Letter: Alachua County Public Schools are failing their most vulnerable students

Letter to the editor

DIFFERENT, NOT LESS

Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) are failing their most vulnerable students, those in Exceptional Student Education (ESE). My daughter, Sarah, is living proof. Today, she is segregated at home, not because of her disability, but because of this district’s deception, neglect, and outright violation of the law.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees every child with a disability a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Yet, Alachua County Public Schools has systematically ignored this federal mandate, treating district programs for exceptional children as second-class, while proudly funding and promoting magnet and gifted programs. This is not just negligence, but it is a violation of civil rights.

Federal & State Failures of School Districts

• In Endrew F. v. Douglas County (2017), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that schools must design IEPs “reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances.” My daughter’s regression, suspensions, and academic collapse show ACPS has failed that test.  Endrew F. v. Douglas County 
• In Hillsborough County, the Department of Justice found that denying specialized transportation and even refusing a child with disabilities access to the bus violated Section 504. Yet, Alachua treats district ESE programs as optional, failing to provide transportation guaranteed under IDEA. Justice Department Secures Agreement with Florida School District to Protect Civil Rights of Students with 
• Florida law prohibits seclusion and tightly restricts restraint (F.S. 1003.573, F.A.C. 6A-6.03028). Still, children at Sidney Lanier Center remain institutionalized and segregated, and the teenagers-adult students bake dog treats without the knowledge of many who can become their clients so they can thrive as productive young adults. Yet, under IDEA, even students in self-contained classrooms in regular schools — like my daughter — are entitled to the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), meaning their placement must still allow maximum inclusion with non-disabled peers whenever appropriate. That is exactly the model my daughter needs for real inclusion.  

Political Priorities, Skewed Advocacy

The School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) allocates time and resources to produce an exclusive Support Guide for LGBTQ+ Students Alachua County Public Schools LGBTQ+ Support Guide, an acronym defined in Wikipedia as a political movement, yet has never created a guide, manual, or training for bus drivers, aides, school support officers, and other staff responsible for the daily safety of children with disabilities. Their priorities are clear: politics first, children with special needs last. 

Every month, the school board sends out a newsletter celebrating gifted students, robotics teams, STEM projects, and academic competitions. But nowhere in those glossy announcements do you see the triumphs of children in ESE classrooms. Walk the halls of the district office, and you will find smiling portraits of each board member and a wall lined with photos of CTE’s outstanding students. Yet, where are the faces of the wonderful kids at Sidney Lanier Center, the students who bake dog treats with pride, or the children with special needs who excel in music, art, and even spelling?

The district once used the slogan, “We are committed to the success of every student”. But when the spotlight shines only on the gifted and the politically convenient, and never on the most vulnerable, that slogan becomes nothing more than an insult. And yes, it deeply aggravates me. 

But this situation is even worse. Two board members have maintained their power for years, complicit in this mess. A third openly identifies as an ESE teacher and mother of children with special needs. Her advocacy has been narrowly focused on the LGBTQ+ community, framing children who are still figuring out who they are as part of a political narrative. (See No decision has been made yet on pronouns: School Board directs staff to move forward with LGBTQ+ Support Guide – Alachua Chronicle.) But in doing so, the board forgets something critical: the other children suffer. Children who are not struggling with identity are still children — they lack the maturity and tools to always choose the right words or act without being misinterpreted as bullies. Without proper guidance, they can end up hurting their peers unintentionally or being unfairly labeled. Where is the support guide for them in the SBAC website? By focusing only on one agenda, the board is creating more division instead of true inclusion.

Some of these board members seem to be very upset because of the political shifts last year, to the point of forgetting their role as philanthropic, apolitical educational advocates who serve their district. They focus on social media, expressing happiness over the death of a “MAGA celebrity” or comparing a funeral of a Christian conservative to a political rally, rather than showing genuine interest in providing a decent school board for Alachua County — the county whose voters elected them to advocate for their children. 

With that being said, Alachua County is home to one of the top ten public universities in the United States, yet it operates one of the most inadequate public school systems in the world. This board treats parents as if we are ignorant. For the board’s knowledge, I hold a law degree, an educator’s degree, and a Master’s in Business Administration, and I am currently completing my Master’s in Digital Journalism and Multimedia Storytelling. I have worked with organizations across various parts of the world, gaining an understanding of diverse cultures, societies, and systems. I am familiar with the rules, rights, and responsibilities of a citizen. I am here to fight with the law and the Constitution at my side, to defend the rights our special needs children deserve. I am here as the voice of many parents whose districts like this one have been silenced. I am the centurion, the sentinel, the warrior that the Lord appointed to protect His angel: my daughter Sarah. 

My daughter’s story

This is not just my complaining; it is the story of many parents whose children with disabilities have been silenced.

I moved from Miami to Gainesville, believing this community valued inclusion. For years, Sarah thrived at Littlewood Elementary and later at Kanapaha Middle School, where she earned membership in the National Junior Honor Society in the 2023-2024 school year and the President’s Education Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence in the 2024-2025 school year. This is inclusion, thanks to two extraordinary principals, their assistant principals, staff, and outstanding teachers. 

