The Robinsons: When is it MJ’s turn?

Markeese Robinson Jr., or “MJ”, has been waiting for a special needs Education Scholarship Account (ESA) for nearly two years. 

MJ was diagnosed with autism in third grade. When his assigned public school failed to meet his learning needs, MJ’s parents, Kimberly and Markeese Sr., chose to send their son to Canopy School. And while Kimberly and Markeese have seen their son thrive at Canopy, the financial strain on their family to afford the tuition and MJ’s therapies has been enormous. 

“We’ve been through an incredibly difficult journey,” Kimberly said.

Kimberly began to notice signs that something was different with MJ when he was very young.

“Our older daughter talked late so we thought he was just following along with her,” Kimberly said, “but things continued.”

She enrolled her son in the Madison Preschool at age 3 where he was sent for a speech evaluation.

“They came back and said that he had the cognitive level of a one-year-old,” Kimberly said.  “We loved the Madison Preschool.  They were so good for him, and he stayed there for two years.”

Entering the Classroom

When the time came for MJ to go to school, Kimberly and Markeese felt confident with placing MJ in the Madison Schools because they have a reputation of being some of the best in the state. Unfortunately, the family’s experience did not meet their expectations.

“We began to notice that school officials were telling us one thing and writing something different on his IEP (Individualized Education Plan),” Kimberly said.

By the time MJ reached third grade, Kimberly noted, he was in a classroom with a non-certified special education teacher.

“He wasn’t getting what he needed, and it was frustrating,” said Kimberly.  “Our children have value too and a lot of times school officials aren’t willing to recognize that.”

As MJ continued to struggle with little help from the school, Kimberly was becoming angry with the lack of education her child was receiving.

“The school tested him for autism,” she said, “and I wanted every official from the school there for that meeting.”

MJ received an autism ruling from the school district, and Kimberly said his education got even more difficult.

“The school psychometrist said not to put MJ in the self-contained special education classroom because he had potential to learn,” said Kimberly.

MJ was placed in a regular classroom where Kimberly thought MJ was going to get the education he deserved, but that was not the case.  When she visited his classroom to see his presentation on a school project she was crushed.

“We had worked on a project about Barack Obama and when I went into his class to watch the presentation, I couldn’t speak because I was in tears,” Kimberly said with her voice shaking.  “The teacher was letting MJ run around the room and stim.”

Stimming for children with autism is a way for them to manage sensory overload.  Often, it includes repetitive sounds and movements.

“My child was not doing anything, and it was horrible to see,” Kimberly said.  “Two weeks later I set up a tour to visit the Canopy School.”

Finding the Right School

Kimberly knew that her son needed more than he was getting in his assigned school at Madison Crossing Elementary School.

“We toured the Canopy School and loved all that they offered for students like MJ,” she said.  “But our biggest question was how could we afford it.”

The Robinsons have two older children – one in college at Mississippi College and the other graduating high school in Madison this year.

“We learned about the ESA and applied for it because it would be such a huge help to our family,” Kimberly continued.”

Nearly two years into their wait for an ESA, MJ has made tremendous progress at Canopy. Kimberly said the tremendous sacrifice has been worth it, but it is not sustainable long-term for their family.

“The growth he has seen since he started at Canopy is amazing,” Kimberly said.  “They told us that he has seen some of the largest growth of all the students at Canopy.  That is wonderful to see as a parent because he is doing well.  They are pushing him, and he is getting an education and not just sitting in a classroom with a teacher who doesn’t want to deal with him. The Madison schools did not prepare my child.  They said he couldn’t write, but he is writing and doing so much more!”

For the Robinsons, seeing their son thrive is priceless.

“It validates everything we knew about MJ, which was that he could do it,” said Kimberly.  “All he needed was the right environment.”

Financial Strain on the Family

While finding the right setting for MJ has been life changing, it doesn’t come without a cost.  Costs for MJ’s education are nearly $14,000 per year, and that doesn’t include therapies and other medical needs.

“It’s draining because we can’t provide all the therapies MJ needs because we just can’t afford all of it.  I feel like a failure because we have to choose between therapy or school for my son.

“We are going to do whatever it takes to make sure he is in an environment to grow and learn,” said Kimberly, “but forcing us to wait for an ESA makes me so angry.  I’m sitting on a list waiting to be able to use my tax dollars that they have no problem taking from me, but we can’t use them to educate our son.

“If we had the ESA, we could have done so much to help our daughter who is a pre-med major at MC, but we haven’t been able to do that and it’s not right.  When the 16^th of each month rolls around it’s a somber time in our house because it’s tuition day and it’s so hard to make all the ends meet, and our kids know it.”

While the struggle to pay for MJ to attend school is felt by the entire family, Kimberly said she is not willing to send him to public school.

“He deserves more than they are willing to give him,” she said.  “Madison is supposed to be sending a speech therapist to Canopy, but he isn’t getting that from them.  I’m just angry.”

When Is It Our Turn?

For now, the Robinsons continue to wait – hoping they are getting closer to an ESA for their son.

“We keep on praying that we will be next,” said Kimberly.  “Our kids deserve an education just like other kids, but it’s hard for some people to see that. 

“MJ is capable, and I want him to be able to graduate.  His setting may be a little different, but he can do it.  I think the thing I want people to realize is that it may be us today, but it could be your child or your grandchild tomorrow.  We have to do better for our kids.”

Click here to learn more about the ESA waitlist.