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Parent tells board special-education services fall short, urges equal investment
Summary
During public comment, Bridal Marks said she has spent 13 years advocating for her child and accused the district of failing special-education students, asking the board to 'prorate your investment' so special-education receives as much focus and funding as academies; she said multiple families have retained lawyers and the state is monitoring a complaint.
During the meeting’s public-comment period, parent Bridal Marks urged the board to make the district’s special-education division a funding and programmatic priority.
Marks said she has advocated for her child for 13 years and told the board, "your motto, every child, every day, whatever it takes, was a fraud," adding that she and other families have pursued remedies with the U.S. Department of Education and the Virginia Department of Education and that "at least 3 special needs families" are in talks with or have retained lawyers. She challenged the board to "prorate your investment so that the special needs division gets the same investment" afforded to the academies.
Marks said the state has moved up the division special-ed audit timeline and that she will continue to press the issue, promising further advocacy if she does not see changes by next year. The board did not engage in dialogue during the public-comment period; policy directs that matters requiring response be directed to the superintendent for research and follow-up.
