Originally published in print in November 2025. View print issues here.

18-year-old Suran Tugsjargal inspired the special education reform bill which was officially passed on July 18, 2024. After growing up being labeled by the state law with outdated and stigmatizing terms, she knew it was time for a change. Proposed by Assembly Member Dawn Addis and signed off by Governor Gavin Newsom, Assembly Bill 2173 changed the label from “emotional disturbance,” a term often used for special education students in legal documents, to “emotional disability.” 

Special education teacher Allen Tadeo has seen firsthand how certain language and understanding of the community can shape how students view one another. When asked about the impact of the bill, he explained that while the change may seem small, it could really make an impact on the students. 

“What’s really huge is that it sets the tone in education,” Tadeo said. When you remove that stigma, you’re treating someone with inclusivity, with respect and with fairness.”

Tadeo’s classroom is built on that idea. His goal is to make every student feel valued, included and capable of learning alongside their peers. 

“The kids should feel welcome and safe,” Tadeo said. “They can feel smarter, be smarter, and that doesn’t make them different from any of the students here.”

For special education students at Branham, programs like Best Buddies and integrated classes, which allow special education students to get involved in general education classes, give students the opportunities to connect. For many, those moments mean everything. 

The program allows students to participate in activities that they normally might not feel welcome in due to the disrespect they feel from other students. Events like the Best Buddies football game and prom allow for the special education students to feel more included in the Branham community. Special education student Jacob Bourdain said he really enjoys these events. 

“We danced to the Cha Cha Slide at the football game,” Bourdain said. “The prom was so amazing. [There was a] DJ booth, food and we danced a lot.”

Events like these create spaces where students feel accepted and celebrated for who they are. However, outside of Best Buddies, special education students noted having a hard time being included in general education.

Senior Ethan Farnham has been a part of the special education programs for most of his life and participates in the Best Buddies club.

“I stay to myself and my teacher in general ed classes. I never hang out with non-special ed at all,” Farnham said. “When I hang out with non-special ed kids, I feel left out and different.”

Farnham and Bourdain both said that while certain people on campus give them a sense of community, an overwhelming amount of people are still rude to them, making them feel isolated at school. 

“People directly say things to me,” Bourdain said. “Sometimes they throw stuff at me. I think we should just stay away from people who are mean to us, stick to ourselves.”

For many of these students, they find that one of the largest factors in being excluded is how they are labeled, a problem that the bill aims to target and one day get rid of completely. Students have called students slurs and thrown things at them for no reason other than them being special education. 

Farnham found that labels often play a role in creating stereotypes, especially for special education students, and that these stereotypes are often hard to look over. 

The students believe that little changes in the community, like the changing of the label, could help reduce the stigma around special education and help decrease bullying from other students. 

For Tadeo, inclusion isn’t just an idea. It starts with small moments of connection. A simple greeting, a shared class or a smile in the hallway can help build a school where differences are not barriers but strengths within the community. 

“The best way to live is to be all mixed up, all together,” Tadeo said. “That’s what I would love to see: full integration, where everyone just treats each other the same way.”