I am posting this for a member in Orange County.

http://www.chapelhillnews.com/155/story/3514.html

School system fails some autistic kids

I am the grandmother of a young boy with autism who is in the
Exceptional Children's program in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City
Schools (CHCCS).
I am dismayed over the lack of services the CHCCS provides these
children. Under federal law, these children are entitled to a free
and appropriate education until they are 21. But here in Chapel
Hill, "appropriate" seems to be a matter of interpretation. School
officials and personnel have appeared to give as little as possible
to these children, stonewalling parents at every step of the
bureaucratic process.

I have personally witnessed the mental anguish and stress that my
daughter and her husband have had as a result of this uncooperative
academic atmosphere. Having a child with autism is a very demanding
parental responsibility in the home. Add to that an unresponsive
special-education department and the stress level increases.

Many studies have shown that there are methods for educating children
with autism, which help them to become functioning members of
society. But the powers that be in the CHCCS EC Department have
repeatedly failed to provide such methods.

Each of these exceptional children is entitled to an individual
education plan (IEP), which must be reviewed and adjusted every year.
My daughter and her husband spend countless hours working on this
plan. They then meet with school officials to agree on the plan, and
every year it seems to be a battle. In some cases here, parents have
had to hire lawyers and specialized consultants to back them up when
presenting their IEP.

My sincere hope is that the current unhealthy and combative
atmosphere of school officials "against" parents of children with
autism changes. It can't happen soon enough for my family! -- Melody
Gabriel, Vero Beach, Fla.