Mother Of Student With Autism Outraged At Parents 'Cheating The System' In College Admissions Scam
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – A mother of a disabled student is outraged over celebrities and big spenders trying to cheat the system.
"It was really shocking for me especially when I saw Felicity Huffman's daughter got 100% extra time on her test," said Veronica Soliz, a mother of four.
Aaron Soliz is her second child and is one of more than three million students who take a standardized college entrance exam each year.
"It's a pretty stressful situation," Aaron said, but in order to do what he wants, he has to go to college. "I want to be an animator."
Going to college is an accomplishment his parents weren't sure would even happen because Aaron has autism.
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"He couldn't even speak until he was five, he couldn't even hold a pencil until he was nine," Veronica said.
On the day of the test, Aaron received special accommodations because of his disability.
"He got 50% time," She said.
These special accommodations are getting extra scrutiny following the nationwide college acceptance cheating scandal with dozens of people indicted and parents accused of falsely claiming their kids have disabilities to boost test scores.
Now some California lawmakers want to ban the use of the SAT and other standardized tests.
"You know what we should think about doing is just scrapping the whole thing and focusing on just the old fashion way, your grades in your class, your application which looks at your extracurricular activities," Assm. Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento.)
"I think that he would've done just fine without the SATs," Veronica said.
Aaron's mother Veronica says getting the accommodations takes years of doctors notes and special testing.
"It's hard to make this up," she said.
She can't believe these parents allegedly lied and paid for it.
"It's disgusting that people would take advantage of a system that people rely on," she said.
People just like Aaron who depend on it.
"That extra time really made the test for me it was very beneficial for me, I know that if I didn't have it I definitely would not have finished it," Aaron said who is finishing up his freshman year now at Sac State.
