Real stories. Real children. Our legislators need to see them.
Sharon Sedlar | June 5, 2025
In a single day last week, I heard from three moms/grandmothers fighting for their kids.
One mom, who is the very definition of warrior mom, is being campaigned against at her own son’s school. Her offense? She’s shedding light on the inadequacies of her child’s school. She’s speaking out for not only her children, but the other children attending. She’s being told that she isn’t “allowed” to speak to other parents while on school grounds. That she’s spreading “misinformation” and “causing trouble.”
In another family, the grandparent is caring for her granddaughter. Immediately being told by the district that alternate schooling was best for the child due to some traumatic past experiences, she was placed in a specialized setting from the outset. When that location no longer suited the family (and teachers), the child was moved to what was considered to be a better (but in actualality an even more unsuitable learning environment). This child cannot learn in this environment with children barking, howling and yelling throughout the day, so the grandmother asks the district if the child can attend district education next year. She is denied. The grandmother is distraught, sobbing, worried for the child whose “childhood is being destroyed by these people.”
And another grandmother relayed the bullying her middle school grandson experienced at the hands of other students where reportedly no adult supervision was present for this student with special needs. She tells me about the bullying that caused this (at the time) non-verbal child to hate school, and the school’s extremely slow, months-long response time. It was only because the family found alternate programming that this child recovered and started learning again.
These stories chronical months or years of broken promises and failure for Pennsylvania’s children. These kids need relief now – and that’s why education alternatives are so important.
Education choice isn’t about dismantling the public education system, but rather disarming its use as a weapon that inflicts life-long harm to many students. You love your school? That’s fantastic!! But no ONE SCHOOL can serve every single child. NONE.
That’s why it’s so important that parents and guardians are able to do what’s right by these children. Families shouldn’t have to wait for kids to be failed and watch the damage happen day after day before schools and administrators “allow” children to escape. I’ve been there. I’ve seen my child come home from school, barely able to function – shell-shocked and exhausted by the energy it took to survive in that school building for. another. day. Many children cannot escape though because they live in the wrong zip code, or their parents don’t make enough money to afford private education. What are those children to do?
For some, cyber charter is the answer. Or home education. Or microschool. For them, it’s the right fit. For them, it’s refuge. For them, it’s life-changing and life-saving.
Parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, friends….if you see a child struggling and parents lost about what they should do or where they should go, we can try to help. And if we can’t help, or the system is limited in some way and cannot help them, then it needs to be changed. And we’re here to ensure that it does.
Last week, Shannon Mitchell (Philly warrior mom) had an amazing quote:
“Change. I want to see change…We’ll continue fight until we see those changes.”
We sure will.