Monthly Archives: March 2025

Comments Off on Dakota County’s Sister County – Carver Oh My More Devil wearing Prada

Alright – so, if you know me or read my blog then you understand how I detest Dakota county. I have a surprise for you. Carver is in the running for being another sh….t county. They screw with autism families particularly black and brown ones. They are lazy, rude, intentionally heartless and could care less.

Recently more Somali autism families have been moving to Carver County especially to Chaska and Chanhassen. I have advocated and helped autism families of different races and ethnicities but the treatments towards them is night and day. For the non-Somali families, Carver County comes out quicker, addresses the issues by asking ONE time. For Somali families, they are slower, ignore the family’s needs, try to trick the family by excluding who they chose to help, etc. This is typical for racist counties. They will say things like – we are going to deal with the family directly even after the family signs and asks me to help. I have seen this in many counties as far away as Rochester and even Duluth. This tactic will not work, and I suggest Carver and others stop trying to manipulate the families. Any family has a right to bring whoever they want to any situation for help, guidance, and support. The county does not dictate this, the family does. Let’s get this to your thick and unkind head.

Just like Dakota, Carver is very pretty but the devil always wears Prada. While the land is beautiful, the county commissioners, most of its middle management and even some of their elected officials who narrowly won are just as bad, if not worse.

I remember a Somali autism mom called me last year’s election night and said, “Rep. Noor came with another person asking to vote for her”. Imagine that. Noor is from Mpls, and he was door knocking for a fellow dlfer in Chanhassen. This tells you how close elections in this district and in general most of Minnesota is. None of them have room to be rude, cold, or arrogant.

Now, the county commissioners as white as vanilla. They can use some tan. I am not sure if we are there yet. As you know, Dakota had a Somali ran last election. Scott had a Somali run couple of years ago. Neither won but I think they did not campaign hard enough and deep into the rural areas. I think there is hope to replace them. I also think we need to keep going to their public hearings and testify by telling our stories and maybe one day the gazillion Somali reporters will write stories of how horrible Carver and Dakota counties are to black/brown autism families.

The above words do not represent any candidate, agency, or committee.

Idil Abdull – Somali Autism Mom & Retired Advocate

Comments Off on Testified Against HF 514 with every fiber in me – We must keep children in school and not suspend them – period

Alright – so, after trying really hard to retire and I am still going to do it (God Willing) one day soon. After some Somali autism parents come out and carry the work. I went to the state Capitol today, oh my and oh my. I took two Tylenol before and Advil after. This building is designed to drain and tire you out. As I said in my previous blog, Rep. Bakeberg who represents Jordan and parts of Shakopee wrote several bills to repeal not suspending children up to third grade and removing the non-exclusionary methods. Guess who supported his bills – the usual yukies. Lobbyists from the principals’ association.

They kept telling us “Trust us” we are the professionals. We know there is a suspension and education gap but trust us we are not bad. What now? My favorite is when one of them said – we suspend children to inconvenience parents who are in denial about their child’s behaviors or mental health conditions. I am not even kidding. The same group who told us to trust them said – we intentionally suspend children to teach and screw with stressed parents. Yep, she said that out loud in a public committee. Nope, I do not trust them at all.

Then there was another principal who said – for the past months, we had to evacuate children from classrooms because one of them was having a behavior. What now? Another one said we must suspend kids so that we can write a behavior plan and regroup. You cannot even make this bull…s…t up. Yet, we are supposed to trust them. It was all about them, them, and them. We are professionals. Therefore, trust us. We do not.

On the right side of history, there were dozens of parents, advocates, disability law center, education Minnesota (this surprised me), solutions not suspension coalition, education allies and students. We all said – no we do not trust them and we do not want out children to be kicked out of school.

I guess the author does not like that I mention the people who suspended my son on Thursday, 5:18pm, May 3rd, 2018. They were teacher Kelly Morris and principal Jaysen Anderson. I will repeat those names until Timbuktu. I left early but heard after words, the author pulled the bill and sadly some of the dflers did not even come nor stay until the end. I find that interesting. Below is my written and oral testimony.

