- Parents backed Nevada SB 174 in 2025 to bring outside ABA paraprofessionals into schools, including CCSD.
- IDEA requires a free appropriate public education for children with disabilities.
- In-school access can spare families from choosing between therapy and school.
- The effort shows what organized, collective parent advocacy can accomplish.
A parent-driven bill aimed at bringing additional ABA paraprofessionals into Clark County School District classrooms for students on the spectrum is the kind of policy movement that starts in living rooms and ends in legislative chambers.
According to 8 News Now's February 2025 report, parents were advocating for Nevada Senate Bill 174 in the 2025 legislative session. As the report describes it, the bill would allow outside paraprofessionals to provide ABA and other therapy to students during the school day. CCSD told the station it was tracking SB 174.
The stakes are real. Under IDEA, a free appropriate public education must be available to children with disabilities. Paraprofessionals, the people who work directly with students in classrooms, are often the front line of that support.
For families who want ABA, access during the school day can mean a child does not have to choose between therapy and school. One mother in the report described taking her daughter out of traditional school and homeschooling her so she could receive ABA therapy.
This bill represents what parent advocacy looks like when it is organized. Not one parent at one IEP table. Parents collectively, building political will, showing up at legislative hearings, putting their stories in front of the people who write the rules.
The WeBearish movement is built on this same principle: the people closest to autistic children, their parents, their families, are the ones driving change. Not always from the outside. Sometimes from inside the systems that are supposed to serve them.
More from WeBearish
- Sensory Tools Guide, Tools the autism community actually recommends - Getting a Diagnosis: A Parent's Guide, Step by step, plain English - Join the WeBearish Community, $3/month. No tragedy narratives.
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Helpful Tools & Resources
Sensory tools, books, and resources that support autistic people and their families:
- Noise-Canceling Headphones for Kids, One of the most impactful sensory tools for many autistic people - Weighted Blankets, Deep pressure support for regulation - Fidget Tools, Tactile regulation tools for hands and focus - Identity-First Books About Autism, Books that celebrate autistic identity - The Explosive Child, Ross Greene, Collaborative problem-solving, respected by autism advocates
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CCSD ABA paraprofessionals bill about?
8 News Now reported in February 2025 that parents were advocating for Nevada Senate Bill 174, which as described would allow outside paraprofessionals to provide ABA and other therapy to students during the school day, including in Clark County School District. The article presents it as an example of policy movement that starts in living rooms and ends in legislative chambers.
Why does in-school ABA access matter to families?
Under IDEA, a free appropriate public education must be available to children with disabilities, and paraprofessionals are often the front line of classroom support. For families who want ABA, access during the school day can mean a child does not have to choose between therapy and school. One mother in the 8 News Now report described homeschooling her daughter so she could receive ABA therapy.
What does this bill show about parent advocacy?
It shows what parent advocacy looks like when it is organized, not just one parent at one IEP table but parents collectively building political will and showing up at legislative hearings. The article ties this to the WeBearish principle that the people closest to autistic children are often the ones driving change. Sometimes that change comes from inside the very systems that are supposed to serve them.