent, cited statistics and urged the district to place at least one Wilson‑certified instructor in every school and to consider in‑district alternatives to sending students to out‑of‑district therapeutic placements like Hyde Park Day School. "When supported, dyslexics thrive," she said, and argued that evidence‑based programming could reduce lengthy and costly private placements.
Other parents described a long path to diagnosis and repeated requests for help. Julie McCann said her child needed tuition‑paid placement at a therapeutic school after repeated difficulty in the district and asked that the district deliver full, tested dyslexia programs within district schools. A student, Sebastian Bosacki, said his parents paid for tutors outside the district after tests showed he was far below grade‑level.
Administrative context: the district is conducting a special education review and has announced public listening sessions; Superintendent Dr. McHugh and administrators reiterated the review and encouraged stakeholders to participate. Several speakers referenced a 2023 state dyslexia guide and asked the district to align screening and intervention practices with that document.
Why it matters: speakers linked early screening and explicit, systematic instruction to student confidence and long‑term achievement. They noted that the district previously used a balanced literacy approach (units of study) that some parents said left students without systematic phonics instruction and created a group of older students who still need intensive, structured literacy intervention.
Board response: under board meeting rules trustees did not engage in a back‑and‑forth during public participation; the superintendent invited public participation in the ongoing special education review and shared links to listening sessions. Speakers asked for board follow‑up on concrete steps: early screening at the kindergarten center, more staff certified in evidence‑based dyslexia programs, and examination of in‑district placement options so families do not need to leave the district to receive services.
Next steps: the district’s special education review and scheduled listening sessions are the immediate vehicle for stakeholders to submit information and requests; parents asked the board to use that review to recommend expansion of in‑district dyslexia services and screening.
