HILLSBOROUGH — Orange County Schools released a new statement Monday providing more details on a court battle over a 4-year-old boy’s special education needs.

The three-page statement defends the school system’s recommended services for Owen McWhirter, a child with a form of high-functioning autism. Owen’s parents, Nicole and Arran McWhirter, disagreed with the district’s recommendation and took the matter to an administrative court in Raleigh.

The couple claim that the school system failed to provide Owen the “free, appropriate public education” required by law. A state judge agreed last month. The decision, which the school system has appealed, also said the district should reimburse the McWhirters for their educational expenses.–The News & Observer (NewsObserver.com)

Basically what’s happening is that the McWhirter’s son was going to public school and the had an ARD meeting and the IEP only recommended him to have 4 hours a week of “special instruction”. I enrolled my son in school when he was 3 years old and as a parent of a special needs/autistic child, you’re child is entitled to receive public school services beginning at age 3 under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act. It is the law. As parents, we have to know what our rights are and have the Director of Special Education’s number on speed dial when things are not to our liking. The children have a right to a free, appropriate education which means we have the power to change what our child is learning and doing on a daily basis at school, how long our child is at school, and if we dont like what is said in the ARD we need to change it. It’s their jobs!

This is why I say you can’t just leave your child’s education up to the school. Half the time, the school doesn’t even know how to handle your child and sometimes can make you feel like your child is a disciplanary problem. In some cases, the teachers dont have the necessary trainning and they make it seem like it’s a home issue when really it’s an education issue. Another thing that’s getting me is:

“The school district believes that — had they tried it — the child’s parents would have been happy with the educational program developed by the school system. If not, as has been done for many other students, the program would have been reviewed and amended,” the school system said in the statement.

The McWhirters’ legal fees have reached $200,000, forcing them to put a second mortgage on their home and borrow money. In the meantime, they continue paying for Owen’s private preschool and specialists.

Okay, the question is: Was  it worth the sacrifice of $200k, putting a second mortgage on the house, and borrowing money so your child have the special attention he needs? I think it is. I think it’s sacrifices like these, that people with better financial footing than I have make, that slowly makes change for all of us in this situation. We shouldn’t have to move to different school districts, out of state, or even  have our children in private school to get something that is suppose to be free for them.

There needs to be some kind of reform for the way the school system handles autism and there really needs to be more specialized training in that field. You send your child to public school and next thing you know you realize that the teachers dont know what autism is or how to help your child at all. They may have seminars or training sessions but that doesn’t take the place of real specialization in that field when in college.

I have my son in public school and if  I’m not satisified with something in the ARD meeting then we wont leave until we resolve the issue. That’s what has to be done. It is there job to come up with a compromise and or go above and beyond to give your child the best education that they can provide . It can be done. You have to fight just like the McWhirter’s and my hat is off to them. I just hope they win and it can be the beginning of the change that we need in the system.

The government DOES owe this  child (Owen McWhirter)  as well as your child. I support this family in there sacrifice and struggle. It’s a hard thing to do because you want to save money for your child’s future and when you’re not here anymore to take care of them but you have to realize they are fighting for us all. The average child with autism will cost on average over 4 million per child. If a child can recover enough to become independent as an adult then there is an approximate savings of over 2 million. A pay me now or pay me later thing. This is issue is the same as private insurance not paying for treatment and therapy for autism as well.  This money the McWhiter’s have spent, is being used for their son’s future as well as yours and mine. I wish them the best. I really do.

Nicole McWhirter’s blog is: http://educatingowen.wordpress.com/