Labyrinth Consulting

An investigation into the challenge of using school choices vouchers when your child has a disability.

Vouchers Promise Students With Disabilities a Path to Private School. Parents Say That’s Not the Reality. To give voucher programs a toehold in state legislatures, politicians touted how students with disabilities would gain access to private education. But those students’ families often have the hardest time finding schools that will accept them.

Go check this out! College and vocational opportunities!

Students and their families are invited to attend this year’s College & Career Fair on September 22 to explore a wide range of post-secondary opportunities.

Connect with more than 100 representatives from a diverse range of public and private colleges and universities, including in-state and out-of-state institutions. Learn about academic programs, admission requirements, campus life, and what each school has to offer.
WHAT: College & Career Fair
WHEN: Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
WHERE: Shiner Law Group Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds, 9067 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, FL 33411
What to expect:
Meet with representatives from public and private colleges and universities, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) from in and out of state.
Learn about financial aid, scholarships, and application processes.
Gain insights into career pathways and post-secondary options.
Explore options available in vocational and technical programs.
Connect with representatives from various military branches to learn about enlistment, benefits, and career training.
Attend FAFSA information sessions, presented every 30 minutes by TRiO Educational Opportunity Center. The sessions help students and their families with navigating the financial aid process and completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
The College & Career Fair is open to everyone. Admission and parking are free, and no registration is required. This is also an opportunity for students and their families to ask questions, and make informed decisions about their academic and professional futures.

PBC's School Choice Showcase - Tues,10/6/26, from 4-8 p.m.
This is the big one out at the fair grounds. It is not my favorite because it is so big and overwhelming, BUT for some families it is easier to do it all in one night instead of going to the Choice Open Houses at each school (those dates are announced later).

"You are invited to the School District of Palm Beach County’s annual Showcase of Schools on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center...This event is your opportunity to explore over 125 elementary, middle, and high schools offering more than 330 choice and career programs. Whether your student is just starting out or preparing for high school and beyond, you can discover unique academic paths and gather key information before the choice application opens this fall for the 2027-2028 school year."

Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Time: 4 - 8 p.m.
Location: South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center
Admission & Parking: FREE and open to everyone!
Come meet school representatives, ask questions, and discover how to Power Your Future.

Showcase of Schools - Palm Beach County School District Showcase of Schools - Palm Beach County School District

FAU Card has a bunch of great information sessions, group and activities planned for the Fall. I saw everything from college planning for grades 9-12 to toilet training and water safety. Also sessions on guardianship and SSDI and SSI.
Goal: find at least one thing to attend. It is hard to find time, but so worth it!

Newsletter 2026

I received this from FAU Card.

I hadn't knowingly encountered many trans people before I started my current work. There is gray area and nuance with everything (especially with medical decision making for children). What there should not be is disrespect, discrimination, or violence against people who are telling us who they are and asking to be accepted as they see themselves. This article is devastating in its patriotism, professionalism and in its pain. I am sharing a gift copy in honor of my clients who just want to be accepted and treated with respect.

This part really showed how much has changed in the last couple of years:
"No one has affirmed my gender identity quite like Mike Pence. On my last day, I gave him a letter. I wrote: “I’m a trans­gender CIA officer, a wife and mother—­and I served the Vice President. Anything is possible in America.” I told him many people at the CIA hadn’t believed that a trans officer like me could serve someone like him.

“Well,” he said, “I’m glad I passed the test.”

The Wrong Kind of American The Trump White House needed me—until the fact that I am trans became public.

"When you experience stress, your body’s sympathetic nervous system (a.k.a. the fight-or-flight response) becomes activated, said Soma Sengupta, neurologist in chief and chair of neurology at Tufts Medical Center. This system prepares your body to respond to perceived threats by increasing your heart rate, muscle tension, blood pressure and the release of stress hormones such as cortisol, she explained.

“Drawing can help shift attention away from stressful thoughts and encourage activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, sometimes called the ‘rest and digest’ system,” Sengupta said. “This system promotes recovery by slowing heart rate, reducing muscle tension and helping the body return to a calmer physiological state.”

"....Just a few minutes of doodling can do the trick
You don’t have to be an artist crafting a masterpiece to reap the calming benefits of drawing.

“The calming effects [of drawing] appear to result primarily from sustained attention, repetitive movement and engagement with the creative process, rather than from producing a work of art,” Sengupta said. Even just drawing lines, squiggles or geometric shapes can provide many of the same benefits, she explained."

https://wapo.st/45pPf1e This is a free gift link, but you may have to give them your email address.

How 10 minutes of drawing can reset your nervous system Experts break down the science behind why putting pencil to paper can have such a calming effect.

We need to get this much higher. Having ~40% of students below grade level is not success.

“More than 60% of Florida students met or exceeded grade-level benchmarks on state progressive testing, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on June 26.”

More than 60% of Florida students meet grade-level standards The governor announced the results of this years FAST testing during a stop in Lakeland. See how Polk County compared to the state.

Big changes are happening at the Department of Education. I am including links to 2 articles below.

“The Trump administration announced on Tuesday plans to move two major functions of the Education Department to other parts of the government in the most aggressive moves yet by the White House to dismantle an agency it has pledged to dissolve.

“The changes move programs for disabled students into the Health and Human Services Department and the enforcement of civil rights laws in schools to the Justice Department. Administration officials said the changes would improve government efficiency and lead to better results for students.

“Eliminating the Education Department requires an act of Congress, and disability groups have argued that so does moving the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. The office oversees $15 billion a year in funding for students with disabilities and enforces compliance with the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.

“The Education Department will also shift duties for its Office for Civil Rights, which for decades has enforced anti-discrimination laws in schools, to the Justice Department.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/16/us/politics/education-department-civil-rights-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.q1A.AxfQ.PqC2gje9A83-&smid=url-share

https://www.the74million.org/article/special-ed-and-civil-rights-oversight-moving-out-of-education-department/?utm_source=The%2074%20Million%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=a02656c8ba-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_07_27_07_47_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_077b986842-a02656c8ba-176354263

Trump Breaks Up Education Dept., Prompting Worries Over Civil Rights (Gift Article) Special education programs and the civil rights office will be moved out of the Education Department, the most aggressive move yet by the Trump administration to dismantle the agency.