What I Learned About Fighting for My Child’s Rights at School
By Tara D. Adamson, CMHC
Tea Time with Tara
There are moments in life that shift your perspective—not as a therapist, but as a parent. This year, I lived through one of them.
I won’t name names here, but I will say this: when my neurodivergent child was failed by their school, I didn’t just feel frustration—I felt fury, heartbreak, and a fire to fight. Because if this could happen to my child, with a parent who is a licensed mental health professional actively advocating from day one, then it can absolutely happen to others.
And it is happening to others.
We Asked for Help. The System Delayed, Denied, and Dismissed.
I disclosed my child’s diagnoses—Autism (Level 1), Anxiety, and ADHD—early in the school year. I requested a 504 Plan. I emailed. I met with administrators. I followed up. I followed protocols. And yet, months later, nothing.
Meanwhile, my child spiraled—failing every class, excluded from classrooms for not having the “right” paperwork, and sent to the office rather than supported. The very systems meant to protect kids like mine ignored the signs and blamed him for struggling.
As a trauma therapist, I see this in clients. As a mom, I lived it in real time.
When You’re Told to Be Quiet, Get Louder
What finally pushed me to speak publicly? The moment I realized that silence only protects broken systems—not the children being failed by them.
I filed formal complaints. I reached out to the State Board. I wrote to the Charter School Board. I began building a paper trail—not because I wanted to, but because I had to. And still, I received a resignation announcement from the school’s leadership before I received any response to my concerns.
This Is What I Want You to Know
If you’re a parent, caregiver, or therapist reading this—you are allowed to demand more. You are allowed to protect your child fiercely and unapologetically.
Here’s what helped me:
- Document everything. Every email, meeting, and phone call. Keep your receipts.
- Use your professional and parental voice. You don’t have to choose one over the other.
- Know the law. Section 504 and the ADA exist to protect kids like ours.
- Ask for help. There are attorneys, advocates, and community allies who want to support you.
- Don’t give up. Schools count on our exhaustion. Don’t give them that power.
We Fight for Our Kids—and the Kids Whose Parents Can’t
This isn’t just about my child. It’s about the countless kids falling through the cracks because schools are under-resourced, overwhelmed, or uninformed—and sometimes, because they just don’t want to deal with “the hard cases.”
But I believe in better. And I believe in us—the parents, the therapists, the educators who show up, even when it’s hard.
If you’re in the middle of your own advocacy story, please know: you’re not alone. Your voice matters. Your fight is valid. And your child is worth every ounce of it.
With love and solidarity,
Tara
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