By Lauren Roth
The Virginian-Pilot
© April 13, 2008
VIRGINIA BEACH
For five years, every time Lona Hyde has gone to her son’s school to discuss his
special education needs, she’s brought along a paid advocate.
“As a parent, you don’t know the laws inside and out. I don’t have time to
research the laws and know if they’re telling me the truth or not,” said Hyde, a
mother of three.
Special education advocates were rare before 1997, when a federal law began
requiring schools to involve parents in placement decisions for special
education children.
Now, there are at least a half-dozen local advocates who say their phones ring
day and night. Some perform the service as an outgrowth of their work with
children or disabled people, while others dedicate themselves full-time to
advocacy. Some charge nothing, others cost $75 to $125 an hour.
Most parents don’t hire advocates. But like most parents who do, Hyde said she
is frustrated. She knows that her son, Trevor, has a legal right to a good
education, but doesn’t trust the educators.
“It’s the school system versus the parent. It is not a team,” she said.
Hyde has used two advocates. The first was her son’s psychologist, Jeffrey Katz,
who helped her set goals for her son with the school. But when the
seventh-grader got in trouble in November, Hyde brought in Cheryl Poe, a parent
of a disabled child who has made representing other parents in schools her
profession.
“I’m direct. I’m to the point,” said Poe, who speaks often at School Board
meetings. “My job is to make sure parents’ needs are heard and respected.”
Advocates are not always welcomed by educators. Sometimes, schools perceive them
as antagonistic.
Twice, Katz said, a school called in its police officer when he asserted his
right to attend a meeting with a parent.
“I’ve dealt with all kinds,” said Robert Mitchell, director of special education
for Beach schools. “Some come in and want to build bridges. Others are
aggressive and come in and challenge people.”
For Poe, her activism was spurred by her own experience. About six years ago,
while trying to get diagnosis and treatment for her son’s learning disability,
she said a school speech pathologist told her she was the problem, that she must
have been speaking black English to him at home.
“To assume that because I’m a different race, I speak a foreign language that’s
confusing my child, that hurt my feelings,” Poe said. “Nobody was there to help.
It was horrible.”
Poe, who has a master’s degree in urban education and counseling from Norfolk
State University, began to bone up on education law. She attended seminars and
training sessions and joined advocacy groups online.
There is no test or certification to become a special education advocate. That
means the backgrounds and qualifications of advocates vary. Locally, they
include a parent, a teacher, a psychologist, a medical professional, a testing
expert and a service provider to the disabled.
Schools are required to have an individualized education program, known as an
IEP, for every special education student. Under federal law, at least once a
year, a team of educators meets with parents to decide the goals and services
that go into a child’s program. That can include an array of teachers, a
principal, a special education coordinator, therapists and others.
“So many parents don’t have a clear perspective on their rights and
responsibilities,” said Cheryl Baker, graduate program director of special
education at Old Dominion University. “The special education process is a very
complex process, and advocates can really fill that role. It’s very, very
necessary for many, many parents who are overwhelmed.”
Most advocates attend meetings with parents, conduct phone consultations and
make personal visits.
The state Department of Education is considering allowing school divisions to
terminate special education services without a parent’s consent. The state
department plans to hold a meeting at Norview High School in Norfolk on May 28
to hear from the public on the proposed changes.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has said he will not support any changes that would reduce
the role of parents, a stance also taken by advocates.