My son was enrolled in the Early Childhood Program at Whittier School in 1986. This was the dark ages of autism, and his diagnosis was something new for the team there. I could see that he wasn’t making progress, but district administrators asserted that “his needs were being met.”
After that meeting, one employee approached me. She told me that she had told her colleagues, “We lied to that family.” That conversation led me to contact the Illinois State Board of Education to arrange for mediation between my family and District 97.
Today I read that employee’s obituary in Wednesday Journal [Viewpoints, July 24]. Kathy Henry, occupational therapist, had courage and cared about her students and families. I thanked her then, and I can thank her publicly now.
Peggy Vicars
Oak Park