Post on Mother Arrested in Dispute
With School District Draws Comments

Readers are sounding off in the comments all over this Parenting Special Needs blog, but it can be hard to find and respond to those opinions when they're on posts past this main page. One post that has brought several responses is the one on Betsy Loiacono vs. Houston County School Board, with many parents offering support to this mother who was arrested for keeping her son home from school on doctor's orders, and responding to my question on whether they'd experienced similar strong-arming by a district.

Here are some snippets from the comments made -- go to the post and click on "comments" to read more, and to add your own two-cents.

"Yes I have been strong-armed. And no, its not going to go on any longer in Georgia. You can only imagine what they do to teachers here. We need stronger whistleblower laws for teachers and universal school choice for Georgians now." -- Terry

"All that was asked for and needed was time for him to heal and when healthy enough to attend, return to school. I have read time and time again that so many times school systems often fight the hardest to not provide the services that cost them very little or no money -- all in the name of principle." -- Misty

"I find the actions of the HCBE horribly abusive. I thought they were supposed to make sure our children were educated according to their needs, in a safe environment. ... If they don’t know how to deal with special needs, they need to learn." -- Lisa

"We are a military family who has a special needs child. I checked into the schools before even accepting being stationed there. When I saw the poor outcomes for special needs kids, you could not turn me around faster! If this really happened to this child, they need to just put that place on the hardship tour list." -- Theresa

"I have a great deal of respect and admiration for this mother. She stood up for my child in our district and was not afraid to tell them when they were wrong. She is a strong voice for special needs children and deserves a lot of support from the special needs community." -- Jane