10474 PENDLETON Avenue, Englewood, FL 34224

I enrolled my 6-year-old autistic son at Myakka River Elementary after being assured they had the resources and experience to support him. Unfortunately, our experience has been deeply disappointing and stressful.From the start, the school presented an IEP plan that sounded promising—but they have not followed through with it. My son, who had never been suspended before (and attended school in New Jersey without these issues), has been suspended twice in just five months. His behavior has noticeably changed for the worse since starting here, and he’s picked up habits he never had before.To make matters worse, his original teacher left mid-year, and he's had a substitute in the classroom for a significant portion of the school year. The lack of consistency and support has clearly impacted him.This school claimed they were equipped to support a child with autism, but in our experience, they have not met that standard. It feels like they were more interested in enrollment than in truly meeting his needs.If you're a parent of a neurodivergent child, I strongly urge you to ask hard questions, get everything in writing, and proceed with caution. Our family is now looking into advocacy and legal options to make sure our son's educational rights are respected.