Special needs rights group seeks uniform PIP in Hillsborough schools

TAMPA, Fla. — Project ABA Rights is asking Hillsborough County School Board members to write an official PIP, or Private Instructional Personnel, policy.

They say this will ensure consistency across all Hillsborough County Schools when it comes to students receiving personal therapy while at school, like Applied Behavior Analysis therapy for students diagnosed with autism.

“For us, ABA therapy has been absolutely life changing for my son,” said Tamara Perez, founder of Project ABA Rights. 

Perez’s son Grayson is now 11 years old, in fifth grade, and thriving. She first started Project ABA Rights after seeing how difficult it was advocating for her own son to get the help he needed in school.

“Hillsborough County is the third largest district in the state of Florida, they have over 230 school sites and that is a lot to manage, so I think with a policy in place we can get more consistency across all school sites,” she said.

Perez says right now, depending on the school, the process to get private providers in classrooms can be very difficult for families, and can take a long time to be approved. Perez says a district wide policy would solve that. 

“We’re going to band together again and go speak out at the school board meeting tomorrow and ask the school board to write an official school board policy for private providers in Hillsborough County,” she said.

Colleen Lama owns Lama Pediatric Therapy. Many of her ABA therapists work with their clients in Hillsborough County Schools, including Amy Purcell. 

“Some of the schools have been super accommodating to us, without any issues, and some of them have been accommodating at first, and then they want us out as soon as possible, it depends on the school,” said Purcell.

They both say a countywide policy would help.

“I think it’s really important for them to all be held to the same standard and accountability so that no matter where you’re zoned to go to school you’re able to access that care,” said Lama.

Which is also Perez’s goal—to help make sure all students receive the support they need to succeed, just like Grayson.

“I attribute so much of his success, I don’t know where we would be, he would be a completely different child if we didn’t have his therapist with him at school. I just want parents to have the same opportunity,” she said.

Project ABA Rights will speak during public comment at Tuesday’s school board meeting. 

Hillsborough County Schools issued the following statement: “Our policy is in line with state statute. We have worked with the ABA Rights group to design a process to make access easier. We continue to work with our schools to have uniformity, and when there is an issue, we work to address it.”