To all petition signers, 

I want to bring your attention to the recent board press conference on the use of de-escalation room at McAuliffe International Schools.  Here I would like to present you with you a letter sent by a parent whose child used the de-escalation room at McAuliffe during 2022/2023.  It is important that all of us review the in person experience of this facility from a parent with a child with first hand experience to ensure we don't fall for the political agenda behind the information presented by the board members as this parent pointed out (this is kept annoymously to protect the child): 

"To Whom It May Concern,
I was recently made aware that the article concerning the de-escalation room at
McAuliffe was referring to situations involving only two children, one of those being my son (who happens to be white). I am incredibly upset with the DPS superintendent and school board for using my son’s challenging situation, without even consulting me for confirmation of stated details or information about our experience at McAuliffe.

Our son has battled with emotional dysregulation his entire life as a result of multiple medical and developmental diagnoses. He is a funny, loving and inquisitive boy with an occasional tendency to escalate quickly and intensely in certain situations, unfortunately becoming physical, which could place himself and others at risk. He hates feeling out of control, and when this happens, he appreciates having this designated space to de-escalate and eventually return to feeling “himself”. He is capable of providing details of events when I am not
there and he has never made a negative comment about this safe space or the staff members who have helped him there (with physical support when necessary) when he needs it.

My son requires use of this room infrequently, and each time he does, I am contacted by phone, both during the episode and after he has calmed and resumed his day. I can tell you the staff members have only shown us support, compassion and empathy, and they listen to my son’s request to be alone in the room with the door closed. They have always provided supervision through the window of the door to ensure his safety.

As a parent of a child with challenges that are heart-wrenching at times, to be part of our neighborhood school and greater community means the world to us. What is our alternative? To keep him sheltered because of occasional escalations that are handled in a way he prefers, which keeps him safe? We’ve worked with a team of professionals to meet various goals throughout his life and his progress is nothing short of amazing. Our son is a happy guy who appreciates the little things in life more than most people we know. Nonetheless, we take all of
this very seriously and our hard work continues.

Our family only has the most positive things to say about McAuliffe and all of the staff members supporting our son. In addition to going above and beyond for him on a daily basis, they make him feel valued and loved for the unique individual he is. I wish DPS would have taken a moment to reach out to us to learn about our situation before using it in their political agenda against the school."

Petition Organizer, 

Eve Chen