P.H. turns 17 in September and is a child with autism and mental disorders. In 2019 at the age of 15 P.H. was charged with criminal interference with government property after damaging a classroom chair but harming no one. P.H. has since been ripped from his mother's home and remains in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice. At the time of the incident, P.H. was in a Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Supports (GNETS) setting. While these schools are supposed to help students with emotional regulation, in actuality they serve as a prison prep school in my opinion. At age 6, P.H. was placed on medications and has taken as many as 6 prescribed medications daily to control the symptoms of the disorders. P.H. has been hospitalized for suicidal thoughts on at least two occasions. Despite these desperate cries for help and despite schools being required to perform a psycho-educational every three years in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, an evaluation was not performed for 6 years. Even then, the evaluation was sought only by the mother. Sadly, P.H.'s story is not unusual for students with disabilities.
A complaint for discrimination on the basis of disability has been filed with the US Department of Education-Office of Civil Rights. They have the to power to make the needed changes to our local school systems and provide justice to P.H. and other students with disabilities. If the US Department of Education declines to pursue this case, then disabled students in middle Georgia public school systems will continue to be neglected and/or abused. I care about our students with disabilities and I believe they deserve an education free of discrimination so that they too can become productive citizens. If you agree please sign the petition and show your support for our disabled children like P.H.
