Editor, Gazette-Journal:

I recently attended the second of two meetings regarding my son’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) at Lee-Jackson School. My son has special needs and has been having a difficult time since September 2013. I could not understand why, since he had been doing fairly well the previous year.

At a meeting held after three months of problems, I learned that he had not been receiving the support services agreed upon and mandated by his IEP from September until November 2013. This lack of support resulted in behavioral issues and subsequently, in his removal from the general education classroom and return to the self-contained classroom due to the removal of his previous support system.

Mathews County Schools have lost a number of teachers and paraprofessionals due to the decreased funding, beginning in Washington and trickling down through Richmond. However, the Special Education support staff has been hit quite hard.

This decrease in staffing is unfortun...