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Parent tells Greenville County Schools board special‑education students were left off class trips; committee says state will act
Summary
At the March board meeting a parent, Keosha Holloway, said her special‑needs child was excluded from a fifth‑grade trip and called the pattern discriminatory; the board's advocacy committee told trustees the state Education Oversight Committee agreed to address a recognition "loophole" affecting students with special needs.
Keosha Holloway, a parent of four children in Greenville County Schools, told the board at its March regular meeting that her son, a special‑education student at Lake Forest Elementary, was not invited on an upcoming fifth‑grade class trip and that other parents reported similar exclusions.
"This was a form of discrimination," Holloway said, recounting that when she asked school staff why her son was not included she was told a teacher "dropped the ball." She said she raised the issue at her son's IEP meeting and was not given a clear reason for the exclusion.
The remarks came during the board's public comment period, which the vice chair prefaced by reviewing the board's public comment rules and noting staff will follow up with speakers in a timely manner.
The board also heard a report from the advocacy committee that directly speaks to Holloway's concern. Mister Sailors, the advocacy committee chair, said the board took concerns about how students with special needs and their schools are recognized to the state Education Oversight Committee (EOC). "The education oversight committee agreed with the concerns that were raised," he said, and the EOC is expected to take action at its May or June meeting to correct what Sailors called a process "loophole." He thanked board members and Senator Turner for helping organize the conversation.
Superintendent Dr. Royster used the superintendent's portion of the meeting to introduce Emily Cook as the newly appointed principal at Washington Center and to present Jen Myston as the first parent resource representative in special education services. Royster described Cook's background as a teacher and autism specialist and said Myston has experience working with families of students with special needs. "She has an excellent background," Royster said of Cook.
Holloway told trustees she will continue to advocate for inclusion and asked the board to ensure that students with different abilities receive the same opportunities as their peers. The board did not take a formal vote on policy changes at the meeting; the advocacy committee report indicates the next external step is the EOC's planned action in May or June.
