Mom fights for son's education

By Jennifer Pierce, NEWS 9

A metro mom is fighting for her son's education.

Julie Noah and her son Mathiew lost their home in Hurricane Katrina and started a new life in Oklahoma. 

But shortly after the move Mathiew started having problems at school.  Noah  said teachers at Mathiew's Mid-Del elementary acted quick and put him in a program for children with emotional and learning difficulties.

"He was getting As and Bs," she said. "He got an award for the most improved student. He carried himself like the child I had before he lost everything."

But just as Mathiew was making progress the family moved to the Oklahoma City School district and Noah said he son's behavior began to change.

"He lashes out," she said. "He locked himself in his closet at school."

Once again Mathiew's teachers and principal at Edgemere elementary are concerned about his emotional problems, Noah said.

His educators even signed off on paperwork that states "he is unable to function with the distractions of regular class," Noah said.

"They've done everything they can for Mathiew," she said.

Noah has filled out all the required district paperwork to put her son in a special learning environment. 

But Noah said nothing on the administrative level has been done and she can't get any answers why action has not been taken.  

"I've just been brushed off and I refused to be brushed off," she said.

District officials did not return call from NEWS 9. After a reporter approached them at their offices they denied an on camera interview and released a statement saying they won't release any information about Mathiew.

Noah said shortly after NEWS 9 visited the district's administrative offices she got a call from the Special Education director.

She was told Mathiew will now see a school counselor once a week, and if that doesn't help, they will put him in a program for children with behavioral difficulties.