Keep Kiera in School!

Kiera is diagnosed with cerebral palsy and autism, her mobility is severely restricted, as is her communication, she is confined to a wheelchair and reliant on communication devices to express her needs, she has received intensive special education services since the first year of her life, which will likely continue for the entirety of her education.

On November 18, Kiera's school district will refuse her access to her special day class for moderately and severely disabled students and insist she remain in her home, cut off from from her peers and staff, including her one on one aide, whom she has come to trust and rely on for hours of therapy and educational services daily.

The school district has chosen to exclude Kiera not based on her needs, but her immunization status.

The district has labeled Kiera as a “safety” threat to other students, despite acknowledging that all of the students in her class are fully immunized, a class she has been enrolled and made progress in for the past two years.

A change in staff or environment for Kiera is detrimental - when her trusted adults and routine are not consistent, she expresses her anxiety by injuring herself, biting her hands and arms.

This unexpected change will also have a socioeconomic impact on her family, who must find a way to care and provide an education for their daughter on a daily basis in their home, without proper equipment, accessibility or professional staff, which was previously provided at school.

Concerned that their child and other children with exceptional needs in the district will face the same discrimination, her family has hired a lawyer and needs your help to continue their fight. For a family coping with immense medical and educational needs of a severely disabled child, a legal retainer fee of $1,000 plus monthly fees of $500 is insurmountable.

We ask for your donation today on behalf of Kiera, to ensure that no district in California continues to discriminate against the medically fragile children SB277, SB276 and SB714 purport to protect. Will you help us fight disability discrimination and ensure equal educational access for special education students like Kiera?

Meet Kiera:

A 13 year old girl in the 7th who enjoys Disney movies, music (mostly Jack Johnson) and loves water play. Whether taking a "tubby", standing at the sink with help from dad or kneeling in a wading pool, she's always content with water play. She also loves to swing on the adaptive swing at her local park as her parents believe it's a brief respite from the bondage of her condition and allows her to soar for a few moments.