But now, in her first year of high school, the district misled me. I was told that Sarah could attend her zoned school, Santa Fe High School, because the ESE District Program she previously attended during elementary and middle school was now open. This is supported by her annual IEP and any amendments to it. However, instead, she has been placed in overcrowded classrooms rather than the assigned units with access points that meet the standards, as clearly detailed in her IEP. Her regression over nearly nine weeks has been discouraging. She has been suspended, had multiple absences or early checkouts, and exhibited frustration, biting, and eloping — all behaviors that have been long managed for over a decade through ABA therapy and the immeasurable dedication of her previous teachers and schools. In just over two months, my daughter is once again isolated, one of the more consistent symptoms of autism.  

When I inquired about Sarah’s situation during our last meeting, a district representative stated, “We have the district program at her high school, but your daughter has more needs.” Oh, really? After seven years in district programs with the same accommodations, assessments, IEP, and detailed support, now you “discover” her needs?

Today, Sarah is isolated at home, robbed of her rightful education. I don’t blame the high school because they are as much victims as Sarah is. The district “tossed” a student into an environment where they lack the structure and capable staff to support her. Students have laughed at my daughter; her regression was nearly immediate, and she has been mishandled academically. Today, my Sarah again has that lost look, her vocabulary has diminished, and her anxiety about having me far away has returned. Who the hell do I have to blame for this?

I divorced in 2018, but my journey as the mother of a child with autism began long before that, in 2012, when Sarah was first diagnosed. Since then, I have poured myself into therapies, assessments, caregivers, and endless hours of advocacy, all with one goal: to give her not only a decent life but a happy and dignified one. Sarah is not just a statistic, not just an IEP on paper — she is a human being, a teenager with autism who deserves respect, opportunity, and inclusion. 

Why This Matters

Alachua County Public Schools has a $600 million budget, if I am not mistaken. (See School Board cuts property tax rate, adopts budget – Alachua Chronicle.) For what? Gifted newsletters? PR campaigns? Political agendas? Meanwhile, they are failing to advocate for a truly inclusive environment, and ESE children are sidelined.

Suspending autistic children for behaviors and grading them with Fs caused by a lack of support is not discipline or consequences — it is exclusion. It is a regression. It is a civil rights violation under IDEA, ADA, and Section 504. 

Call to Action

Ironically, I am not just a mother. I am also an employee of the school district, and I know how it operates. By speaking out, I know I will be in the most potent and most dangerous quadrant of the storm — the “dirty side” of a Category 5 hurricane — but hey, I am a Floridian. I know how we overcome the biggest and angriest storms. I will not stay silent. If any parent wishes to join me in demanding accountability, contact me at vailma.roca@me.com. Together, we can take this fight to the state and federal levels, where the law — not discrimination — will prevail.  

For too long, the board has failed our children. They have weaponized race to push DEI agendas while simultaneously segregating students with special needs. It is time to stop bragging about inclusion while practicing exclusion. It is time to stop institutionalizing and start educating. In the past, they tried to cover their failures by blaming “disproportion” and hiding behind the language of race and economics. But their mission backfired — it was never about disparity. It was always more about behavior and the children they chose to push aside. This does not disclose confidential information; it does not violate the code of ethics as an employee. However, it is backed by public records and statistics, as evident in their broadcasted school board meetings and newspaper articles. Nowadays, we have a shortage of teachers and bus drivers, mainly because of the disrespectful and violent students whose parents teach them to be defiant instead of respectful. 

I came to this country more than two decades ago — legally. When I became a United States citizen, I was called to the stage to lead the Pledge of Allegiance in front of everyone else who, like me, was receiving their citizenship. When I received my naturalization certificate, I kissed it and made a promise: “America, I will be an asset, one more leg to your unstoppable and powerful development.”

I come from a family where many have died on the battlefield, giving their lives to defend freedom and sovereignty. Today, I give you my life, my loyalty, and my mission to make you proud of the citizen you accepted into your roster. I am forever grateful that you opened your arms to me — and I will never let you down. I came to give, not to take.

With this declaration, I offer proof to my homeland, to our United States of America, that I am here to serve, to give my all, and to protect our children from neglect, injustice, and evil. 

To the Alachua Chronicle: Thank you for providing me the opportunity to share these truths. My daughter, like many others, deserves more than silence. She deserves justice, dignity, and an education that respects her humanity and the law.

To my coworkers and everyone who has supported my daughter within the Alachua County Public Schools: You know who you are, you know you are not involved in this, and I trust you. Thank you for standing by Sarah as a student, and for supporting me as a mother. 

“The world needs all kinds of minds.” Dr. Temple Grandin. She was diagnosed with autism as a child. Today, she is a professor with a Ph.D., a best-selling author, an animal behaviorist, an international speaker, and an autism self-advocate. 

Vailma Roca-Fernandez, Alachua

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