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Special ed student fights school's plan to graduate her

A special needs student believes the district wants to graduate her to cut off academic services.
Heather Middleton does not want to accept her graduation because she feels she is not ready for college.

BAILEY - An 18-year-old student at Platte Canyon High School was scheduled to graduate on Friday, however she felt that she didn't deserve it and stayed home instead.

"I trusted that school with my education, and they didn't give it to me," Heather Middleton said. "They just played their games and pushed me aside."

Middleton was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, developmental dyslexia and vision impairment.

Last year, Middleton's parents filed a complaint against Platte Canyon School District, citing the school did not make enough effort to get her from a third-grade equivalent reading level to where she can succeed in college.

"They know, and we know that she's not going to be able to function," her father John Middleton said. "There is no way she's going to be able to go to college with a third-grade reading level and fifth-grade math skills."

Middleton's parents cite various shortfalls they believe the school district made throughout her educational career. The lawsuit mentions in her sophomore year, she tested "unsatisfactory in writing, science, and reading" on her CSAP test, but a special-education teacher and a school psychologist told her parents that she just needed to put forth more effort.

"They tried to help me, but it wasn't working," Heather Middleton said. "They didn't change their tactics at all, and they just did the same thing over and over again."

Middleton says the district did finally provide some extra tutoring starting in January, but it was too little, too late.

"If Heather can show that she can learn, and she can read since January 7 of 2015, where has this help been the other nine years since she has been in this school district?" John Middleton said.

Superintendent Jim Valpole did not want to comment except to say that every student approved for graduation has met the district's requirements.

An attorney for the school district says administrators cannot make any additional comments because of privacy issues. But, an administrative law judge recently reviewed the case filed against the school district and dismissed it for lack of proof.

"We're going to file an appeal," John Middleton said.

Read the complainants' closing argument here: http://bit.ly/1d4oB1j.

"I believe they just wanted to graduate her to get her out of the school to where it's not their problem no more," John Middleton said.

The Middletons want the school district to continue to provide academic services until Heather Middleton is college or turns 21, whichever comes first.

Heather Middleton does not just want a piece of paper, she wants her education.

"This is supposed to be a happy day for me. I'm supposed to be graduating. I'm supposed to be going on to college," Heather Middleton said. "I don't know how I'm supposed to be going to college if I can't even read or write."

(KUSA-TV © 2015 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)

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