Parents frustrated by Pickerington schools' lack of support for students with special needs

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (WCMH) – Jenny Hanna had no reason to believe her 14-year-old daughter did not have a dedicated one-on-one paraprofessional, so her shock was palpable when she discovered Pickerington schools had not provided one for the past four years.

It was a stipulation of her daughter entering the Pickerington Local School District, but Hanna did not know because parents are restricted from entering school buildings. Her daughter, who is nonverbal, could not have told her otherwise.

“We had it in an IEP. We cannot find any record of it anywhere,” Hanna said. “And now I have no trust in this district. … I have no idea what happened, no proof that it was ever in there.”

Hanna is not alone in her frustrations. Multiple families have shared similar stories about the district, and the district recognizes change is needed. It's completing a special education audit this year in a partnership with New Solutions K12 to better meet community needs, said Alesia Gillison, chief academic officer and assistant superintendent. But some parents think it is too little, too late.

“They keep pushing things down the road further and further, but yet they're not really taking any action,” parent Tyler Martin said. “So it's like, great, you're doing an audit. What are you doing now?”

Tyler and Vanessa Martin said their 5-year-old son also needs a one-on-one paraprofessional for his safety, and his team of doctors at Nationwide Children’s agree. However, they said the district opted not to follow letters from five medical professionals strongly recommending he have one, instead telling the family they did not think he needed one without further explanation.

“The district is almost saying that they have a better understanding of the medical safety issues than the actual professional medical team at Nationwide,” Tyler Martin said. “And that, to me, is mind-boggling that they would even take that type of a risk.”

Tyler and Vanessa Martin said it is truly a risk. Their son, who just entered kindergarten, has cerebral palsy and a VP shunt, a surgically inserted thin tube that drains extra fluid in the brain. They said he is prone to falls and seizures and has to be monitored because the damages those could cause to him or to his shunt could be lethal.

Hanna’s daughter also needs a dedicated paraprofessional. She has autism and a rare genetic disorder called Phelan-McDermid Syndrome that makes everyday activities dangerous without supervision. The 14-year-old does not feel pain the same way as most, communicates through images on her iPad and has no sense of danger. Hanna said her daughter also runs away when she is uncomfortable, which has resulted in scary situations.

However, the district only added a paraprofessional to her IEP, or Individualized Education Program, after a lengthy discussion last May, and Hanna cannot locate any documentation previously stating her need. However, Hanna said she knew her daughter’s paraprofessional before COVID-19 and is certain it was discussed.

Two days before her daughter was scheduled to start school, she called the district after concerns she had not heard anything from them about her daughter’s plan for this year. She said after several hours without a clear answer from the district she was told they did not have many of the accommodations she needed.

“No teacher, no paraprofessional and a classroom that was not (prepared for her daughter’s needs) and complete panic and fear came over me,” Hanna said. “What would have happened had I not called? Would the district and school ever notify me or other parents?”

After a delayed first day of school for her child, Hanna’s daughter finally has a dedicated professional for the first time in four years. However, Hanna said this resulted in a different classroom losing its paraprofessional, which she believes is likely placing another family in the position she had been in.

“They're basically robbing Peter to pay Paul. They're taking paraprofessionals that aren't a legal requirement from one class, and they put one into (my daughter’s) class,” Hanna said. 

The Martins said instead of their son getting his recommended support, there is one paraprofessional in their kindergarten classroom split among three students with special needs. Another student in the class also needs full-time assistance with a wheelchair, and Tyler said the current plan will hurt everyone because professionals and teachers will be stretched too thin.

“It's impacting every student in that school,” he said. “There's this domino effect that's happening at the school where they're putting way too much on all of these individuals.” 

Vanessa Martin said with support, Pickerington schools would be best for her son. She said within one year, he was able to decrease his wheelchair use, previously walking less than 20% of the time to now walking around 80% of the time thanks to peer role models. Without proper support, however, the Martins remain worried. They told NBC4 last year he already had one concussion at school after he fell, but the district still did not agree he needed one-on-one support.

Gillison said the district is working to address concerns, and they hope the audit will allow more effective special needs services in the district and help with workload for staff.

“We recognize the challenges of recent staff shortages and resignations. These issues have made recruitment an ongoing priority,” Gillison said. “We understand the impact this has on students and families, and we want to assure everyone that the district is actively exploring multiple avenues to secure additional staffing to support all students' needs.”

Of 16 job listings for administrative, support or teaching positions on the district's website, 12 are for paraprofessionals or special education. 

Monday night’s Board of Education agenda has two paraprofessional resignations on agenda, as well as three paraprofessional hirings. These newly hired positions are listed at salaries between $23,000 and $26,000. According to the MIT living wage calculator, an adult with no children needs to make $43,593 to be making a living wage in Columbus.

Both Hanna and the Martins said multiple times that none of their frustrations are with the teachers and aides in the district. Hanna said she is grateful for the educators who work with her daughter, but now has concerns about what the school is or is not doing.

“When we send our nonverbal kids to school, how do I know she's getting speech therapy for the full amount of minutes per week? How do I know that she's getting occupational therapy at this point?” Hanna said. “It just never crossed my mind not to trust my educational system.”