Elijah Stokes is a vibrant fourth-grader who lights up when he’s outdoors, especially on the playground. He has a unique affection for hats and shows deep care for his teachers and peers. Elijah sees the world through a different lens, embracing the traits that make him who he is. His parents, Joshua and Alyssa Stokes, describe him as a child who understands everything said to him, even though he cannot speak.

“Even though he doesn’t communicate, he understands everything you’re saying,” Joshua Stokes shared. “He just can’t speak, [but] he wants to tell you he loves you and he cares about you.” Elijah’s journey through the special education system has been marked by both progress and setbacks, reflecting broader issues within Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS).

The path to The Day School at The Children’s Institute

Elijah currently attends The Day School at The Children’s Institute, a private special education school approved by PPS. His parents have found his time there deeply rewarding, but the road to this point was long and arduous. The Stokes family faced years of state complaints, mediation, and legal disputes over technology, therapies, evaluations, and other services they believed PPS failed to provide.

Joshua Stokes emphasized the bittersweet nature of winning compensatory education services. “Parents should not be happy about winning comp services,” he said. “If you get a settlement or a ruling in your favor or a mediation agreement that gives you comp services, you think you won, but it’s like your kid missed those services at a crucial time …”

Broader concerns in special education

The Stokes’ experience highlights a larger issue: PPS often resolves disputes with families on a case-by-case basis, frequently through settlements and compensatory services, without addressing the root causes of these problems. According to data obtained through a Right-to-Know Law request, PPS has spent nearly $1.4 million over the past five years on settlements and parents’ legal fees in special education disputes. This figure excludes fees paid to the district’s primary legal counsel, Weiss Burkardt Kramer, which could not separate settlement-related costs from other billable services.

During the same period, PPS spent more than $1.4 million on compensatory education for students with disabilities whose education was disrupted during COVID. While some cases are resolved through Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings or state mediations, few proceed to a formal due process hearing. Cindy Duch, parent training and information director at the PEAL Center, noted that settlements, while resolving individual cases, do not address the underlying barriers.

Understanding special education laws

Navigating the special education system requires understanding several key laws and acronyms:

  • FAPEFree Appropriate Public Education is a fundamental right ensuring students with disabilities receive free, tailored education.
  • LRELeast Restrictive Environment emphasizes educating students with disabilities in regular classrooms with non-disabled peers, providing extra supports as needed.
  • IDEA The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act guarantees FAPE for all students with disabilities.
  • Section 504 Ensures students with disabilities have equal access to education opportunities without discrimination.
  • IEP An Individualized Education Program is a legally binding plan outlining eligible education services and accommodations.
  • IFSPIndividualized Family Service Plan is similar to an IEP but for children in early intervention programs.
  • ESYExtended School Year provides special education services beyond the regular school year.

Elijah’s early years and the impact of COVID

Elijah’s challenges with PPS began when he was a preschooler at PPS Roosevelt in 2018. He was placed in an early intervention program offering specialized services for developmental delays. However, when PPS went remote in spring 2026, Elijah’s services were significantly reduced. His parents reported that he did not receive an iPad or an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device, and his regular services largely stopped. Instead, he received a weekly instructional call from a therapist and no Extended School Year (ESY) services.

Alyssa Stokes took on the role of homeschooling Elijah, creating a picture communication board and learning activities to help him communicate, write, and practice fine motor skills. When Elijah entered first grade in the fall of 2026, PPS did not complete a neuropsychological evaluation for autism. The district conducted other evaluations, classified him as having a global developmental delay, and placed him in a regular classroom while he continued learning virtually.

“They kept saying, ‘Due to COVID, we can’t evaluate him, and we can’t put him in an appropriate program,’” Alyssa said, referring to what she said district staff told the family. PPS spokesperson Ebony Pugh declined to comment on questions related to Elijah’s case but noted that the district is required to conduct psychoeducational evaluations when requested, which include some neuropsychological assessments.

