Building A Dyslexia Parent Group - Step 6

STEP 6 - HIRING AN ADVOCATE

If many families in your parent group are having the same issues with the district, hire an educational advocate. Schedule a fundraising party for this. We held one at a restaurant and charged a cover and had a raffle. An educational advocate will help jump-start your knowledge base (dyslexia, reading interventions and special education services) and may help you determine when to bring in an attorney. They may have dealt with your district and know the politics, power structure, etc.

STEP 6 - STAY TOGETHER

Expect to get push-back from teachers, administrators and even other parents. This is very common. Also anticipate your district will probably try to separate you and give services to the loudest family, squeaky wheel, to try to break up the parent group. This has happened in nearby districts. Know this tactic is coming, and stand together.

STEP 6 - GATHER EVIDENCE
Document your child’s struggles by collecting evidence over and above obtaining all their educational records. All of these efforts gathering evidence could help build your case later on.

Record videos - Record your child reading grade level curriculum in books or on worksheets.

Keep every piece of paper your child touches including teacher notes. Be sure to pay special attention to anything referred to as ‘dyslexic-like symptoms.’ Many districts won’t even say the word dyslexia.

STEP 6 - CREATE A PAPER TRAIL

Document everything and collect all communications in writing. Keep emails, email summaries of meetings, email responses from teachers, staff etc.

Take screenshots of district policies. The district may change policies to look better or comply. The most common policy the district updates is Child Find. Get a screen shot of that policy first. Read every single thing the district gives you. Record meetings with phone audio recording apps after asking permission.

STEP 6 - LEARN FROM YOUR PREDECESSORS Learn from those who came before you. If there are people who fought a similar fight, meet with them to learn from their battles.

We reached out to the James family (a local family who had challenged the district a decade earlier) and they had very valuable historical information that informed our decisions.

Email us here at ODC and we can pay it forward with a zoom call. When the times get rough, these people will inspire you and remind you what is possible.

STEP 6 - GUT CHECK

Is your district willing to dig in and help, or will you need to take further action? This is the time to fight for all children!

If your district is not willing to follow federal law, make sure you’ve alerted them that you must take a stand. If they refuse to cooperate, then the Action Committee’s work comes into play. The Action Committee is the separate subset of parents in the parent group that has been running a parallel process committed to holding the district legally responsible. While general parent group membership is still an important necessary role, the Action Committee is where real change is made when the district won’t collaborate.

STEP 6 - SYSTEMIC GROUP COMPLAINT

If you are left with no other option than to file a systemic group complaint, activate your Action Committee. There is strength in numbers and if you don’t fight for your child, who will? The science doesn’t lie and federal law protects your child.

An attorney is the ultimate tool to get district’s attention. We found that until we hired an attorney and pursued legal remedies, our district didn’t take us seriously, and placated us with empty and ill-informed promises.

STEP 6 - MAXIMUM PARTICIPATION & IMPACT

Involve as many people as possible. We had 19 people sign our complaint including spouses and adult children, not 19 individual families, though that would have been ideal. Work together as a united front holding your district accountable while assessing the proper course of action. If you file a systemic group complaint, have as many people sign it as possible, even at varying levels (some will sign their full name and others may sign anonymously).

The reason a systemic group complaint is so powerful, is that they are accessible to the public. If and when you file an individual complaint for your child (and we do recommend this because you must take care of your child first) the remedy may be confidential so others may not benefit from it. Be determined, it could take time.

STEP 6 - MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS

We found it particularly impactful to file both a systemic group complaint simultaneously with as many individual remedies as possible. By fighting individually and as a group simultaneously, you basically swamp the district and alert the state department of education that the district is in trouble. It moves you up the priority list and shines a light into your district’s practices. This forces everyone to recognize the issue. Be prepared because things could get ugly. Teachers may shun you in public, parents might complain you’re fighting the district, your district might go to the paper attempting to mobilize people and groups against you, but stay strong. You stand in the truth!

STEP 6 - PARTNER WITH YOUR DISTRICT AT ALL TIMES

Continue efforts to be the district’s partner at all times. If the district proposes group talks, go and participate. You want to be able to say you’ve exhausted all avenues and cooperated with the district. You must maintain your track-record of meeting with your school district officials, attending school board meetings and continue meeting with anyone else who asks to meet with you.

STEP 6 - LEVERAGE LOCAL MEDIA

The good news is that once you prevail, the local media will be very interested in the fact that your district was found in violation of federal law by the state department of education. Provide the local media a copy of the letter of findings for specific violations. This helps you alert the public and keep the spotlight on the district so they can’t sweep the issues under the rug. This will also help other districts in the area make change. It sends a chill through the administrations of surrounding school districts. The more the public is made aware of your district’s transgressions, the better it will be for children with dyslexia in surrounding districts. Lean into the media partnerships you have made in the beginning.