Current

Experiences

On How Children are Affected

“My child was mocked and bullied (literally) by a teacher in front of an entire class.”
“The 6 public schools our child has attended caused physical and psychological trauma that required therapy. “
“Our son was unlawfully restrained on first day of school.”
“I would think (public school in Virginia) needs to be sued by the military. They are awful and do not use their resources wisely. It really was upsetting my daughter was not educated and instead admitted twice due to not being able to go to school.”
“I should not have to comfort my child after she became so upset that she threw away her test because they did not give her the sensory breaks and other accommodations that were already written into her IEP.”
“Teachers making the child feel helpless and unwanted in classes, not paying attention to the IEP.”
“My heart breaks for these children.”
“Absolutely horrible! One school I had to call CPS on because they neglected my child and let her eat glass TWICE! A different school I had to withdraw my son from because staff members were bullying him because he's disabled! Virginia schools are trash and I can't wait to move to another state next year!”
“My child had to resort to telling me about a Big Bad Wolf because she had no other way to describe what was happening to her.”
“Military kids suffer the most as each school system does just enough to get by as they know they only have those kids for a short period of time.”
“He was suspended twice for actions that were a direct result of his Autism.”
“He often says ‘Everyone hates me’ now, because of how he was judged at (public school).”
“Our daughter has faced major learning gaps, teacher ridicule and embarrassment, labeling her as a bad kid and enabling bad behavior because she didn't have adequate services.”
“Why is my sweet, highly talented son depressed with suicidal thoughts?”
“I should not have to call an emergency IEP meeting because my child is in tears saying she is a ‘bad girl,’ because they are asking her to do things that she is not yet capable of, things that they did not give her strategies to do.”
“The schools were frustrated with her, and she was shutting down and failing to communicate successfully with her teachers.”
“They punished her with missing recess when she wouldn’t write. They left her alone to transition classes and she walked outside to the playground. They punished her for that too.”
“Our child experienced physical and psychological abuse at five different schools in Hawaii. We never got the services he needed.”
“My son’s classroom is a dangerous classroom for him to be in.”
“Her anxiety continues to escalate, and she is falling further behind her peers. The school still considers this a ‘normal’ issue that even neurotypical children experience.”
“Our son comes home with bruises from being grabbed ahold of and staff members can’t tell us what happened.”
“My child has not learned one new thing since beginning school two years ago in this district and has regressed significantly. All of the parents are frustrated as well as the staff. We are currently considering filing for due process.”

On the Irresponsibility of Public Schools

“All of my concerns are being blown off. I am told they have kids worse off so he’s okay.”
“I have been continually lied to by staff members at every single school system.”
“His IEP was rescinded without our consent.”
“The principal replies ‘Well we will just give (my son) the same accommodations and interventions he was getting at his last school.’ Alright, I'll get you a copy of his IEP to which the principal replies ‘we don't need it. The accommodations are general, basically the same for each kid.’”
“Whatever services we fight for in one location we can only pray we will be honored or available in the next. Ultimately the child loses because it is their progress hanging in the balance as they are jerked back and forth from system to system. And the administration of the schools are looking at their pocket books and waiting for the military students to move on.”
“By the fourth year of living there, the district’s only question was, ‘When are you moving?’”
“If we move back to Va Beach where I am from, my kid will never graduate with a typical diploma. He can’t meet the grade level requirements due to the lack of support and education.”
“IEPs are supposed to be transferable, however each school district does not have the same support. It takes me two years of fighting to get a solid IEP. It’s implemented for 6 months and then we move, only to start the process all over ago.”
“My daughter's special needs were dismissed.”
“IEP’s and 504’s do NOT get distributed to teachers until the 2nd week of school to a couple of months into the school year. UNACCEPTABLE!”
“They say that they knew about his IEP, but they didn't read it. They need to make sure that they read it and understand it. They don't follow it.”
“We were met with hostility when we asked for help.”
“They do not listen to the parents at all.”
“The school lied to me in multiple meetings and refused to do testing that they were required to do.”
“Different states have rewritten his 504 or IEP based on their resources, rather than what he needs.”
“Even when we ‘won,’ the new IEP goals were still written to be so low that they were a disservice to my child’s abilities and would have compromised my child’s ability to learn to read.”
“One of my other children has an IEP and she has teachers that don't follow it either. It's like they just thinks it's a suggestion. These children move all the time and they receive services at one school and move to another state and come to find out that school won't provide some of the services because it costs too much for the school to pay.”
“Federal $ needs to be audited because the school board is corrupt.”
“About 1/2 of the places we’ve been, the schools have simply ignored the IEP and the accommodations in it and have tried to make it seem as if our child was “playing us” when it came to her learning disabilities and emotional limitations.”
“The teachers throw their hands up and aren't sure what to do.”
“The school systems all operate under different rules, with different services and criteria.”
“District level special education employees lied to us (blatant lies like ‘we have no state standards for that age, so we cannot evaluate your child.’)”

