After School Special 

The Experiences of Special Needs Children and Their Families in ICCSD Before and After School Programs

Dina Bishara and Laura Crossett
Mental Health, Special Education, and Disability Advocacy Group |
September 2021

This document contains personal accounts of families’ experiences attempting equal access for their children in before and after-school programs, or BASPs, in the Iowa City Community School District. Children who need specialized supports or accommodations based upon their disabilities often are not adequately supported, or they are simply not accepted into these BASPs. This contains testimony of families recounting some of the barriers they have faced.

“The Interagency Agreement paints a portrait of BASPs that is truly open, inclusive, and
supportive of all children. The reality for the parents of children with special needs, however, is quite different. We present below the stories of some of the many special needs children in our district with its BASPs. From children who were bullied or neglected, parents who had to take on extra jobs in order to pay for aides that a BASP required, and children who were simply kicked out of programs, leaving parents scrambling to find and pay for after school childcare, many special needs kids have a very different experience than their peers, and their families face additional and undue burdens. These are some of their stories.”

Access the document here –  After School Special