Striving to remove barriers that prevent us from building Vibrant, Diverse, Inclusive, Accessible Communities!
“Nothing prepared me,” writes Kristen Boucher — a special-education teacher who taught “from birth to age 26” in urban and suburban districts — as she faces the system **as a parent** and is shocked by “how many laws were being overlooked.” That jolt pushes her to “advocate for change” with the Michigan Education Justice Coalition so families have the information, resources, and support they need.
On the 50th year of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), she recounts sitting “on the other side of the table” and not being treated as an equal partner. Parents need an “equal seat at the table,” and decisions must be grounded in appropriate evaluation — “Without data, it is just opinion.”
The harm lands on families: “Unless you know exactly what to ask for, you won’t get it,” and districts rarely volunteer information. Her plain directive to other parents is urgent — “know your rights.”
Her son’s path — an “incredible welder” who thrived with strong staff, then “fell through the cracks” after a district move — is both warning and demand, and it frames this truth in plain language: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is meant to guarantee a free appropriate public education through individualized plans and access in the least restrictive environment, yet in this corrupt system those guarantees collapse when schools withhold information, ignore data, and treat parents as obstacles; stop telling families “what is going to happen,” give parents an equal seat, ground decisions in data and work together at a round table so equal and appropriate access to an education isn’t begged for, it’s built in.
Read the Full Article: Opinion | Special ed parent, teacher on 50 years of disabilities education act.
By: Kristen Boucher
