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Dr. Monique Miles Bruner praises Millwood special-education supports as son's reading improves
Summary
In recorded remarks, Dr. Monique Miles Bruner described how Millwood staff and wraparound services helped her young son move from below grade level to becoming a top student, noting weekly speech and occupational therapy and a summer reading stint of more than 300 hours.
Dr. Monique Miles Bruner, a long-time Millwood parent, described how the district's counselors, teachers and wraparound services helped her son make dramatic progress in reading and speech after early struggles.
Bruner said she sought help when her son entered pre-K and showed limited speech and difficulty recognizing reading structure. "Miss Bennett, the counselor, was just like, well, Monique, let's get you set up with this and let's get him tested to see if he needs any wraparound services," she said.
She told meeting attendees that initial testing was delayed because of COVID but that once testing resumed the support was “seamless.” Bruner said her son was slightly below grade level entering second grade but by December was on grade level and by February was "one of the top 3 students in his class." She credited teachers, counselors and the district's support staff for the change.
Bruner recounted that in a summer reading program her son "read over 300 hours," finding books he liked such as graphic novels and sports stories. She said targeted, interest-driven reading helped sustain his engagement and confidence in school.
She outlined the ongoing therapies her son receives: "weekly speech therapy, weekly occupational therapy, and, he also gets some help with reading and speech because he has a little list," and said those services have been transformative.
Bruner called Millwood "an extraordinary school district" and singled out counselor Miss Bennett for helping arrange evaluations and services. She urged recognition for support staff, saying if she had "1,000,000 dollars" she would give bonuses to support staff.
Her remarks were followed by brief supportive interjections from meeting participants, who echoed gratitude for Millwood staff and emphasized the importance of education and self-sufficiency for children if caregivers are unavailable. The transcript record ends with Bruner and attendees reiterating thanks to staff members.
