School District Administrator Quits Job to Tell Truth About Education Of Special Needs Children
Martina made the decision to put her career on the line. She left that high profile career with the school board to work directly with families of special needs children who were frustrated in their attempts to get the services their children need to learn and thrive.
Santa Cruz, California, April 21, 2015 (Newswire.com) - Martina Sholiton left a high profile, prestigious career in the San Jose School District because she knew something just wasn't right. She worked in the administration of special needs services affecting approximately 6000 children diagnosed with special needs within the area the San Jose School District serves. She felt the department could be proud of what was said on paper about the districts commitment to the educational and social needs of children with special needs - but she started to see that the reality of what families of these children were actually seeing on the ground was quite different.
She began to meet more and more families in crisis, families who felt abandoned by the educational system, families who didn't know where to turn to get help for their kids. Martina began to reflect on how so many of societies most vulnerable children are being undeserved and in some cases even mistreated. She saw far too many examples of school district bureaucrats who were more concerned with covering up mistakes made at the schools or with budget cuts than with ensuring these children got the services they needed. So Martina made the decision to put her career on the line. She left that high profile career with the school board to work directly with families of special needs children who were frustrated in their attempts to get the services their children need to learn and thrive.
Martina is available for interviews in advance of the seminar.
MARTINA , SHOLITON
Martina founded PACES - Parental Advocacy for Children in Exceptional Circumstances - so that she could work directly with those families, helping to guide them through the bureaucracy of special education, the differences between IEPs and 504s in terms of the needs of their children, and the law. Martina educations families on how to be more effective advocates for their children, and she is also available to attend school district meetings with families, evaluate their IEP with an understanding of the law as well as from the perspective of an educator.
On May 23, 2015, at 9am to 1pm, Martina and PACES are holding their second seminar at Vintage Faith Church, 350 Mission Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, for local families of special needs children. Martina will be sharing valuable information, and parents involved with special education will want to know about this unique opportunity for help. Covering important topics including how to prepare yourself and your family for changes in programming, whether your child is moving on to a new school, grade, or program, how to understand the educational jargon you'll hear teachers and school administrators use, what the legal rights of your child are, and how education laws as well as how civil rights disability law may affect your child in the classroom. There will also be an extensive Q&A session where attendees will have the opportunity to ask specific questions about their children's situations. Parents of children who have found themselves being undeserved by the School District will find this seminar of great value.