Special Needs Students Need School Choice

Originally published by The Philadelphia Citizen.

Shannon Mitchell will never forget the first words from her nonverbal eight-year-old daughter, Brianna. “Hi, mama,” Briana said after getting off the bus on her first day at her new school. “I love you.”

Before this precious moment, Brianna languished at her Philadelphia district school for several years. Brianna—who was diagnosed with autism when she was 2 years old—needed extra support and resources, such as speech therapy.

But her school couldn’t provide these much-needed services. Instead, her teacher often resorted to sending her to the back of the classroom to play with toys. When Shannon visited the classroom, she noticed Brianna playing by herself while two teacher aides scrolled on their phones.

Read more at The Philadelphia Citizen.