A Walnut Grove Elementary parent filed a report with the Missouri Department of Education in late October after learning his special needs daughter's kindergarten class has not been allowed outside for recess all year and his daughter had not received most of her I.E.P., or specialized instructions, minutes.
Jake Bain, a social worker and founder of a Ferguson LGBTQ nonprofit, said his child's class was being taught by paraprofessionals and a substitute teacher and was also missing their P.E. classes. After addressing his concerns in a post on Facebook on October 22nd, Bain said his daughter's class began to go outside for recess.
"My daughter's really smart," Bain said. " And if she's seeing other kids be able to go outside and go on the playground and she's not ale to, that's got to, you know, that can't feel good for her and I'm sure other kids see it too."
Bain said he repeatedly reached out to Walnut Grove Elementary about the missing I.E.P. minutes but never heard back -- which led him to file a report with the Missouri Department of Education. Federal law mandates schools respond to those types of requests.
The response from the the Ferguson-Florissant School District reads: "We are aware of concerns raised by a family at one of our elementary schools and are working closely with Special School District (SSD) to address them. We understand how important it is for families to feel confident that their children are receiving the support and services they need. We take all concerns seriously and remain committed to listening to families, addressing concerns, and supporting the success and well-being of every student."
The response from the Special School District reads: "SSD is aware of the concerns and is working with Ferguson-Florissant leadership to address them. We take concerns about student services seriously and value collaboration with families and school teams. To protect student privacy, we cannot discuss individual circumstances."
The Missouri Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment.
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Concerns allege a special education student was not allowed to go outside for recess and did not receive specialized instruction time.
Concerns allege a special education student was not allowed to go outside for recess and did not receive specialized instruction time.
