5446 RUTHERFORD PLACE, Oviedo, FL 32765

Parents should not have to become experts in documentation, IEP law, complaint procedures, and escalation simply to feel confident that their child's needs are being appropriately addressed.As the parent of a nonverbal autistic child with an IEP, my experience with Evans has been difficult. Concerns regarding my son's safety, transitions, communication, and IEP implementation eventually became what I felt was an unnecessarily adversarial relationship with school leadership, particularly Principal Pam Gamble.Transparency became a major concern. I wanted to record important meetings so there would be an accurate account of what was discussed, but she objected. When trust has already deteriorated, I believe more transparency—not less—is necessary.I eventually filed a formal state special-education complaint. The investigation did not agree with every concern I raised, but it did find that certain accommodations in my son's IEP had not been consistently implemented.My son is nonverbal. When behavior occurs, simply documenting that he was “aggressive” isn't enough. We need to understand what happened before the behavior, what triggered it, and what support he needs before reaching that point.I do want to give credit where it is due. We decided to give Evans another chance this school year, and so far I have seen improvements. The ESE classroom has additional support, familiar staff have consistently helped with his arrival, and his current classroom staff appear to genuinely be trying. Communication regarding his behavior has also begun improving after addressing it through writing. My biggest concern remains the culture surrounding parent advocacy. Parents asking questions, requesting documentation, or disagreeing with the school should not become adversaries. We should be on the same team.I sincerely hope our experience improves and that I can eventually update this review positively. For now, however, I cannot recommend Evans to families of children with significant special-education or communication needs without strongly encouraging them to stay involved, understand their child's IEP, and document important communication.