Warrior Mom Fights District and Wins
August 15, 2024 | Sharon Sedlar
We wrote about the Mitchell family last month – a years long tale of bureaucratic ball-dropping for a student with special needs. With only 3 weeks left before 8-year-old Brianna is to start 2nd grade, the district stubbornly resisted conversing with, or even responding to, mom Shannon.
When our previous article left off, the district had placed the family in a holding pattern, and the PA Department of Education’s Office for Dispute Resolution’s stated that a “PDE Policy Advisor” would “make contact.”
Over these last 2 weeks, the district did finally offer Brianna two program options. But the family wanted Brianna to attend a different program that they felt offered the one-on-one support previously prescribed, requested, and repeatedly denied. Shannon reported that the school district had declined to offer this particular program, citing that it was not on the “approved list.” Shannon, feeling frustrated, frazzled, rejected, and lost, was mentally and physically sick with worry.
Shannon even reached out to many others over the last three years: legislators, Philadelphia Mayors, City Councilpersons, and Governors. Of all those people, only State Representative Eric Neilson and State Representative Martina White were willing to speak with her last week.
Thankfully, a path has opened for Brianna due to a A Right to Know request shared with Shannon from the Philadelphia school district. It showed that the requested program had in fact been contracted for over $1.1 million in services by the Philadelphia School District as of July 3, 2024. Shannon immediately contacted the involved parties, and her energy (and power) was renewed. Less than a week later, the academy notified Shannon that the school district paperwork had been received, and Brianna was being enrolled in the program. This came as a complete shock and surprise, as Shannon didn’t even know that the district was entertaining her demand.
While this is a major victory for Brianna, Shannon, and the entire Mitchell family, it shouldn’t have been this difficult. It shouldn’t have taken years, meeting after meeting, and attorney representation (to be followed by months of more fighting – with everyone, including their attorney’s office) for this family to receive relief. The PA Department of Education should have fulfilled its duty to offer dispute resolution for this family. The school district could have – and should have – worked with this family far sooner and more transparently instead of putting up roadblocks and excuses.
There are so many lessons (and need to improve list items) to take from this family’s story. But I think the most important one is Shannon never gave up. No one knows their own child better than a parent, and as such no one fought harder for Brianna than her own mother. She never gave up through anger, tears, and denials. Shannon kept pushing, (yes, at times) yelling, fighting, and demanding for what she knew was right for her daughter. Don’t give up fighting for your children when you know what’s right.
“A warrior believes in an end she can’t see and fights for it. A warrior never gives up. A warrior fights for those weaker than herself. It sounds like motherhood to me.”
—Kristin Hannah, “The Four Winds”
