Letter to the editor: My child with autism is not a budget line
If MoCo school board cuts psychologists, children like my son will pay the price
By Oz Papados
June 2, 2026 6:08 p.m.
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My 14-year-old son Joseph is not a budget line.
He is a child with autism who deserves safety, dignity, emotional support, and access to an education. Yet over the past several years, in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), our family has experienced firsthand what happens when a school system becomes overwhelmed, under-supported, and unable to meet the needs of its most vulnerable students.
Joseph’s school days were repeatedly shortened to 30 minutes or less. He was excluded from orientation experiences and school activities. We were called constantly to pick him up early because staff did not have the training, support, or systems necessary to safely support him. We witnessed restraints, bruises, concussions, chaotic crisis responses, and repeated failures to implement the behavioral supports already written into his Individualized Education Program (IEP).
And through all of it, one truth became painfully clear: schools cannot support students with complex behavioral and emotional needs without highly trained mental health professionals.
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Now the Montgomery County school board is considering cutting 20 school psychologist positions among hundreds of positions on the chopping block to close a $36 million budget gap. At this very moment while student mental health needs are rising dramatically, the district is proposing to reduce one of the most critical pillars supporting vulnerable children.
School psychologists are not optional extras. They are often the people who help schools understand the difference between “bad behavior” and disability-related distress. They conduct legally mandated evaluations, support crisis response, participate in IEP and 504 processes, guide behavioral interventions, and help prevent situations from escalating into suspensions, restraints, or removals.
For families like ours, these professionals are often the thin line between inclusion and exclusion.
When schools lack adequate psychological support, the burden shifts onto families. Parents become emergency responders, case managers, transportation coordinators, behavioral specialists, and advocates fighting simply to keep their child in school. For years, I effectively could not maintain normal employment because I had to remain constantly available for emergency pickups caused by the school system’s inability to support my son appropriately.
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Reducing psychologists will not save money in the long run. It will increase crisis incidents, delays in evaluations, legal disputes, compensatory education claims, and staff burnout.
Children cannot learn when they are dysregulated, misunderstood, excluded, or repeatedly removed from school.
We cannot continue building educational systems that only function well for children who fit neatly into standard expectations. Public education means educating all children, including those with autism, anxiety, behavioral disabilities, trauma, communication challenges, and mental health needs.
The measure of a successful school system is not how it serves the easiest students. It is how it serves the children who require the most patience, expertise, humanity, and support.
Joseph, who is now in seventh grade, deserved better, and so do thousands of other children across Montgomery County.
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Oz Papados is an MCPS parent who lives in Bethesda.
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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine