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Parent tells Salem-Keizer board her kindergartner remains barred from school after promised 1:1 support fell through
Summary
A Salem-Keizer parent told the school board that her kindergarten-age son, who attended the district’s June transition meeting and Jump Start program, has not been allowed to begin school because the district withdrew promised one-to-one support days before classes began.
A Salem-Keizer parent told the school board that her son, despite participating in the district’s transition meeting and Jump Start program, has not been allowed into kindergarten because the district withdrew promised one-to-one support the week before school started.
Kimberly Estes, identified at the meeting as a parent, said the family was told “the district no longer had the support that our son needed,” and that the district’s alternative was to train administrative staff to provide some assistance rather than provide the one-to-one aide the family had been promised. “So right now…our son who’s more than ready for kindergarten is still waiting to start school right now,” Estes said.
Why it matters: Estes said the last-minute change has delayed her son’s education despite prior district planning and a completed transition meeting in June. She told the board the problem reflects broader staffing and funding shortages in special education that leave families scrambling at the start of the school year.
What the parent asked the board to consider: Estes proposed a practical option she said could be used by other families: allow a student’s trained direct support professional (DSP) — an aide already familiar with the child’s needs — to attend school with the student. She said a DSP could avoid costs and delays from hiring, training and turnover, and suggested the district could align background checks, liability coverage and waivers to permit that arrangement. “By allowing outside support to work within the school, we could potentially alleviate some of the burdens that the district feels,” she said.
Board and staff response in the meeting: Board members did not take an immediate action during public comment; the item was raised to the full board during public comment for consideration. Several directors later referenced the family’s situation in board reports and recognized the need to “exhaust all of our options to find a place for all of our little babies,” in the words of Director Hudson.
Discussion vs. decision: The transcript shows this as a public comment request, not a board or staff directive. No formal motion or vote was recorded on allowing DSPs in district schools during the meeting. The parent’s request was presented for the board’s consideration and to inform staff work going forward.
Clarifying details: Estes said the family completed a transition meeting in June and that the student participated in Jump Start kindergarten; she described the DSP as “trained” and ready to accompany the child. The district’s staffing shortage in special education was described by the speaker as an established, ongoing challenge; the transcript did not provide a staff response with specific next steps, legal or liability clarifications, or whether background checks/waivers would be permitted.
Where this appears in the record: Public comment from Kimberly Estes occurred during the public comment portion of the Sept. 9 meeting and is recorded in the meeting transcript.
