Where I Stand on Listening to Parents Raising Children with Complex Needs

By Curtis Campogni, Candidate for Pinellas County School Board (District 3 – At-Large)

One of the most humbling parts of running for School Board has been the number of people who have trusted me with their personal stories.

They often begin with a simple sentence:

"I'm not sure if you can help, but..."

In fact, over the past few weeks, I've received several of those messages from parents raising children with significant needs. Some were navigating Exceptional Student Education (ESE). Others were balancing foster care, behavioral health, juvenile justice, healthcare systems, and multiple state agencies, all while simply trying to do what was best for their child.

The details of each story were different. But they all shared one common theme.

They wanted a voice.

Not special treatment. Not promises. Not someone pretending to have all the answers.

They wanted to know that someone was willing to listen.

Those conversations stayed with me because they reinforced something I've witnessed throughout my career. Parents working with our community's most complex challenges often become experts in systems they never expected to navigate. They understand IEPs, Medicaid, behavioral health, foster care, insurance requirements, state agencies, trauma, and services that most families will hopefully never have to encounter. Not because they wanted to, but because their children needed them to.

That's why I believe some of the greatest expertise on serving our highest-need students isn't found in a board packet or a PowerPoint presentation. It's found around kitchen tables, where parents are navigating these challenges every single day.

Which brings me to an important question:

How do we make sure those voices are heard and those lived experiences become part of the conversation before decisions are made?

That's what inspired an idea I'm calling P.L.A.N.T.

Parents Learning And Navigating Together.

If elected, I want to host a monthly Parent Advisory Roundtable (P.L.A.N.T.). It wouldn't be another official School Board committee or replace existing opportunities for public input. Instead, it would create a dedicated space for parents navigating complex systems to connect, share what's working and what's not, and ensure their lived experiences continue to shape my leadership.

While these conversations would include parents of students receiving ESE services, foster and adoptive families, parents navigating behavioral or mental health challenges, and families impacted by juvenile justice, they would remain open to anyone whose lived experience can help us better understand and support students with the greatest needs.

Some months, we may invite guest experts, community organizations, or district staff to answer questions and connect families with resources. Other months, the greatest value may simply come from parents learning from one another. Either way, every meeting would have the same purpose: to listen, to learn, and to ensure these families know they have a voice.

The conversations wouldn't be about relitigating individual cases. They would be about identifying patterns, discussing barriers, sharing ideas, and ensuring that when I walk into a School Board meeting, I'm carrying with me the most current perspectives from families living these experiences every day.

Most importantly, they would help ensure that some of our most vulnerable students are never an afterthought when decisions are being made.

In the end, it's true that great leaders ask good questions.

But more so, the best questions come from listening to the people closest to the challenges we're trying to solve.

And personally, I like the symbolism behind the name because a plant doesn't need perfection to grow. No two plants grow exactly the same way. It just wants healthy roots, consistent care, and time.

The same is true for trust, and for the parents I speak with.

If we continue listening to families, learning from their experiences, and acting on what we learn, we'll make progress. Maybe not overnight, but one conversation at a time.

That's the kind of leadership I want to bring to the School Board.

And that's where I stand.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of Curtis Campogni, Candidate for Pinellas County School Board, District 3 (At-Large), and do not represent the official position of any organization or governing body.