'AEA lifts us up': 3 testimonials from Iowa families about special education services
Iowa Senate lawmakers last week advanced a proposal from Gov. Kim Reynolds to overhaul the state's Area Education Agency system. The AEAs, as they're more popularly known, facilitate special education services for students and provide other services for educators and school districts. These Iowa families wrote to the Register about concerns that the AEAs' irreplaceable work with them and their family members might be compromised by the governor's plan.
AEA taught us how to parent with Cam's unique needs
Imagine realizing, before your own child is 6 months old, that you have no idea how to parent him. That was our reality, with our youngest son, Cameron. Adopted at birth, we thought we had prepared for everything, but found ourselves in entirely uncharted territory. It was beyond terrifying.
We felt alone, and insufficient to the task, when Cam couldn’t roll over, couldn’t sit up, couldn’t even lift his own head. Private therapy, amazing as it has been, came with many precious months lost to an extensive waiting list; scheduling and availability remains a permanent headache, even here in Des Moines.
Throughout it all, our local AEA has been there for us, serving Cam, following him to school, helping to coordinate his extensive team of miracle workers, and, if I’m being honest, teaching us how to parent a child with unique needs. There are no other kids with Cameron’s genetic difference. He is, as we say, a unicorn. His development, a man-made miracle.
The things Cam needs aren’t found at Target, the bed that keeps him safe at night doesn’t come from Homemakers, his chairs can’t be bought at Walmart. Time and again, AEA lifts us up, helping us navigate a world with no map. They do this for thousands of families, across our state.
I don’t know if the AEA system is efficient or inefficient, effective or ineffective. I only know the miracle it has been to my child. Any reforms need to be properly informed, and narrowly targeted, to protect our most vulnerable. They need certainty.
MORE: AEA services helped me thrive after a stroke at age 2. Now I work for an AEA.
The current proposed changes have been negotiated in cloak-and-dagger fashion, far from the eyes of those most dependent upon this system. Reform, if necessary, must be publicly informed by the districts, administrators, service providers, teachers, and parents, most impacted and best informed. The state should create a commission, including members of each constituent group, tasked with gathering evidence, understanding perspectives, and creating proposals for reforms targeted at areas found to be inefficient or ineffective, while protecting what must be protected. This would be, for the first time, actual transparency in this process.
Kids like Cam don’t vote, and can’t advocate for themselves. Most people don’t see them at all. The quality of their lives are entirely dependent upon leaders keeping them at the center of decision-making. If they are left behind, even amidst the best of intentions, no one will hear their cries.
Christian Fasselius lives in Clive.
More: Kim Reynolds' bill to overhaul AEAs advances in Senate, but House lawmakers balk
Prospect of annual changes is worrisome
As a family, we have a child with disabilities. One parent has served as a school psychologist with Heartland AEA for the past 22 years.
We are vigilantly watching the education bills related to the AEA system and the recent amendments. Our son has both a serious health condition and disabilities that affect his academic, language and social-emotional development. What we look for in services for him is expertise, certainly, but also strong relationships, and stability over time. His school achievement is essential, but so is his quality of life, and that is hugely impacted by his relationships with his providers.
As we review the proposed bills, what we see is a very disjointed, and unstable, system. Districts would decide every year how they would be implementing their special education system, whether through a contract with AEA, their own staff or a private contractor. This could mean changes for our son every year.
If our home district worked through an AEA, decisions about services, staffing and standards would be made by a director in Des Moines, who may have little to no relationship with our home district. How staffing and standards would be maintained and monitored for district-level or private providers is unclear.
Rather than a stable structure with consistent standards and carefully planned and implemented changes, what is proposed is an unstable system, with supervision far removed from our local district. These are sweeping changes, ostensibly to increase achievement on assessment tests, being made with no input from us or understanding of our family, son and district.
Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Legislature need to stop and think. Not just about getting higher scores, but about the quality of our son’s life and the lives of other children with disabilities in Iowa.
Ambre and Steve Grund live in Grimes.
AEA's interventions made it possible for Michelle to thrive
I am writing to express my deep concerns regarding the proposed cuts to the AEAs in our community. As a concerned parent and former school administrator who has personally witnessed the invaluable support and services provided by the AEAs, I believe it is crucial to shed light on the adverse consequences that may arise if these cuts are implemented.
My daughter, Michelle, was born in Waterloo and faced numerous challenges right from birth, including club feet, developmental issues, and significant cognitive challenges. It is only because of the proactive and immediate assistance provided by the AEA that Michelle received the necessary support to thrive and grow until she aged out of the agency’s services at 22 years old.
We experienced the need to relocate frequently due to our careers in the education sector. Despite moving to different areas in the state, each AEA we encountered seamlessly picked up where the previous one left off, ensuring that Michelle's services and support remained of consistent quality. From Waterloo (Central Rivers AEA), to Danville (Great Prairie AEA), Harris Lake Park (Prairie Lakes AEA), Cherokee (Northwest AEA), and finally to College Community School District (Grant Wood AEA). At each location, the Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) supported by the AEAs were instrumental in Michelle's development, particularly in terms of gaining social skills and receiving speech therapy. The services provided by the AEAs were not just exceptional but also interconnected, catering to the diverse and specific needs of my child.
My grave concern with a proposal to change AEA services lies in the practicality and feasibility of attempting to line up all the services currently provided by the AEAs. It is unrealistic to expect parents to shoulder the responsibility of identifying and coordinating these services, which the AEAs consistently and automatically offer. Moreover, this would not only prove to be a cumbersome task for working parents but also run the risk of lacking the seamlessness and cohesion that the AEAs currently provide. The current structure not only supports children like my daughter, who received special education services, but also Michelle’s general education peers who also benefited from resources, interventions and guidance provided by AEA staff.
I urge the legislators to reconsider the proposed changes to the AEAs. These agencies play a fundamental role in providing support that is essential for the growth and development of all children including those with special needs. Reducing the scope of services provided by the AEAs would be detrimental to the well-being and future prospects of countless children and their families.
Our children's education and well-being should remain a top priority, and fast-tracking changes to a system as fundamental as the AEAs is short-sighted and would fail an entire generation of children.
Mick Starcevich lives in Cedar Rapids.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: AEA testimonials: Special education services 'lift us up,' family says
