Your IEP
Bestie.

My son was 6 years old. In 1st grade. He was suspended seven times — six of them in just two months.

Here's what made it even harder: I'm a lawyer. I was a teacher. I knew IDEA. I knew the special education process. I knew what the school was supposed to be doing for a child with a disability. And I still had to fight for every single thing.

I cried in parking lots after those meetings. I know what it feels like to walk out of that building wondering what just happened — and whether anyone in that room actually saw your child. The school kept calling it a behavior problem. I knew it was something else. He has autism and ADHD. Nobody was asking why. They were just sending him home.

If it was that hard for me — knowing what I know — I can only imagine what it feels like when you don't have that background. Too many parents are expected to make life-changing decisions for their children without understanding what options exist, what questions to ask, or what their child is actually entitled to.

The school system doesn't have to be this hard. You have more power than you think. And you shouldn't have to figure it out alone. So I decided to use everything I know to help other parents do what I did — and do it faster, with more confidence, and without the parking lot tears.

Because when it comes to our kids, staying quiet is never the right answer.