Redlands Unified Cuts Could Push Disabled Student Out of Public School

For Desiree and Joe Remillet, Redlands Unified’s budget cuts are not an abstract staffing decision. They could determine whether their disabled 11-year-old son can safely remain in traditional public school.

Maddux Remillet, who will turn 12 in September, was born with spina bifida and achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. He uses a wheelchair and has a history of serious health challenges, including hydrocephalus, a condition that causes fluid buildup around the brain. He has undergone about 16 brain surgeries, his parents said.

But to his family, Maddux is not defined by his diagnoses.

“Maddux has always been such a happy, joyful kid,” Desiree said. “He loves being with friends, being out in the community and being part of whatever is going on.”

Joe said his son has “a certain gravity to him.”

“People are interested in him,” Joe said. “He just has this glow about him that brings people in.”

Maddux loves cars, swimming, playing outside and adaptive baseball through the Challenger Division of Yucaipa American Little League. He also recently finished fifth grade at Mariposa Elementary School and was preparing for the transition to middle school.

His Individualized Education Plan, or IEP, includes a one-to-one licensed vocational nurse paraprofessional, adaptive physical education, occupational therapy, speech therapy and academic accommodations, his parents said. That one-to-one LVN support has been central to his safety, health monitoring and academic progress.

Now, the Remillets say that support has been jeopardized by districtwide cuts.

Redlands Unified trustees in January authorized reductions of up to 138 positions for the 2026-27 school year as the district faced a multimillion-dollar deficit. Public reporting later showed preliminary layoff notices were issued to 60 employees in March, with confirmed May layoffs affecting 43 employees, including special education aides, student health staff, counselors, teachers and student support staff.

The Remillets said they became concerned immediately, even as the district framed the reductions as cuts that would avoid direct classroom impacts.

“The narrative was that they were not going to take anything out of the classroom,” Joe said. “But our concern was, wait a minute, Maddux’s LVN is not only his health care support, but also his educational support. She is classified in this unicorn position.”

In a June 24 email to Inland Empire Community News, Redlands Unified Communications Manager and Public Information Officer Christine Stephens says the district remains committed to serving students with IEPs.

“Redlands Unified School District is committed to ensuring that all students receive the services and supports outlined in their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and required by state and federal law,” Stephens said.

Stephens said personnel allocations are reviewed annually based on enrollment, program needs, funding levels and operational requirements.

“While some positions may be impacted through this process, the District remains responsible for implementing each student’s IEP and ensuring that all required services are provided,” Stephens said.

Stephens said the district cannot discuss an individual student’s educational program, health services, staffing assignments or IEP provisions because of student privacy laws. She also said the district does not comment on confidential personnel matters involving current or former employees.

But for the Remillets, the broader district assurance has not resolved their immediate concern: whether Maddux will have the specific one-to-one LVN support they say has allowed him to safely attend school.

Desiree said the family quickly realized they might have to fight again for services they believed were already secured through Maddux’s IEP.

“Once again, we had to go into defense mode,” Desiree said. “We had to get all of our ducks in a row and make the case that this position is highly necessary.”

For the Remillets, the fear is rooted in what happened four years ago at Arroyo Verde Elementary School, an East Highland campus in Redlands Unified, when Maddux was in first grade.

Coming out of COVID-19 campus closures, Desiree said she visited the school the day before in-person classes began and saw that Maddux’s classroom was positioned near a flight of concrete stairs. She said she warned school staff that the location created a safety concern and specifically asked that Maddux not be seated near the classroom door because, if he got out, he could roll toward the stairs.

A few weeks later, Desiree received a call at work saying Maddux had fallen in his wheelchair and that she should come to campus.

“They told me Maddux fell in his wheelchair and that I should probably come down,” Desiree said. “I asked, ‘Is he OK?’ And they said, ‘We don’t know. You should probably come.’”

When she arrived, a fire truck and ambulance were already on campus. Maddux was being placed on a gurney.

“Nobody was giving us answers in the moment,” Desiree said.

She said she learned from a medic in the ambulance — not from the school or district — that Maddux had rolled down a flight of stairs.

“The only reason we found out that he even fell down the stairs is because I asked, ‘How could this happen?’” Desiree said. “The medic looked at me and said he was told Maddux rolled down a flight of stairs.”

Joe said the family was later told Maddux’s one-to-one support had taken her eyes off him briefly before he rolled toward the stairs and fell.

Maddux suffered a fractured nose, a brain hemorrhage and abrasions across the front of his body, his parents said. Because Maddux had already undergone multiple brain surgeries, the hemorrhage created additional concern.

“This is a kid who already had probably 12 brain surgeries before this, so we were already hyper-concerned about brain injuries,” Joe said.

Maddux physically recovered within a few months, his parents said, but the emotional impact lasted longer.

“It took six to eight months before he was comfortable pushing himself in the wheelchair again,” Desiree said. “Even on the slightest incline, he would hold tight to his wheels.”

After the fall, the Remillets said they did not feel comfortable sending Maddux back to Arroyo Verde. Joe said returning would have required school leadership to acknowledge what happened, apologize and clearly explain how the campus would prevent a similar incident from happening again.

Desiree said the principal’s response did not give the family confidence that the campus understood the seriousness of what happened.

“She was very dismissive,” Desiree said.

The Remillets toured other campuses and eventually chose Mariposa Elementary, even though it was farther from their home and more difficult to navigate physically.

The difference, they said, was the team around him — especially Nicole, the one-to-one LVN who has supported Maddux for five years.

“Nicole has become like a member of our family,” Joe said. “She is probably the single biggest reason he has made the progress he has made.”

Joe said Nicole knows Maddux’s baseline well enough to recognize when a difficult school day could signal a medical concern, including possible brain-related issues, a urinary tract infection or an ear infection. Desiree said the Mariposa team created the best school experience Maddux has had.

“Everyone there, from the speech therapist to his teachers to the principal, loved Maddux and wanted the best for him,” Desiree said. “It was the best IEP team and support team Maddux has had in his elementary career.”

That environment helped Maddux grow academically and socially, his parents said. This year, he and classmate Caleb received national PTA recognition for “All Access,” a documentary about a day in the life of a child with a physical disability. Desiree said the film won at the Redlands Council PTA, 5th District PTA, California State PTA and National PTA levels.

State Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh later visited Mariposa to present Maddux and Caleb with recognition certificates.

But the Remillets said the celebration also revealed a painful disconnect. They said district leaders later invited Maddux to a board meeting for recognition, even after the family had raised concerns about cuts affecting his one-to-one support.

“You want to be quick to jump into a photo op with my son and take recognition for his national PTA Reflections Award,” Desiree said. “But you don’t want to address the fact that you’re removing the one critical support that keeps him safe and allows him to stay in public school.”

Joe said Nicole’s LVN position was affected by the cuts and that she took a demotion to remain with the district. But because Maddux’s IEP calls for a one-to-one LVN, his parents said Nicole cannot currently fulfill that role in middle school unless the district restores the position or offers another plan they believe keeps Maddux safe.

“As it stands, homeschool is looking like the option for Maddux,” Desiree said.

The family said it asked the district to provide a plan by June 30, including whether Nicole could be returned to the role. Without that, Joe said, the family does not believe it can safely send Maddux into sixth grade at a new campus with new staff and an unresolved support plan.

“The district does not have a plan for our son to show up at sixth grade at a different school, with a different principal, a different teacher and a different LVN we have not met,” Joe said.

Stephens said Redlands Unified works with families, school teams and service providers during student transitions between grade levels and campuses.

“These transition planning efforts are designed to help ensure continuity of services and support student success,” Stephens said.

The Remillets said that continuity is exactly what they fear could be lost if Maddux enters middle school without the longtime one-to-one support that helped him succeed at Mariposa.

Desiree, who helped launch the Redlands Special Education PTA, said the concern extends beyond her family. The group has grown to roughly 250 to 300 parents and provides support around IEP rights, advocacy, workshops and family networking.

She said many parents already struggle to secure the services their children are entitled to, and the reductions could add more pressure to families of students with disabilities.

“We already struggled to get the support our children are entitled to,” Desiree said. “Now what are we going to have to fight for?”

Joe said he wants board members and district leaders to spend more time in classrooms before making decisions that affect disabled students and those who rely on specialized support.

“You need to go into classrooms when no one is paying attention and see what these people deal with on a day-to-day basis,” Joe said. “Then you would be halfway to fully understanding how these broad decisions affect students’ everyday lives.”

For the Remillets, the issue is about more than one position. It is about whether public education remains accessible to students whose safety depends on specialized support.

“Just try to look at things through an inclusive lens,” Desiree said. “Inclusion benefits everyone.”

Maddux, she said, is “just another 11-year-old” who wants to be with his friends, take part in school and be included in his community.

“He doesn’t see the world any differently,” Desiree said. “He just wants to be out there and have fun in his community.”