Minnesota House

Education Policy Committee

Chair: Rep. Bonnett

March 3, 2025

 

Re: HF 514 by Rep. Bakeberg – against it with every fiber in me

Dear Madam Chair and members, thanks for the opportunity to testify. My name is Idil Abdull, I am a Somali Autism Mom & trying to retire advocate.

I am hurt and confused by this bill. Why is the author wanting to kick children from school. These are babies that are six and seven years old. Any adult who does not know how to calm down and support a child in a school setting is at the wrong career.

The current House speaker often reminds us that you are all here to do work for Minnesotans. How can denying children to learn in school is the “work” for Minnesotans who chose you for this job. I am going to use political lingo as you are all politicians here and remind you that Minnesota is not a blue or red state, it is a Vikings purple state. This means the voters want you to work together and not keep repealing good laws that passed when you were in the minority as a knee jerk reaction.

Finally, we have all heard of the current hip words – fraud, waste and abuse. Fraud is billing for services that were not rendered, if so then when a school district bills for a child they did not serve – wouldn’t that be fraud. Schools should NOT be paid for when the student is not at school and not being serviced. You see, you all must be fair and call it from the hip.

When my son was suspended from a lobbyist protected principal Jaysen Anderson and union protected Kelly Morris on Thursday, May 3rd, 2018, I was traumatized. You are all traumatizing me and so many other families with this hurtful, wrong, and heartbreaking bill. I see the using positive non-punishment, non-exclusive methods is also on the table to be repealed. There are no words to explain this blatant bias bills that will hurt students from Jordan to Albert Lee to Minneapolis. I hope these bills never pass, and it is dead on arrival.

Thanks for your time.

Idil Abdull – Somali Autism Mom

 

The above words do not represent any candidate, agency, or committee.

Idil Abdull – Somali Autism Mom & Retired Advocate

Comments Off on Open Letter to Rep. Bakeberg of Minn House of Reps – Speak for children NOT adults in the education system

Alright – so, they say when it rains it pours. It seems that I am going to be politically homeless. The state of Minnesota isn’t really red or blue. Maybe it is blue-ish but barely. Currently in 2025, the house is tied technically after the Roseville election which I am fairly certain a dfler will win. This means each House committee has two chairs but one speaker. I guess Hortman took one for the team by ensuring to keep the Shakopee seat which won less than 14 seats. That is one Somali home in Shakopee working in Amazon. What is my point, I am tired of our community telling and encouraging us to vote for xzy party then when we do, going to sleep for a long nap – until the next election. Ufta.

Rep. Bakeberg who represents Jordan, Minnesota, a small, tiny town of few thousand and near Shakopee has decided to repeal what we (families, advocates, educators including previous Mpls school superintendent – Dr. Johnson) worked for years and years. Just because the dflers were in charge did not mean it was easy peasy. The dflers often support the teachers’ unions and the GOP supports the principals and administrators. Who supports the students and families? No one.

Rep. Bakeberg wants to give the principals the ability to kick students out of school including those with autism. He wants to have zero alternative options and just kick kids out. Most GOP are supporting him.

So, what now? We have to fight. God, I really want to retire. Ugh. How do we fight? We start suing school districts for suspending our children. I know this is hard, but without it there is no meet off their bone to care. We start campaigning against anyone who supports this bill even if a manikin is the alternative. These are elections that are won by a dozen or so. We can do it. Will we do it? not the Somali community.

I am sooooo disappointed in our community. We have no idea how policy and politics are connected. We vote and take a nap. You hardly see anyone at the capitol pushing an issue to the finish line. There are few here and there for their own agency and funding, but no one really for the greater good of the people and community. Soooooooo sad and frustrating.

To me this issue is personal because GOP protected principal Jaysen Anderson and DFL protected teacher Kelly Morris suspended my son on Thursday at 5:18pm, May of 2018. From that day on, I have been advocating and joined such amazing groups such as Solutions not Suspensions, Education Allies and so many others which is how we passed these bills few years ago.

Now, Rep. Bakeberg wants to take all away. My suggestion to you is don’t get too comfortable in your seat. We will find someone who can run and defeat you at the polls.

The above words do not represent any candidate, agency, or committee.

Idil Abdull – Somali Autism Mom & Retired Advocate