Terrell Gibson never imagined he would be caught in a legal battle just to get his stepdaughter the help she needs for her dyslexia diagnosis.
But after a year of back-and-forth with the Greenville Public School District (GPSD), multiple due process complaints, and charges accusing him of practicing law without a license, Gibson said he’s only fighting for one thing, the right for his stepdaughter to receive dyslexia therapy.
The problem began in 2020 when Gibson’s stepdaughter, EJ, failed all of her subjects in the first grade.
Her family sought answers and received a diagnosis of dyslexia from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
Despite the certified diagnosis, the family faced resistance when they approached the Greenville Public School District to arrange services.
"We gave them the diagnosis, and they told us it wasn’t any good, they said the doctors didn’t know what they were talking about," Gibson said. "They told us she had ADHD instead and blamed us, saying we weren’t educating her properly at home."
Gibson's story is far from unique.
Throughout Mississippi, and across the United States parents of children with dyslexia are often caught in a frustrating loop of rejections, bureaucratic hurdles, and legal battles, as school districts downplay or dismiss legitimate diagnoses, and it’s been going on for decades.
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), schools are required to provide appropriate services for students with disabilities. However, what constitutes appropriate services often leads to disagreements between parents and school districts.
Case after case of parents seeking those appropriate services, and being pushed around by school districts instead, are freely available to read all over the internet on sites like wrightslaw.com, edlawcenter.org, here are just a few: W. B. v. Matula, 67 F.3d. 484 1995, Evans v. Rhinebeck 1996, Cleveland Heights-University Heights v. Sommer Boss 1998, Walczak v. Florida Union Free School Dist. 1998, T. R. v. Kingwood Township (NJ) 2000, Jamie S. v. Milwaukee Public Schools 2001, Knable v. Bexley 2001, Kevin T. v. Elmhurst Comm. School Dist. 2002, Endrew v. Douglas County. 2017, the list goes on and would fill up the newspaper without getting them all into it.
One law firm, Berney & Sang, lists critical cases that set important precedents for burden of proof and the standards of education that must be provided under IDEA.
So the GPSD, like others, are required to conduct their own evaluations for special education services, but in this case, Gibson believes the district intentionally dismissed his stepdaughter's dyslexia diagnosis to avoid offering specialized services.
“If they can get away with not saying she’s dyslexic, they don’t have to provide dyslexia services,” Gibson said. “They wanted to give her an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) based on ADHD, which wouldn’t give her the proper support she needs.”
In their efforts to get EJ the dyslexia therapy she was entitled to, the family filed multiple due process complaints, and eventually, it appeared they had reached an agreement on an IEP.
However, according to Gibson, the school district had electronically forged the mother’s signature, prompting the family to file another complaint.
This time, things took a darker turn.
"They hired a multi-million-dollar law firm to fight us," Gibson said. referring to the high-powered Jackson-based law firm Adams and Reese. "We’ve been fighting this law firm all by ourselves."
In a particularly shocking development, Gibson said the district retaliated against him.
“They filed an injunction on me and told the judge I was practicing law in the school system without a license,” Gibson said. “All because we asked for a dyslexia therapist.”
Mississippi has long struggled to provide adequate dyslexia services to its students.
According to advocates, the state lacks sufficient resources and training for teachers and administrators.
There are currently only about 150 certified dyslexia therapists to serve tens of thousands of students throughout the state.
Mary Austin, a dyslexia therapist in the Leland School District, also highlights the challenges in providing proper services.
While her district has no officially diagnosed dyslexic students, she recognizes the widespread need for dyslexia therapy across Mississippi.
“We were trying to get a grant to establish a program that would serve Leland and the surrounding areas,” Austin said. “But we haven’t been selected yet.”
Austin, who is both a licensed dyslexia therapist and a psychometrist, works to ensure students are properly screened in first grade, as mandated by the Mississippi Department of Education. However, she said that many children likely go undiagnosed because schools often categorize dyslexia under broader terms, such as Specific Learning Disability (SLD).
Gibson explains the way he sees the school district using SLD differently regardless of a diagnosis.
"SLD is a category. It’s just like a folder. It’s not a real medical diagnosis, but dyslexia is a real bona fide and certified medical diagnosis,” Gibson said. “So they say, well, we’re just going to put her under SLD. But once they do that, they don’t have to provide dyslexia services."
The family’s fight has taken a toll on Gibson, but he remains steadfast in his mission. "They made a mistake when they picked this child," Gibson said. “We just want what she’s entitled to under the law.”
According to Gibson at his last court hearing the Judge wanted to appoint EJ an attorney to represent her, but the family objected to that, saying that they, represented EJ, and did not want an appointed council.
A week after the hearing, Gibson said he planned to take the case to the federal level to try for justice.
Soon after making that statement, he followed it up with the news that Lily Moens from the Mississippi Center for Justice (MCJ) reached out to the family offering to assist the family, and is looking into the federal case.
The MCJ is a nonprofit organization trying to ensure everyone in Mississippi has an equal shot at justice, no matter their background.
Moens couldn’t speak about the case but she did say that stronger laws need to be written to provide more options to parents of disabled children.
“Especially those parents who have few options,” Moens said. “If you have a child in Greenville for example, and you need a dyslexia therapist, the law says the parent has the option to go to an adjacent school district that has one or apply for a scholarship.”
The scholarships Moens mentioned are for one of five special education schools in Mississippi, most of which fill up fast every year, and are two or more hours away from Greenville.
Moens said she would assist the family with securing necessary services for their child between the GPSD and the family to guide them through the process and uphold their rights as parents.
Moens, who was a teacher before returning to school to get a degree from Harvard Law said she could see the special education program needed more advocates for the students.
“I wanted to keep working kids,” Moens said. “And that is what I saw that was needed.”
Gibson hopes the exposure of the federal trial will help show others facing similar challenges what can be done.
“If we can get the story out, we can get the help,” Gibson said. “Not just for us, but for other families, too.”
Mississippi’s dyslexia laws remain largely underutilized, with few parents aware of their children’s legal rights.
Advocates are calling for better training for teachers and more support for parents navigating the system.
As Gibson’s legal battle continues, he is hopeful that EJ will finally receive the help she needs. “We just want a fair trial,” Gibson said. “If we can get a fair trial, we can win.”
Everett Chinn, the Public Relations Specialist for the GPSD said the district no comment at this time.
