Out of desperation, we searched for help to clear our son from some serious accusation that could affect his education, future, and possible legal action. Thankfully, our family was referred to Ms. Laura Nata with Families Helping Families of Greater New Orleans.
We met with Ms. Nata in person and told her how long Harley had been out of school. She explained to us that because Harley has an IEP he cannot be suspended for more than 10 total days in a school year without the IEP team meeting to decide if the behavior was related to his disability. We then addressed this with the school and they corrected this immediately.
We then provided her with all the information as to what happened to our son and she quickly began to work with us since we were on a time crunch. She gave us a list of things to take care of to prepare for Harley’s MDR. She also explained what “MDR” means (Manifestation Determination Review) and what to expect at the meeting. Thanks to Laura guiding us and clearly explaining to us what we needed to know, I was amazed how smoothly the MDR went. It made all the difference in the world how she explained the process to us compared to what the school committee communicated to us. We never thought we would ever face something like this and the whole encounter was a learning experience for us.
I now know where to locate educational information and when in doubt I know whom to call. Not only did she handle our emergency, but she also took the time to address other areas that we needed to consider regarding transitioning to high school and provided us with resources to help us prepare.
No one will ever know what a relief mentally and physically her help and support has done for us. Because of what FHF mission stands for we have decided to donate monthly to our newly favorite nonprofit FHF of GNO. It is so reassuring to know FHF will be there for us if any problems arise, thanks to Ms. Nata. It is a good thing this type of help is available to parents and individual with disabilities.
With sincere appreciation,
Mr. & Mrs. Labure
