Frankie's Right to Education!

My  friend Dawn has been in the court system with her son's school district for 3 years now.  They are refusing to provide her son, Frankie, with a proper education due to his special needs. Frankie was diagnosed with Mental Retardation at age 3, and Autism at age 5. Dawn, first noticed there was something different about him when he was seven months old. Since that time she has enrolled him in therapies to help with his deficits.  Frankie was not able to walk, talk or eat until he was much older. He was not able to able to participate in a typical daycare, and was placed in special  education day care.  At age 6 he transitioned to the elementary school where he stayed for two years, in a classroom with 10 kids and 2 teachers. For his third year of Elementary School the school placed Frankie in a regular classrom with 27 other children and 1 teacher.  By the end of his 1st week reports came home that Frankie was interrupting the class, blurting out, unable to follow direction, singing, getting up & down from desk, walking around class, not listening, the list went on.  Dawn asked the school district to provide a teacher's aid for Frankie, but she was told by the district that was too expensive. Frankie regressed to the point where he was no longer able to hold a pencil, unable to stay focused in the classroom, and was crying every day, saying teachers yelled at him. He was unable to sleep and was having bathroom accidents, coming home with soiled pants.  Dawn continued to go to his school and beg for help. The school district no longer offered the learning support classrooms. By the time Frankie was three quarters of the way through this third year of elementary school, he was a broken little boy. He could no longer count, hold a pencil, read or do simple math, all tasks he had previously been able to master with appropriate help.  When the year was finally over, she removed her son from the public school system and didn't look back.  

Dawn found a small school that works only with kids and their special needs.  The Stratford Friends School is a school for children who learn differently. His transformation has been amazing. Frankie has been with the school for 3 years now and has regained all he lost during his time in public school.
Dawn has asked her school district to assist with her payments for the private school.  The school district refused.  Three years ago Dawn took the school district to court over this matter, and the district has fought her all the way to the third circuit court of appeals, where her case now sits for an undetermined period of time.  Since the school district refuses to assist with her son’s special education, she has borrowed $25,000 a year for the past 3 years.

Frankie is now 11 and Dawn needs to pay the school again, $25,000.  Stratford has helped Frankie in so many ways. Frankie has grown into a happy, compassionate young man with a great sense of humor and a love for animals. I wish I could do more for Dawn and that is why I’ve created this site. She has worked so hard to provide the appropriate education for Frankie. Dawn could use our help now more than ever. She has exhausted every resource  to pay for her son's education.  Dawn has dedicated the past 11 years to her son.  Please help in my cause to help Frankie stay in this school as long as possible. Even the smallest donation could make the biggest difference for her son’s education and development.