On the Undue Burden on Parents

So when my husband applies for great opportunities, we do so accepting that we will have to geobach with no additional services or funding from the Navy.
His rights were violated and I want justice. Still no answers from the school either.
It took two years to get a solid IEP only to move again.
We had to hire a parent advocate at the cost of nearly $2000 ($100 per hour for multiple hour long meetings) to force the school to comply with testing. Then when they did the testing, they omitted results for one son and tried to say he did not have ADHD despite his medical diagnosis of said disorder.
I must pay for an advocate at the meetings because the outright lies and misdirection on the part of the school have given me no other alternative. And yet I must trust them to take care of her every day when I put her on the bus, kissing her goodbye and praying she’s going to have a great day.
I was forced to move with my kids and live apart from my husband, an active duty Navy officer, after a 2 year legal battle with the school district. The stress put upon our family was unbearable.
I have faced issues moving from state to state, or school to school even, issues depending on what teacher the child gets.
Moving from state to state, sometimes the IEP is lost, ignored, or implemented differently. It adds so much stress to our families and has held our children back academically.
Our families continue to suffer. And it is not just one person suffering, it the entire family because we all feel the strain in time, attention, money, and energy in fighting these battles.
I urge you with desperation to please help this group of parents that NEED change for our children!
I now have to make the difficult decision of pulling my son out of school, quitting my job or lowering hours so I may take my son to private ABA and private school.
We have struggled to get help from the school system and it has always taken fighting to get the help she needs.
I feel like I constantly am fighting for the most basic benefits for my son.
Help us be heard and bring change to public education.
“It shouldn't be this hard.” “Our families deserve better.”
There are no laws or standards set in place for military children.
There were no advocates available to help us fight.
It’s been a real emotional struggle.
Our son’s educational needs were not met and FAPE was not provided to the point we entered a 16 month legal battle with the school district before he was placed in a school with staff that was capable of providing FAPE.
It's so frustrating to see the lack of resources that could help her and the many others who are like her.
It leaves medical families feeling hopeless, alone and completely forgotten.
I had to engage USMC attorney to hold district accountable and provide comparable services required by law.
I am tired. To my bones tired of fighting for my child.
We ended up homeschooling.
We did not choose our children’s disabilities, but we do have to find a way to live with them and thrive and that is awfully hard to do.
It leaves everyone frustrated and upset.
My Sailor deserves to know that our children will receive what they need to lead successful lives.

PCS Diaries

Join Sarah King, 2020 AFI Naval Amphibious Little Creek MSOY, as she prepares to PCS with her EFMP family.

The Buzz

Thank Your Representatives

2019 Congressional Military Family Caucus Summit

Supporting military children with the services they need, but lost in the pandemic

Here’s some advice for military parents with extra worries about kids’ fall education

Stay Connected

Get in Touch

Get Involved

Current

Experiences

Experiences

On How Children are Affected

“My child was mocked and bullied (literally) by a teacher in front of an entire class.”

“The 6 public schools our child has attended caused physical and psychological trauma that required therapy. “

“Our son was unlawfully restrained on first day of school.”

“I would think (public school in Virginia) needs to be sued by the military. They are awful and do not use their resources wisely. It really was upsetting my daughter was not educated and instead admitted twice due to not being able to go to school.”

“I should not have to comfort my child after she became so upset that she threw away her test because they did not give her the sensory breaks and other accommodations that were already written into her IEP.”

“Teachers making the child feel helpless and unwanted in classes, not paying attention to the IEP.”

“My heart breaks for these children.”

“My child had to resort to telling me about a Big Bad Wolf because she had no other way to describe what was happening to her.”

“Military kids suffer the most as each school system does just enough to get by as they know they only have those kids for a short period of time.”

“He was suspended twice for actions that were a direct result of his Autism.”

“He often says ‘Everyone hates me’ now, because of how he was judged at (public school).”

“Our daughter has faced major learning gaps, teacher ridicule and embarrassment, labeling her as a bad kid and enabling bad behavior because she didn't have adequate services.”

“Why is my sweet, highly talented son depressed with suicidal thoughts?”

“I should not have to call an emergency IEP meeting because my child is in tears saying she is a ‘bad girl,’ because they are asking her to do things that she is not yet capable of, things that they did not give her strategies to do.”

“The schools were frustrated with her, and she was shutting down and failing to communicate successfully with her teachers.”

“They punished her with missing recess when she wouldn’t write. They left her alone to transition classes and she walked outside to the playground. They punished her for that too.”

