BY KARISSA MILLER

Amber Ford had never spoke publicly about some of the challenges her son Landon faces with autism.

That changed last week when the mother of five stood in front of the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education to speak out against changes to the district’s program for students with autism.

Over the summer she was notified by I-SS that her son would be attending NB Mills Elementary School during the 2024-2025 school year, which started August 1.

“I received a letter three weeks prior to when school was supposed to start,” Ford stated, adding that the letter was dated July 10.

“The letter is telling you that your child who can’t communicate, who has already experienced extreme emotional distress, is being moved to yet another school,” she explained.

The letter stated:

“We occasionally have to move classrooms for a variety of reasons. In this case, it is to reduce bus ride times, increase administrative support and to increase student capacity. I understand that this change may raise some concerns for you and your child. Most notably, NB Mills is on a year-round schedule. Most families prefer this model but I understand it may create challenges for some.”

In an interview, Ford said that she and other district parents of children with autism would have preferred a meeting so that they could talk about the changes in person.

Ford called the district and complained about the changes. I-SS officials told her that Landon had to transfer to NB Mills or could remain at Cool Spring Elementary as long as she provided transportation, Ford said.

Because NB Mills Elementary is on a year-round calendar, she opted to transport him to Cool Spring.

The change has created a hardship for the family, Ford said.

“Financially, we cannot support it,” she explained. “We weren’t able to pay our rent this month until just yesterday because we had to choose between having money for rent or making sure that our child is able to go to school,” she said.

“It’s devastating as a parent because we’ve basically been left with the choice of either doing what’s best for our child, or being financially stable,” Ford added.

Landon is now in his fourth classroom in less than a year. He was placed in three different classrooms at Sharon Elementary and then started at Cool Spring, where he began to show some progress and the previous year. Transportation was not an issue last year, Ford said.

“They did what they knew to do in his situation, and it just wasn’t effective in Landon’s situation. This is why him remaining at Cool Spring is so crucial for him. He’s already been failed so many times,” she said.

Autism, she explained, is not as simple as a box you check on the school disability form.

“They call it a spectrum for a reason, and I can fully confirm that is true because I have two children who both have a medical and educational diagnosis of autism,” she added.

These children should not be moved around the district repeatedly like it does not affect them, she stressed.

“He needs to be where he can have stability, consistency, and sameness so that he is able to regulate his body’s fight or flight response that it is currently stuck in,” Ford said.

Transportation Challenges

Ford is not alone.

Parent Latoya Stokes said that her son Memphis “is a high functioning autistic kid” that has been moved to Scotts, Shepherd, Cool Spring and now NB Mills elementary schools.

“I have not been asked one time if I want to move,” Stokes said. “I don’t like NB Mills. I’m not saying it’s a bad school.”

Stokes describes her son as “happy, bubbly, funny, caring and a sweet person.”

“He cares about other people’s feelings and he’s all around a good kid,” she said. “I will continue to speak up for him. He says everyday he misses his old school.”

According to Stokes, Memphis was thriving at Cool Spring and loved it. She isn’t convinced that NB Mills is the best place for her son and doesn’t like being on a year-round schedule and worries about the perception of the school in the community. Additionally, she has concerns about bus transportation.

“Why, all of a sudden, is it a problem for the bus to pick him up at our doorstop?” she said. “I had a kidney transplant Super Bowl Sunday and have to be in Winston on some mornings. I live with my grandparents and they can’t get him up the road.”

Stokes also worries about her son’s safety after school because he’s dropped off at a community bus stop.

“There aren’t any sidewalks and how does the bus driver know that it’s me waiting for him at the end of the road?” she asked. “It can be easy for him to get distracted.”

Another mom, Stephanie Gardner, has an autistic son that attends Cool Spring.

She provides transportation for him and will continue to do so.

“My son is making such good progress. He’s come out of his social shell and he’s in highlights as well,” Gardner said. “Another school for next year or the year after that and the year after that — that can’t happen to my son. He will regress. He will go backwards.”

She asked the district to stop moving the children with special needs around to different schools.

“You need to put in mind the parent and how they feel. We deal with this on a daily basis. We know our children and know what they are able to do and not do,” she said.

Gardner said she is advocating for her son so that she can keep him at Cool Spring for the rest of his elementary school years.

‘We should have done a better job’

I-SS Superintendent Jeff James said that he will be the first to admit when the district has messed up. He said that the letter sent out over the summer, which detailed the change of school for children with special needs, should have been handled differently.

“We should have done a better job of telling parents upfront. We should have done a better job letting them know about the changes and what it meant for their child,” James said.

The superintendent explained that Cool Spring Elementary had two specialized autism classrooms.

“These were district classrooms that placed additional demands on all staff,” he said.

Cool Spring did not qualify for an assistant principal from the state budget and the decision was made after one of the two teachers who specialize in autism education resigned.

“The district AU class was put at a closer school that had space for growth and administrative support,” he said. “NB Mills is the only school with additional support staff funded through federal and state dollars.”

“Many factors go into moving a class, but the foremost is to prevent longer bus times and serve special needs students as close to their residence as possible. These classroom rooms are centralized where we can provide adequate support,” he added.

James emphasized that he wants every student to be successful both in school and in life. He said that he started out in an autism classroom as a teacher and will continue to work alongside families to ensure that their students are supported.

The superintendent plans to meet face-to-face with parents this week, along with representatives from the Exceptional Children’s department, transportation and the district’s leadership team to listen and address specific concerns.