Twelve-year-old Gloria is a very sweet, caring girl who struggles with a learning disability and anxiety. Though Gloria had difficulty throughout elementary school and her teachers expressed concerns about her academic progress, she was not referred for special education services until the very end of fifth grade, at which point she had fallen significantly behind, especially in math. Along with her academic struggles, Gloria was very anxious about going to school because she was bullied and harassed by some of her peers.

When Gloria and her family were referred to Advocates for Children by another legal services provider, we stepped in and secured a comprehensive evaluation to identify Gloria’s needs. With that evaluation in hand, we advocated for an appropriate Individualized Education Program (IEP) and a class setting where Gloria would have the supports she needed to learn. In addition, we filed an impartial hearing request and successfully secured one-on-one remedial tutoring to help make up for all the years the Department of Education (DOE) failed to identify Gloria as a student with a disability or provide appropriate interventions.

Finally, after she was threatened by some classmates during a field trip, AFC obtained a safety transfer and helped Gloria enroll in a new middle school, where she started seventh grade this past fall. Now that she is in a safe, supportive environment and is finally receiving the services she needs to learn, Gloria is much happier and making progress in school!