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Parent tells board district refused to honor son's DNR order and asks for reversal
Summary
During public comment, a parent, Susie Jackson, said Gilbert Unified District refused to honor her son's physician DNR order, alleged the student missed approximately 72 feedings, and urged the board to follow medical orders to allow the student to attend Gilbert High School.
During the public-comment portion of the Sept. 23 meeting, Susie Jackson addressed the Gilbert Unified District (4239) governing board about her son, Rigo, and urged board members to honor a physician-issued do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order.
Jackson, who identified herself as a long-time public-school advocate, said charter schools "can cherry pick their students" and contrasted that with the district—s mission to educate all students. She told the board the district is not legally required to follow a physician's DNR order but said she expected the district to "do the right thing." Jackson asserted that the district had ignored Rigo's physician orders and that the student had "missed being fed approximately 72 times." She said the decision had been made by family and medical professionals familiar with Rigo's needs and that the board's silence and inaction had retraumatized a child who had experienced instability in foster care.
Jackson thanked Dr. Blake Robison for speaking with her and pressed the board to "Follow these physician orders and allow Rigo to attend Gilbert High School and graduate with his peers." She characterized some past board campaign rhetoric about parental choice and health decisions as inconsistent with the district's current refusal to honor the order.
There was no direct, recorded response or board decision on the matter during the meeting. Dr. McCord and board members did not take formal action at the meeting to change the district's approach; the public-admonition script read earlier in the meeting reminded commentors that the board may ask staff to review a matter or place it on a future agenda but cannot discuss or take legal action on an item not properly noticed.
Next steps: The public record shows Jackson's request and the board's ability to ask staff to review or place the matter on a future agenda; the transcript records no immediate commitment to change district practice or to follow the physician order.
