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Parents and former teacher urge district action after Will Rogers principal departure, cite special-education access concerns
Summary
Speakers during public participation urged the board to investigate leadership changes at Will Rogers Elementary, and described gaps in special-education services and inaccessible playgrounds for students with disabilities.
During the public-participation segment, speakers asked the board to investigate leadership decisions at Will Rogers Elementary and to address gaps in services for students with disabilities.
A speaker who identified herself as Judy told the board that Will Rogers families had repeatedly raised concerns about district-level actions and processes after last month's administrative changes at the site. She said staff and parents had presented solutions that met district guidelines but were repeatedly declined, and asked the board to "investigate the role district-level people and processes played" and to create safe spaces for employees who fear retaliation.
Sierra Gajar, identifying herself as a former Edmond Public Schools teacher and the mother of three autistic children attending Will Rogers, described difficulties getting legally required supports in place for her son. She said the district's core values include belonging and integrity and argued the district was not consistently fulfilling those principles with regard to accessibility and special education. Gajar urged the board to ensure safe, inclusive playgrounds at every school, to create a special-education parent advisory council, and to "find leaders who will turn tonight's meeting into meaningful action and compliance with the law." She said that, as a family, they had permitted her nonverbal son to start school for 30 minutes initially and that hope for full access felt "lost" after the leadership change.
Why it matters: the comments raised legal and compliance concerns about students' access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and asked the board to examine district processes and personnel decisions at a campus level. The speakers asked for investigations and for institutional changes to ensure accommodations and supports.
The board did not take immediate action on the public commenters' requests during the meeting; the speakers were reminded of board public-comment rules (policy BED) by staff at the start of the public-participation period.