“Our child experienced physical and psychological abuse at five different schools in Hawaii. We never got the services he needed.”

“My son’s classroom is a dangerous classroom for him to be in.”

“Her anxiety continues to escalate, and she is falling further behind her peers. The school still considers this a ‘normal’ issue that even neurotypical children experience.”

“Our son comes home with bruises from being grabbed ahold of and staff members can’t tell us what happened.”

“My child has not learned one new thing since beginning school two years ago in this district and has regressed significantly. All of the parents are frustrated as well as the staff. We are currently considering filing for due process.”

On the Irresponsibility of Public Schools

“All of my concerns are being blown off. I am told they have kids worse off so he’s okay.”

“I have been continually lied to by staff members at every single school system.”

“His IEP was rescinded without our consent.”

“By the fourth year of living there, the district’s only question was, ‘When are you moving?’”

“If we move back to Va Beach where I am from, my kid will never graduate with a typical diploma. He can’t meet the grade level requirements due to the lack of support and education.”

“IEPs are supposed to be transferable, however each school district does not have the same support. It takes me two years of fighting to get a solid IEP. It’s implemented for 6 months and then we move, only to start the process all over ago.”

“My daughter's special needs were dismissed.”

“IEP’s and 504’s do NOT get distributed to teachers until the 2nd week of school to a couple of months into the school year. UNACCEPTABLE!”

“They say that they knew about his IEP, but they didn't read it. They need to make sure that they read it and understand it. They don't follow it.”

“We were met with hostility when we asked for help.”

“They do not listen to the parents at all.”

“The school lied to me in multiple meetings and refused to do testing that they were required to do.”

“Different states have rewritten his 504 or IEP based on their resources, rather than what he needs.”

“Even when we ‘won,’ the new IEP goals were still written to be so low that they were a disservice to my child’s abilities and would have compromised my child’s ability to learn to read.”

“Federal $ needs to be audited because the school board is corrupt.”

“About 1/2 of the places we’ve been, the schools have simply ignored the IEP and the accommodations in it and have tried to make it seem as if our child was “playing us” when it came to her learning disabilities and emotional limitations.”

“The teachers throw their hands up and aren't sure what to do.”

“The school systems all operate under different rules, with different services and criteria.”

“District level special education employees lied to us (blatant lies like ‘we have no state standards for that age, so we cannot evaluate your child.’)”

On the Undue Burden on Parents

So when my husband applies for great opportunities, we do so accepting that we will have to geobach with no additional services or funding from the Navy.

His rights were violated and I want justice. Still no answers from the school either.

It took two years to get a solid IEP only to move again.

I must pay for an advocate at the meetings because the outright lies and misdirection on the part of the school have given me no other alternative. And yet I must trust them to take care of her every day when I put her on the bus, kissing her goodbye and praying she’s going to have a great day.

I was forced to move with my kids and live apart from my husband, an active duty Navy officer, after a 2 year legal battle with the school district. The stress put upon our family was unbearable.

I have faced issues moving from state to state, or school to school even, issues depending on what teacher the child gets.

Moving from state to state, sometimes the IEP is lost, ignored, or implemented differently. It adds so much stress to our families and has held our children back academically.

Our families continue to suffer. And it is not just one person suffering, it the entire family because we all feel the strain in time, attention, money, and energy in fighting these battles.

I urge you with desperation to please help this group of parents that NEED change for our children!

I now have to make the difficult decision of pulling my son out of school, quitting my job or lowering hours so I may take my son to private ABA and private school.

We have struggled to get help from the school system and it has always taken fighting to get the help she needs.

I feel like I constantly am fighting for the most basic benefits for my son.

Help us be heard and bring change to public education.

“It shouldn't be this hard.” “Our families deserve better.”

There are no laws or standards set in place for military children.

There were no advocates available to help us fight.

It’s been a real emotional struggle.

Our son’s educational needs were not met and FAPE was not provided to the point we entered a 16 month legal battle with the school district before he was placed in a school with staff that was capable of providing FAPE.

It's so frustrating to see the lack of resources that could help her and the many others who are like her.

It leaves medical families feeling hopeless, alone and completely forgotten.

I had to engage USMC attorney to hold district accountable and provide comparable services required by law.

I am tired. To my bones tired of fighting for my child.

We ended up homeschooling.

We did not choose our children’s disabilities, but we do have to find a way to live with them and thrive and that is awfully hard to do.

It leaves everyone frustrated and upset.

My Sailor deserves to know that our children will receive what they need to lead successful lives.

PCS Diaries

PCS Diaries

The Buzz

Thank Your Representatives

2019 Congressional Military Family Caucus Summit

Supporting military children with the services they need, but lost in the pandemic

Here’s some advice for military parents with extra worries about kids’ fall education

Stay Connected