Change.org Petition: Let this student with Downs play - Justice for Special needs student to be apart of Band

Jakobie Richardson is a high school student with Downs syndrome, a passion for band, and an infectious enthusiasm that his fellow students love him for. But his school administration has fought him every step of the way to keep him from participating in his favorite activity. Jakobie’s mom had to send tapes of Jakobie practicing just to convince the band director to let him join. But now, after the band director changed, the school is trying to bar Jakobie from participating again. Sign his mom’s petition to help her make sure her son gets the same opportunities as his fellow students. Justice for Special needs student to be apart of Band 2,979 have signed Kristie VanZandt’s petition. Let’s get to 5,000!

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I have a son (Jakobie Richardson) who is diagnosed with Downs but also has a gift and love for Music, especially the Percussions. Our journey started only a couple of years ago trying to gain permission form Klein School District so that he could be a part of the Band which he has loved watching over the years through his older brother playing Football for the district. Jakobie studied the Band and soaked up the routine like a sponge, spending his days at home practicing the routine and the music. The past couple of years I solicited the ARD department to see if he could be a part of the Band, sending videos of him doing the same routine that the other students did everyday with practice at the school. At first, I was told it couldn’t happen because students that are in the program must be able to read music, but the videos showed that through Jakobie observing and mimicking the routine that he could in fact be successful in the program. The band teacher eventually agreed to let him in the program but only at a basic level, he was able to come to the games the first year and observe the other children playing. We cooperated with this for a short while, but I had to go back and explain to them that just simply being a bystander was torture for my son who loves to play. I bought him a harness and a drum of his own so that he could at least perfect the gift that God gave him until I could possibly get the district to allow him to be involved at a higher level (the same as the other children). The second year the band teacher agreed to allow him to be a part of the band with a drum top and standing with the other percussionist in the stands and being a part of the drumline at half time. The band teacher also agreed to spend time with him in his first period class showing him how to read the notes and the rhythm’s and he succeeded and mastered a lot in this short time frame. I was very grateful for him but unfortunately, he left the school at the end of the past year and Jakobie also graduated the 12th grade as well but would be continuing to attend school in the Transitional program. At the end of the school year last year, I requested a meeting with the Principal of his High School because I was told that the ARD department could not make the decision for Jakobie to continue to be a part of the band. In our conversation I was asked by the principal "what were mine and Jakobie’s goals by being a part of the Band" My response was that Jakobie would like to attend College at Texas A&M in their Achieve program and hopefully be able to be one of the first students with Downs to be a part of a college band. I was told that they would investigate it with the new Band teacher and get back with me, but school started, and I was never reached out to and had to start reaching out multiple times in order to get a response from the principal and never got a response from the band teacher still to this day. I was eventually responded to by the principal and was told that Jakobie could no longer be a part of the band since the transitional program is designed to teach them life skills and get them ready to work. At last year’s ARD I told everyone that our hope was for Jakobie to continue to gain the academic progress in reading and math which is also a requirement for him to get approved to attend. I was also pushed back on this and told that they really do not incorporate the reading aspect, but they could maybe spend 30 minutes with him daily to help achieve the goal but to be honest I am not even sure they are really doing this. Jakobies transitional class is also on the band hall which make it even harder for him every day knowing that he wants to be apart of it still but was told no. It is like torture for him. My response to their decision is this -why is the transitional program for special needs students only targeted to these two areas and why can’t they have the same transitional opportunities offered to other students that go on to college with Scholarships to play in band or other extracurricular areas beside just educational scholarships? Why are the programs for our special needs kids not designed and specific to each individual student based on what their goals are?  I do not think I am asking the district for too much for him to be apart of band still while in the transitional program, he doesn’t need an aide to guide him, the other students love him so much that they help him without even being directed to. Jakobie being absent from the program does not only affect him but also the others that he interacts with in band and everyone at the games that get to be apart of his enthusiasm he brings to the experience. All I am asking is for him to continue to do what he has done in the past years minus the individual time that the other band teacher was able to bless him with. This is a choice that the school can make and I believe is just choosing not to because they do not want to be bothered outside their normal comfort zone. I am hoping this reaches everyone that is involved and others that apart of the decision making team and it will soften their hearts and open their eyes to what they are not allowing for my son that is directly impacting his and others dreams and gifts within the special needs sectors in public schools.  If you agree and have a love for our special needs kids in this world, would you please consider signing this petition that I will be presenting to the school so that my son can continue to grow his gift and be apart of what he loves.I believe all students no matter their disability should be offered the same opportunities as any other student, and I hope this will also open paths for other parents that are struggling in this area with School districts and gaining opportunities for their children outside of the transitional program guidelines if desired.

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