UPDATE: Ohio Mom Jailed for Lying About Kids' School Residency - UPDATE!!

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184,000 Change.org members believe Kelley Williams-Bolar is a loving mother who wants to provide the best future for her children -- not a felon for sending her kids to a safer school district. Ohio Governor John Kasich agrees, and yesterday reduced Kelley’s felony convictions to misdemeanors, a life-changing and rare move that you made happen.

We don't need to tell you that it feels good to win -- to have contributed to a positive change in someone’s life through this campaign (or say, through the campaign 122,000 Change.org members just won to pause a foreclosure on PFC Aaron Collette's "safe zone" -- his father's house -- while he's on leave from Iraq). But what's it like to be at the helm?  To be the creator of your own campaign to change your world? 

Start your own petition at Change.org and see how easy it is to make change happen.

Kelley's campaign was started by Caitlin Lord, a Change.org member and a single mom like Kelley, in Massachusetts. She had never met Kelley but heard her story and wanted to help. She found tips, tools and other support at Change.org to build a mini-movement behind Kelley. A movement of 184,000 Change.org members who also wanted to help, and signed Caitlin’s petition and teamed up with our friends at ColorOfChange.org to flood Gov. Kasich's office with phone calls. 

In the end, Gov. Kasich said "the penalty was excessive for the offense" -- exactly your message to him all along. Today, Kelley is again free to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher and to be with her two daughters. Her world has changed.  

What will you change in your world? Start a petition today at Change.org. 

Thanks for being a change-maker,

Patrick and the Change.org team


Previous Post:
This case has upset me so much! I can't even begin to explain all the reasons why right now.  Except to say... How about the school district and the state to allow Quality education to those who Want it and instead of punising parents who care, how about punish the parents who don't care about their childrens' futures!!

If your children have had a quality education, please remember that not all parents have that option for their children. I had to move to a different state, giving up a house in my own hometown, friends and a job that I loved, in order to get my son an education. Long story... that some of you already know of course.

I will be writing more on this subject very soon!  For now, if you haven't already, go to the link and read the full story... including 'some' of the 4332 comments already posted underneath.  Unbelievable and senseless courtcase in my opinion!

I'm sure not perfect...

Everyone has been very kind with their comments about my post and on my parenting. Those comments bring me worth and encouragement. But I also cringe because I made a lot of mistakes too.

Although I feel I have done my best under extreme stress at times, I am FAR from perfect. I used to be a highly emotional person with a lot of damage from my own childhood to overcome. Then there's the damage from my adult relationships that I am still healing from.

I listen to the stories of my new friends on here and see the difference a happy committed couple of parents can truly make when raising children. Especially when you have a special needs child and dealing with schools, teachers and even family.

In my own situation, I not only dealt with most of it on my own, but worst than that, was fighting with my own spouse on 'our' son's diagnosis and needs. We fought about everything. From whose fault it was to what he could and could not control. It was horribly stressful on all my sons and myself. It took me a long time to forgive myself for allowing that.

I have so many regrets! I still feel horribly guilty for what my sons' witnesses and listened to. Especially my special needs son who knew we fought about him. I wished so much for my spouse to be supportive and for us to work together for your son. Unfortunately that never happened.

I have since forgiven him and I'm sure he sees things very differently now. He is back in our son's life and that means so much to him. I am glad that we get along now although I am still a single parent and carry all the stress. At least I feel that other people finally see my son like I do. Smart and a great young man! Finally!!

Anyone Can Learn!

I believe that anyone can learn if given the proper environment and tools they need. I also feel that everyone can improve their social skills if given the opportunities, examples and support in social situations.

My own son, with Asperger Syndrome, has come further than any doctor or teacher in his past, ever thought he would. When he finally received the proper diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome at the age of 11, I was told by the pediatric specialist that he may never care about other people’s feelings, come out of his own world or learn. She was probably preparing me for the worst… but I didn’t want to hear it.

There have been numerous teachers in my son’s past who never thought he he could learn, let alone graduate high school let alone go to college. That was event when he was isolated 7th through 9th grades. Just minimal school work with an aid in a small private room every day. No regular classes to learn in and no high school credits.

Even in the high school that finally gave him the tools, understanding and encouragement to learn, few thought he would accomplish all that he has. Despite any personal opinions, everyone still gave him the help, resources, regular classes and education that they gave every other student. They never gave up on my son learning!

However, every once in a while, I would get wind of a negative comment made by a staff member at school and my ‘momma’ claws would come out. I didn’t want anyone working with my son to have an attitude that he could not learn or succeed. Or even more, I didn’t want anyone talking about my son behind ‘our’ backs and causing negative attitudes to effect how he was treated. I had seen that happen at his previous school. Of course now, he is a Hugh success story and I would hope no one there doubts he can learn or his future anymore!

I always knew he was smart and could learn. That he just needed the tools, or assistive technology in his case, along with the understanding of the anxiety associated with Asperger Syndrome. My son needed understanding and the confidence to learn and was lucky enough to finally find an awesome school with incredible teachers and staff that truly believed that everyone can learn!
http://www.velvetoversteel.com/

What wrong with my Son Part? II

My youngest son had obvious developmental delays from being 10 weeks premature. Doctors and teachers thought he had many other things wrong with him, such as ADHD and OCD. He was finally seen by a specialist at University of Nebraska’s Munroe-Meyer’s Institute. That is when he got a correct diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome at the age of 11.

I had my son in speech therapy at age 2, because he didn’t talk yet. He went to a special education pre-school in a town 15 miles away at age 3. He started kindergarten at his home school at age 5. At age 7 we were told there was a better school for him about 40 miles away. It wasn’t. In fact it was a horrible school that treated every child as though the only reason they were behind was because they didn’t want to learn and had behavior problems. It was more like a juvenile detention center for ‘elementary’ children, than a place of learning.

Children with learning disabilities can learn, they just learn differently or need extra help. It was not the right place for my son and certainly not the environment that was going to help him in any way. I pulled him out and caused uproar; evidently no parent had done that before then. Oh and I may have told the administration what I thought.

I found another private school for my son and he thrived for about 1 ½ years there. However the last six months there were internal upheaval with the administration and teachers. That caused the school to came into financial problems and closed. The director that had left six months earlier started her own tutoring business for kids who learned differently. Special individualized reading and writing programs that focused on how each child learned. The concept worked, but it was only an hour or two a day, so my son went back to his primary school the rest of the day.

The principle and teachers were very nice and welcomed Brandon back very warmly. By now he was in the middle of 5th grade and back in regular classes. Still very far behind the rest of his peers, he at least was getting some social exposure. This is the same time when Brandon received the diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome. The school and I finally had an answer and some resources to work with.

Asperger Syndrome explained the lack in social skills and the extremely high anxiety. It also somewhat explained his unique IQ. Math and anything ‘non-verbal’ came very easy for Brandon. He could do 8 part math in his head and he could build incredible creations with just about anything. However, reading and writing were Hugh struggles. Reading was extremely difficult even with the private tutoring. Writing took him 10 times longer than the rest of kids his age so he avoided it at all cost.

Finding ways to motivate him, while keeping his anxiety under control, was very challenging for everyone involved. We all worked together his last year and a half at the elementary school and I felt he made progress. I also felt that people truly cared about him there and learned about Asperger Syndrome in order to help him learn.

Then it was time to go to the junior high school, on the other side of the football field in our small town. That’s where everything changed and I’m afraid not for the better. It was a horrible 3 years going backwards again………………….

http://www.velvetoversteel.blogspot.com/