Every year, I get one parent call that stays with me. This year's call broke my heart. A parent called for help because her district would not allow her child to participate in graduation ceremonies because he lacked some required credits. Unfortunately, nothing could be done. There were no laws on the books requiring the district to accommodate a special needs student in this situation, and the board wouldn't budge.

Struggling year after year is the norm when your child has a learning disability, and schools are introducing more complex curriculum at earlier ages. This makes it harder for children with special needs to keep up.

Not too long ago, when many of you (and I) were kindergarteners, the goal of that program was school readiness and socialization. Now it is common for kindergarten teachers to expect kids to read at least some before they enroll.

The trend continues as national standards become more stringent. Middle schoolers are studying what used to be high school or junior college concepts such as extracting DNA samples and calculating probability statistics. Some high schools, like this one in Dayton, Ohio, are experimenting with helping students earn associate degrees while attending high school.

Sadly, as a result of all this, students who fail high-stakes testing and other requirements for graduation are sometimes denied diplomas and publicly embarrassed by being excluded from graduation ceremonies.

This can leave parents of LD students scratching their heads and wondering how their children can make it. How can they encourage their children to keep working when the kids know that failure awaits them?

The good news is that with appropriate services and your advocacy, you can make a difference for your child and others.

• Whether your child is a first grader or a high schooler, get involved now. Join up with other parents of special education students and advocate for your child individually and for the group. Organize, meet regularly, and make sure your school board and state education agency recognize your group and its cause.
• Even if things are going well, organize with others. You will need that support network if something goes wrong, to advocate for positive changes, and to keep your kids from being left out of decisions.
• Push for legislation allowing students to participate in graduation ceremonies. Advocate laws for a certificate of participation and no public humiliation in graduation ceremonies. Ann is on her soapbox here....There is absolutely no excuse for school districts humiliating children. These kids deserve recognition for staying with it.
• Start with your local school board. Involve every influential person you know to lobby the board to adopt policies allowing students to participate in ceremonies without public humiliation. If the board won't budge, take the fight to your legislators.

Together, we can change this injustice and make a difference for our children.