When the Wichita school district denied special education services, this family fought back — and...

In one of the costliest cases of its kind, the district was ordered to pay a family nearly $250,000, plus ongoing private school expenses, for denying a child special education services.
(Editor’s note: This story refers to a 2021 due process case filed against the Wichita school district by Josh Dutcher and Sara Zafar on behalf of their child, Kaien, or “K.D.” The student now identifies as Lexi and uses the pronouns she/her.)

Josh Dutcher and Sara Zafar say their oldest child’s problems in school started early.

As an elementary school student — first in Lawrence and then Wichita — Lexi Dutcher would sometimes scream in class or throw herself on the floor. She struggled to keep up academically and had trouble socializing with other children.

Over time, the episodes became more severe. Lexi went to therapy. She saw neurologists and psychiatrists, whose diagnoses ranged from anxiety and attention-deficit disorder to language deficits and autism.