Parents urge Wake County board to expand and preserve EBS‑AU autism classrooms

Parents and community members told the Wake County Board of Education Feb. 17 that specialized EBS‑AU (autism) classrooms must be protected and expanded so students can learn and thrive.

Amanda Warren (Willow Springs) described her nine‑year‑old son's experience across multiple school settings and said AU classrooms provided sensory spaces, adaptive seating, consistent routines and field trip access that supported his progress; she asked the district to "increase the number of AU classrooms in the elementary schools" and to retain the AU designation rather than collapsing it into general EBS programs.

Jessica Smith (parent of a 7‑year‑old at Woods Creek Elementary) said her daughter Jamieson had attended five schools in five years and that the EBS‑AU placement was the first setting where the child "felt fundamentally, emotionally safe" and began to make academic and social progress. Smith urged the board to "prioritize funding for the EBS AU classrooms" and said a full continuum of special education placements is necessary to meet diverse needs.

Board members later acknowledged the public concerns in their discussion: members raised questions about how the district documents student records after a migration to a new system (noting some narrative items had not transferred) and recognized staff frustration about providing feedback under the newly proposed staff‑involvement policy. No formal policy or funding decision on AU classrooms was made at the Feb. 17 meeting; parents and board members requested continued engagement and follow up from staff.

The board did not vote on changes to special education placement policy at the Feb. 17 meeting.