A year ago today, I posted a piece titled “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.” I reflected on how incredibly hard January and February had been for our family due to some traumatic events. In that post, I wrote:

“January and February were so hard. Actually, they were traumatic. I welcomed March with open arms, even though it came with some big changes. But after a meeting with Courtney’s school today, I’m not feeling confident that March will be much better.”

March wasn’t much better. In fact, that’s when everything truly started. That’s when it was first hinted that Courtney’s team was leaning toward recommending an outplacement. The official recommendation came in May, but I knew it was coming as of March 8, 2024.

Here we are, one year later. I could write a book about what we’ve been through over the past year—the struggles, the tears, the arguments. It was awful. And all because we were fighting for something Courtney had a right to: a Free and Appropriate Public Education.

A few days ago, I posted that a school had been found—a school not of our choosing. I shared that we were ready to keep advocating. But with the guidance and support of some incredibly important members of #TeamCourtney, we decided the best path forward was to give this new school a try.

The tears have been flowing lately—tears of exhaustion, anger, and fear. You know the five stages of grief? I’m pretty sure I’ve felt them all this week.

At first, choosing to move forward with the assigned school felt like admitting defeat after everything we had fought for. But we were quickly reminded that this couldn’t be further from the truth. We poured our hearts into advocating for our girl. Even Alyssa made sure her voice was heard throughout this process. Our goal was always to ensure Courtney got what she deserves. And that, my friends, makes our family winners.

To everyone who has been part of #TeamCourtney in so many ways—thank you! Now, if you could continue being part of her team by sending all the positive vibes as she starts at her new school next week, we would be so grateful.

I am her voice. She is my heart.