7 YEAR SYSTEMIC COVER UP- DEAF STUDENT SILENCED

PRACTICING AUDIOLOGICAL SERVICES WITHOUT A LICENSE IS ILLEGAL

under R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-48-1

Learn More

7 YEAR SYSTEMIC COVER UP- DEAF STUDENT SILENCED

PRACTICING AUDIOLOGICAL SERVICES WITHOUT A LICENSE IS ILLEGAL

under R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-48-1

Learn More

URGENT: National Crisis in Special Education:

Mother's SEVEN-Year Fight Exposes Systemic Neglect, Segregation of Deaf Students, and Mental Health Emergency for Families: 50 Ignored Complaints, Expired IEP, and a Deaf Child Silenced in Rhode Island; A Blueprint for Failure Repeating in Every State

[Barrington, RI] Sophia Melisaratos, a mother from Rhode Island, today issued a national plea for intervention after a seven-year battle to secure a basic education for her 14-year-old son, E.M., who has profound hearing loss.

Her case reveals a catastrophic, nationwide pattern: the systemic failure to implement the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), leading to the de facto segregation of deaf/hard-of-hearing students and a mental health crisis among exhausted families.

E.M.'s IEP expired in May 2025. For over seven years, the Barrington Public School District has failed to provide the audiology services and hearing assistive technology mandated by his plan. His hearing accommodation plan was buried in a computer folder teachers never open.

His mother has filed over 50 formal complaints with the Rhode Island Department of Education—all ignored. She has escalated to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the FBI, U.S. Senators, and the White House, meeting a "conspiracy of silence."

The National Crisis Exposed: FAPE DENIAL

DEAF DISCRIMINATION EXPOSED:

FAPE Denial as Standard Practice: Non-implementation of IEPs—especially for low-incidence disabilities like deafness—is rampant, turning legal guarantees into empty paperwork.

Segregation by Neglect: By refusing to implement accommodations like ASL services or functional FM systems in mainstream schools, districts effectively push deaf students into isolated placements or leave them in silent, inaccessible classrooms.

The Parent/Child Mental Health Toll: The fight for basic rights triggers severe anxiety, depression, and trauma in both children and parents, a form of system-induced abuse rarely documented.

Accountability Vacuum: State education agencies routinely ignore complaints; federal oversight is absent. The system is designed to be complainant-proof.

SHARE THIS STORY: Justice for Deaf Kids

SYSTEMIC COVER UP OR DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION?

JUSTICE FOR STUDENT, E.M.

1. BARRINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS, RI SLP's Practicing Audiology Without a License: Audiologists require a state license (and often a doctorate, Au.D.). Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) and school nurses are not licensed or trained to:

Service or troubleshoot hearing aids (medical devices).
Perform audiological assessments or programming.
Ensure the proper functioning of FM/HAT (Hearing Assistive Technology) systems in conjunction with personal hearing aids.
Their involvement in these tasks is illegal in most states and a clear violation of professional practice acts.

2. Negligence & Failure to Provide FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education): Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), E.M. has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that mandates the use of these devices. If they are not functioning correctly due to improper servicing, the school is denying him meaningful access to education, which is a violation of federal law.

3. Deceptive Practices & Misrepresentation: Using SLPs and nurses to perform these duties creates a false impression that qualified professionals are managing your child's audiological needs. This deception undermines the ability to make informed decisions about the child's care.

4. Endangering Student Health & Safety: Improper handling of hearing aids can damage these expensive medical devices. More critically, devices. More critically, incorrect settings or malfunctioning devices can lead to:

Inadequate auditory input, causing educational harm.
Discomfort or even physical harm (e.g., feedback damaging residual hearing).
Missing critical auditory information in the classroom.

NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT

"This is not an isolated incident," Melisaratos states. "It is a blueprint. Schools take federal IDEA funds but refuse to provide the services. They wear parents down through bureaucratic delays until families are financially and emotionally bankrupt. My son has protested for 17 days in front of town hall. I have fought until my own health broke. This is a designed outcome: exhaust the family, silence the child." [SM]

THE URGENT DEMANDS:

1. An immediate federal audit of IDEA fund utilization in districts with high non-compliance complaints, starting with Barrington, RI.

2. A U.S. Department of Justice investigation into civil rights violations and disability discrimination under the ADA and Section 504 across multiple states.

3. The creation of a national task force on IEP implementation failure for deaf/hard-of-hearing students.

4. Immediate intervention by the White House Domestic Policy Council to address this emergency.

Justice for Deaf Kids

7 YEAR SYSTEMIC COVER UP- DEAF STUDENT SILENCED

7 YEAR SYSTEMIC COVER UP- DEAF STUDENT SILENCED

URGENT: National Crisis in Special Education:

Mother's SEVEN-Year Fight Exposes Systemic Neglect, Segregation of Deaf Students, and Mental Health Emergency for Families: 50 Ignored Complaints, Expired IEP, and a Deaf Child Silenced in Rhode Island; A Blueprint for Failure Repeating in Every State

Barrington Public Schools, ESSER "Covid Relief Funds"

"Schools wear parents down through bureaucratic delays until families are financially and emotionally bankrupt."

Justice for Deaf Kids

The National Crisis Exposed: FAPE DENIAL

DEAF DISCRIMINATION EXPOSED:

SHARE THIS STORY: Justice for Deaf Kids

SYSTEMIC COVER UP OR DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION?

JUSTICE FOR STUDENT, E.M.

NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT

THE URGENT DEMANDS:

Contact Us For True and Certified Copies of Evidence

BETTER YET- SEND AN EMAIL TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SHARE THIS STORY

7 YEAR SYSTEMIC COVER UP- DEAF STUDENT SILENCED

7 YEAR SYSTEMIC COVER UP- DEAF STUDENT SILENCED

URGENT: National Crisis in Special Education:

Mother's SEVEN-Year Fight Exposes Systemic Neglect, Segregation of Deaf Students, and Mental Health Emergency for Families: 50 Ignored Complaints, Expired IEP, and a Deaf Child Silenced in Rhode Island; A Blueprint for Failure Repeating in Every State

Barrington Public Schools, ESSER "Covid Relief Funds"

"Schools wear parents down through bureaucratic delays until families are financially and emotionally bankrupt."

Justice for Deaf Kids

The National Crisis Exposed: FAPE DENIAL

DEAF DISCRIMINATION EXPOSED:

SHARE THIS STORY: Justice for Deaf Kids

SYSTEMIC COVER UP OR DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION?

JUSTICE FOR STUDENT, E.M.

NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT

THE URGENT DEMANDS:

Contact Us For True and Certified Copies of Evidence

BETTER YET- SEND AN EMAIL TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SHARE THIS STORY

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