My name is Alexa Smith, Im an advocate for my son Everett who has a severe speech delay as well as some global delays, in order for my child to catch up to children his age he needs occupational and speech therapy. Everett is not alone in this, there are so many families in Arizona dealing with similar and more severe disabilities and delays with their kids. Long story short Everett’s therapies through the AZEIP program got cut short because of covid. My husband lost his job shortly after and we were at a loss of what we could do for Everett with privatized therapies being as expensive as they are! We got  very lucky and my husband was able to get another job very quickly and we are now able to get Everett the help he needs, and when I say lucky I mean it with every fiber of my being! Seeing your child struggle and not have anyway to help them is something I wouldn’t wish upon anyone! There are so many families in Arizona that are in the exact same situation we were in a couple months ago. I’m starting this petition because I know first hand the urgency and importance of getting these kids back to the therapies they so desperately need! The children of Arizona are being denied in person AZEIP therapies, the longer this goes on the more severe the consequences for these children. Children that are school age are being denied this through delays in school start dates. Let’s rally for these kids and get schools started on time and for full length semesters as well as to get AZEIP to open up in person therapy again so these kids can get back the services they so desperately need! We need to fight for this now and let governor Doug Ducey know that what’s happening is unwarranted and cannot be what the future looks like for our children, no more delays no more closures! Please join me in fighting for not only these kids but for all children in the state of Arizona to be able to get them back to the class room, back to therapy and back to the childhood they deserve!