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Parent, student urge Osseo board to reconsider school assignment over accessibility
Summary
A parent and her daughter told the Osseo school board that Osseo Senior High’s older construction and retrofit solutions create accessibility and emergency‑egress concerns; they asked the board to allow the student to attend Maple Grove Senior High under the district’s least‑restrictive-environment obligations.
Amy Jordan, a district resident, asked the Osseo Public School District school board on Jan. 21 to allow her daughter, Lila Jader, to attend Maple Grove Senior High rather than Osseo Senior High, citing accessibility and special‑education concerns. “My request to you today is about holding the district accountable to the law,” Jordan said, referencing a handout that cited “Minnesota statute section 1258.08” and arguing that the district must ensure extracurricular and academic opportunities in the least‑restrictive environment.
Lila Jader, who uses a power wheelchair and participates in competitive wheelchair dance, told the board she wants to be independent and needs a building that supports that independence. “This decision is about my dignity, independence and equality,” she said. Jordan and Lila described differences the district cited in the transcript: Osseo High’s original 1924 construction relies on retrofits with heavy interior doors and limited wheelchair theater spaces (Jordan said the Osseo theater has four wheelchair spaces versus Maple Grove’s 12), while Maple Grove (built in 1996) includes more automatic doors, wider hallways and clearer emergency exits.
The board thanked the speakers; no board action on the assignment was taken during the meeting. Jordan framed the request as both a legal and educational concern tied to the student’s individualized education program; the board did not announce a change or a next step on the record during this session.