The financial and logistical challenges

Funding gaps can make it harder for districts to provide required services. While Congress authorized the federal government to cover up to 40% of the per-pupil cost of educating students with disabilities under IDEA, federal funding has remained well below that level. In Pennsylvania, the special education funding share has increased, with the 2026-27 budget including $1.6 billion in special education funding, a 3.6% increase from the previous year.

Elijah received occupational and speech therapy but lacked other supports, including an aide and learning devices, his parents said. In, after Elijah began falling behind in reading and science, the district determined that he needed a higher level of support and recommended an autism support classroom at Liberty Elementary. Elijah began attending the Liberty classroom virtually in January 2026 but struggled to learn.

“He’s biting, kicking, he’s screaming, he’s throwing stuff at [Alyssa], and even during COVID, when he was in the special class, it was still the same thing, and it was so challenging, I couldn’t even be in the room sometimes,” Joshua said. Without an aide or specialist at home, his parents said, he struggled to focus and became agitated when asked to do schoolwork.

The transition to in-person learning

When PPS resumed in-person instruction in the fall of 2026, the district evaluated Elijah and diagnosed him with level-two autism, meaning he required substantial support. Elijah’s challenges increased when he began attending Liberty in person. The school’s autism support classroom was in the basement, in a small room with concrete walls and high windows. Student desks were packed closely together, with dividers separating each seat. The room contained panel boxes and pressure gauges, and Joshua said it seemed like a utility room and became extremely hot. He said students received therapies in a small storage space next to the classroom.

Elijah hated returning to the classroom after recess, his parents said, and sometimes had to be picked up from school. “It got to the point where he was severely hurting himself and freaking out on behaviors we’ve never even seen before, because he was … stressed out,” Alyssa said. “He was trying to escape the school, he was hurting himself, he would come home covered in marks because he was biting himself.”

Pugh said every special education classroom must be approved by the state Bureau of Special Education, so any room currently or previously used as a classroom would have been approved. She said Liberty currently has two autism support classrooms.

The road to resolution and ongoing challenges

The Stokes family filed state complaints about the classroom conditions and another alleging that PPS failed to provide Elijah with a full-time aide during his bus rides home. The state did not require PPS to relocate the classroom but directed the district to make changes to the room, Joshua said. In January 2026, the family entered state mediation seeking to place Elijah in a private school. PPS initially proposed Conroy, a district special education school, but the Stokes family sought placement at The Day School. Elijah ultimately enrolled there, with PPS responsible for his tuition, services, and transportation.

Later that year, after multiple state complaints and mediation sessions, the Stokes family reached a settlement with PPS over allegations including the failure to provide technology and occupational therapy during COVID, delayed evaluation, missed ESY services, the lack of a full-time aide, and missed school hours at Liberty. A nondisclosure agreement bars the family from discussing the settlement amount and certain other details.

Despite finding stability at The Day School, the Stokes family continued to face challenges. They learned that Elijah had gone without occupational therapy for about five weeks in 2026 and encountered transportation problems after he was diagnosed with epilepsy. The family also objected to changes in Elijah’s IEP, which they believed reduced his therapy sessions. Through mediation, PPS agreed to provide 30 hours of compensatory speech and occupational therapies but did not revert the IEP to two weekly sessions. The Stokes family argued that the annual total still reduced Elijah’s services and filed a due process complaint challenging the IEP language and the failure to provide services.

The family struggled to find an attorney willing to take the case and ultimately represented themselves, with help from the state Office of Dispute Resolution’s consultation line, while PPS was represented by attorneys from Weiss Burkardt Kramer. At the end of June, the hearing officer ruled in favor of PPS, concluding that Elijah’s ESY services and the revised IEP language providing 15 therapy sessions per quarter were appropriate.

Despite the loss, Joshua said fighting for Elijah’s rights was worthwhile. “As parents, it’s frustrating, but it’s also rewarding in knowing that he’s in such a better place now, as far as the school, because you gotta realize this started with he couldn’t even go to school a full day because his behaviors were so bad,” he said. Recently, Elijah used his AAC device to spell the word “balloon,” a milestone that filled his parents with pride.