Maddux Remillet is an 11-year-old who loves swimming, cars, adaptive baseball, and filmmaking. He recently received national PTA recognition for a documentary he produced with a classmate on his life as a student who has a physical disability. He’s bright, curious, and determined. He also has spina bifida and achondroplasia, uses a wheelchair, and has undergone 16 brain surgeries. He needs care from a trained medical professional while attending school.
That care has been provided by his nurse, Nicole, an LVN (licensed vocational nurse) who has been a part of his daily routine in school for many years. She is the one who is aware of the small signs of a shunt malfunction, the one who monitors his health, and the one who allows him to attend public school safely and with confidence.
Sadly, the Redlands Unified School District eliminated her LVN role as part of the district’s extensive budget reductions. Unfortunately, this means Maddux no longer has the support that has made him so successful. Not having a nurse at school also puts his health and safety in jeopardy.
The Remillet family is well acquainted with what happens when support is lacking. Four years ago, at another Redlands Unified campus, Maddux rolled down a flight of concrete stairs when his nurse briefly looked away. He suffered a fractured nose, a brain hemorrhage, and painful abrasions.
He recovered from the physical injuries, but not from the emotional trauma. Moving him to Mariposa Elementary brought a sense of safety and trust. Nicole was the one who made sure that the past did not repeat itself.
For his parents, losing her now, as Maddux is about to start middle school, feels like being asked to re-experience the trauma they have worked with him to overcome for years.
The district said it will comply with all the requirements of an IEP and will not comment on individual cases. However, when it comes to the health and safety of their son, promises are not sufficient for the Remillets. They requested a clear plan by June 30 that will outline how the district will provide the 1:1 nursing support that his IEP calls for. If they don’t have that plan, they don’t think they can get him into school. If the district can’t promise that he will be safe, homeschooling may be their only choice, they say.
What is happening in Redlands is not just a staffing issue. It is a matter of whether the district has a desire to fulfill its legal responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. IDEA ensures that every child with a disability is provided with a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Under FAPE, the school is required to make those services, supports, and accommodations available to help the child with a disability gain access to the curriculum and learning experiences on an equal footing with their peers.
Budget is not an excuse to fail to meet the requirements of IDEA. Expensive or inconvenient essential services are not eliminated simply because they are expensive or inconvenient. If a student’s IEP calls for one-on one nursing support, it must be provided. The district must provide specialized care, if needed, to allow a student to attend school safely.
In one of the most significant Supreme Court decisions in the history of special education, Cedar Rapids Community School District v. Garret F., this was upheld. In this case, a student with a ventilator needed ongoing nursing care to attend school. The district said that the expense was too great and the services were medical in nature.
However, the Court decided that IDEA requires that a school provide any nursing services that are required for a student to participate in school, excluding services provided by a physician. Justice Stevens explained that the purpose of IDEA is to guarantee that students like Garret—and by extension, students like Maddux—are integrated into public schools. The Court was clear that cost is not a defense for a district to provide essential supports. This decision still stands today.
His family is not unaware of the paradox of praising Maddux for his accomplishments while not ensuring his safety. His parents report they were not told what steps were going to be taken to ensure he would be able to attend school next year when the district proudly invited him for a photo op after his PTA award. Celebration without support is not inclusion. It is performance.
Maddux’s story is an example of the larger picture: inclusion can only be achieved if the supports that allow it are protected. The promise of FAPE and IDEA is not fulfilled if a district’s financial decisions put the safety of a child at risk. When a family is forced to choose between their child’s welfare and their child’s right to public education, there is something wrong.
Sources:
Harding, Kristie. “Cedar Rapids Community School District v. Garret F.: A High Price for Equal Education.” Pepperdine Law Review, vol. 28, no. 1, 15 Dec. 2000, pp. 181–204, https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/plr/vol28/iss1/4.
Sandoval, Manny. “Redlands Unified Cuts Could Push Disabled Student Out of Public School.” IE Community News, 30 June 2026, https://iecn.com/redlands-unified-cuts-disabled-student-out-public-school/.