18-Year-Old with Apert Syndrome Fighting to Stay in School

Apert Syndrome is in the news. Has a cure for Apert Syndrome been found? No, there's an argument going on about educating someone who has it.

KCTV 5 News out of Olathe, Kansas, has posted an article about an 18-year-old student who doesn't want to leave school even though he has the credits to graduate.

Dustin Villarreal has already been part of a lawsuit filed by his parents back at age three. Because of his appearance the school district didn't treat him as a valid student and the parents brought a civil suit against the school district that they settled by providing a tutor. If we do our math correctly we would discern the suit place about 15 years ago.

The problem is that now Dustin's parents feel that he should be kept another year because he is not ready to take general testing such as the ACT. In other words, they are challenging the "bottom line" work of the school district's program and now want a guarantee Dustin not only can continue to be educated, but will pass tests such as the ACT. They want him better prepared for college.

As you study the article it seems that the school district made a poor judgment call and had to pay the price. After that occurrence it seems they have tried to get Dustin through the school system as quickly as possible.

What is Apert Syndrome?

Apert Syndrome is a condition that is thought to result from early gene mutation. It affects greatly the structure of the face as well as width and depth. Cleft palate is a common occurrence. Surgery is one treatment available.

Dustin's mother, Dee Ann Villarreal believes the school district is just interested in kicking her son out.

One thing that is pretty certain is that she won't be able to get a court to agree to a guarantee of success on the ACT.

There is no question that people are judged based on their appearance. I used to volunteer at an apartment where two very mildly retarded roommates lived together. They had a stereotypical Downs Syndrome look about them but they had great senses of humor, were able to appreciated sports and yes, girls. Yet when we went out to get say a McDonald's burger they were treated like they were 3-years-old.

It would seem that since we spend so much money re-educating kids who don't care, we could afford a few bucks for a family who really does care.

References:

http://www.kctv5.com/education/18589062/detail.html#-

http://www.faces-cranio.org/Disord/Apert.htm