A Texas Mother Says Lorena ISD Failed to Protect Her Disabled Son Despite Repeated Warnings
A Texas mother is speaking out, alleging that Lorena Independent School District failed to protect her severely disabled son despite years of warnings and advocacy.
The mother says her son, who is nonverbal, uses a wheelchair, and has significant cognitive disabilities, attended Lorena ISD as a special education student. After the district declined to create a dedicated middle school classroom, it placed him on a high school campus instead. She says the classroom was not ADA compliant for most of his time there, preventing him from independently accessing sinks or basic facilities.
According to the mother, school staff assigned to her son during the first week lacked training on safe lifting, transfers, and diaper changes.
She says the district never informed her of these gaps. As concerns mounted, she pursued formal channels, including ARD meetings, where the district brought legal counsel. She later hired her own attorney, a process that stretched on for two years.
Through public records requests, the mother learned that staff documented multiple assaults against her son in internal emails. She says the district never disclosed these incidents to her at the time. One final assault prompted her to permanently withdraw her son from the district.
She emphasizes that the other student involved was not to blame and says the district failed to meet that student’s needs as well. The mother believes staff did not follow policy, noting that the student had shown concerning behaviors earlier that day. For more than a year, she had requested a calming or de-escalation space, which the district never provided.
“When I speak up, it’s not negativity,” she says. “It’s lived experience.”
#SpecialEducation #DisabilityRights #TexasSchools #ADACompliance #SchoolSafety #ParentAdvocacy #LorenaISD #ProtectOurKids
