This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
by Kevin McCorry for NewsWorks
Change comes, if only incrementally.
Last week I wrote a story highlighting LaTonia Lee’s struggle to ensure that her daughter Christina’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) was being met by the School District of Philadelphia.
Christina’s IEP — a legally binding document — dictates, among other things, that she receive one period per week of speech and language therapy. But Christina’s school, Feltonville School of Arts and Sciences, in North Philadelphia, did not have a speech therapist through the first six weeks of classes, and as a consequence, Christina’s needs remained unfulfilled.
During that time, LaTonia says her daughter struggled both academically and emotionally as Christina became the victim of bullying.
Since the story was published, Christina’s teachers say they’ve been informed that the school will now have a speech therapist for two-and-a-half hours a week.
