In March of 2025, the Osceola County School District proposed several changes to the district’s ESE, or Exceptional Student Education, programs, including combining ESE students to at least one home zone school in the area and mixing them into regular classrooms, sparking protest from parents of children who receive ESE services.
ESE programs provide support for students with various conditions, such as autism, hearing & visual impairments, intellectual disabilities, and many others. These ESE students are currently separated within the classroom from ‘regular’ teaching styles and environments. As a part of the proposal, Osceola County Public Schools will begin to include students with disabilities into regular classrooms with students who have no disabilities. In an email sent to NBC’s WESH 2 News. the district states that “[IEP (Individualized Education Program)] “placement” conditions of students are being met which takes precedent over the “location” of where those conditions are met.” This plan aims to help ESE students adapt to and get used to different environments.
Parents of students that utilize ESE argued that by putting the two types of student bodies together, schools would risk neglecting ESE students, who often require more attention and help. A Facebook movement has started amongst the parents calling the change “disgusting” and “likely to make teachers who are already burnt out — and potentially lacking the training to care for students with disabilities — even more stressed and overburdened.” Parents have also argued that the state of Florida promotes school choice, and by being forced to put their child into a regular home zoned school goes against that policy. “To sit here and say that one child who is neurotypical has every opportunity he wants to go to school here in Florida, but my child who is nonverbal and can’t talk does not have that right, I think, is absolutely illegal and disgusting,” said Chis Rios, a parent of an ESE student, during the district board meeting.
As a response to the backlash, the district reassures parents that teachers will have the proper training needed to help ESE students. However, parents maintain that the district is using select words such as “placement” and “location” to make the changes seems as non-detrimental as possible. As of right now, more than 2,700 people have signed a petition against the idea, and parents are anxiously awaiting what the district will rule on.
