An Open Letter to the
School Board
by Debi Lewis, Morgantown, WVa, December
5, 2002
Board of Education
Monongalia County Schools
13 South High Street
Morgantown WV 26508
While you have heard from many others recently on the issue of my son
Tucker's attendance at his
neighborhood elementary school, you have not
yet heard from me. There is a very good
reason for that. When I have felt the
need to write to you in the past, and on more than one
occasion, I have never
received a response. Not one.
I had given up on the Monongalia County Board of Education being
anything other than a rubber-stamp body
for whatever practices and policies the
school administration chose to
endorse. After all, there are those among
the school
administration who come from very influential families. How very easy
it must be for you to
close your minds and your hearts – just go with the
flow.
Maybe you've even been able to convince
yourself that what you're implicitly
sanctioning by your silence is for the
best. Or, maybe when you're alone with your
conscience, things are not so well defined.
But something happened today that persuaded
me to give it another shot.
Late this afternoon, my husband took
Tucker's younger brother & sister outside to
play in the snow. That same snow also
prevented Tucker's aides &
therapists from coming today. Thus, I found myself alone with
Tucker. That is a rare event in our
home, which is typically subject to a constant
parade of friends, family,
aides, therapists, respite care, etc.
Confronted with this opportunity, I
couldn't procrastinate any longer. I finally
worked up the courage to tell Tucker about
the hearing officer's decision.
I talked and talked ... and talked and talked and talked. I told him
about the incredible community support for
his struggle. I told him about the 600+
signatures collected on petitions within Monongalia County in
less than one
week. I told him about the letters of support received from as far
away as Oregon, Colorado, and
California. I told him about the hundreds of e-mails
we'd received, including those from the two most
respected special education
experts in the nation. I told him about his dedicated friends,
heroes all, who
spent 11 days and nights chained to a flagpole because they believe in
him. I told him about the middle
school kids who braved the threat of
expulsion to deliver cards & gifts to those protesters. I told him
about the parents
who brought their kids back to Cheat Lake Elementary School after
hours to learn first-hand what was
going on, then came back the next night with
hot chocolate or extra blankets. I told him about the strong
case we presented on his behalf and
of those who came to the hearing in silent
support. Then, I told him that in spite of
it all there were still a few people who
insisted that he must go to school away from his family
and friends, and that unfortunately,
those few people were making the rules.
Finally, I just
ran out of steam. I laid my head on his chest and simply
said, "I'm sorry."
It was at that point that Tucker lifted his arms & gave me a hug. This
child, who the school "experts" would
have you believe lacks any volitional
movement, gave me a hug. This child, who the school "experts"
would have
you believe is unable to communicate
in any meaningful way, expressed himself
quite clearly. This child, who the school
"experts" would have you believe is unable
to understand what's going around him,
displayed extraordinary empathy &
selflessness. Profound? Yes, that is undoubtedly profound! But
not in the way that the school
"experts" would have you believe.
Through my
tears, I eagerly looked around the room for someone – anyone –
in order to exclaim, "Did you
SEE that? Did you?" Of course, we were still
alone. That precious moment was ours alone. I am compelled to
share it with
you, for you have the power to bring about change. Changes in
policy and procedure and
philosophy. Changes long overdue in Monongalia County.
Every parent
should be blessed with a child of such exceptional abilities!
You see, Tucker teaches. He teaches
peace. He teaches acceptance. He teaches
patience. He teaches perseverance, joy, tolerance,
compassion, and strength. He asks
little and gives much. You could learn a lot from
Tucker.
Next week the elementary schools in
Monongalia County Schools celebrate
"Everybody Counts" – a disability awareness
event. Ask yourself why such an
event is even necessary. The kids can smell the hypocrisy.
Which do you think
they will emulate – what is preached, or what is practiced?
You've
been told that you can't afford to educate all children in their
communities? I say you can't afford NOT
to! Which is frugal: The program that
plants the seeds of inequality, or the program that nurtures the
character of tomorrow's leaders? These children will be
policymakers when you reach an age where
remaining in your home or in your community may be
of utmost importance to your
well-being. We will all reap what you sow.
We are challenging you to see past the
bureaucratic double-talk. Improve the
effectiveness of public education by
embracing diversity. Invest in all of our
tomorrows. Teach all children how to live, love, and
learn in harmony –
everyday. That is the ultimate lesson, and it is one that can
only be taught
by example.
With all due respect,
Debi Lewis
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