WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IS DEVASTATED. HIS MOM SAYS BELLEVUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS CUTTING. HIS VOLUNTEER HOURS EVEN THOUGH HE’S HAPPY TO WORK FOR FREE. GOOD EVENING. I’M JULIE CORNELL. I’M ROB MCCARTNEY. ISAIAH POPE’S BEEN WITH THE DISTRICT FOR YEARS, BUT HE’S ONLY PAID TO WORK IN THE ELEMENTARIES AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM REST OF HIS TIME. ALL VOLUNTEER KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S ABBIE PETERSEN WAS THERE TONIGHT AS THE FAMILY ASKED THE SCHOOL BOARD FOR ANSWERS. AND ABBY IS JUST BACK FROM BELLEVUE WITH OUR BIG STORY. ROB AND JULIE. THAT’S RIGHT. HE VOLUNTEERED FOR THE TEACHER 35 HOURS A WEEK. ISAIAH AND HIS MOM BOTH TELL ME HE DOES IT BECAUSE HE LOVES IT. AND AFTER SEVEN YEARS, THEY’RE WONDERING WHAT WHAT CHANGED? ISAIAH POPE SPENDS MOST OF HIS TIME AT BELLEVUE ELEMENTARY VOLUNTEERING 35 HOURS A WEEK DURING PE FOR FREE, AND ALSO WORKING A PAID POSITION FOR THE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM. DO THE KIDS HAVE FUN WITH YOU, TOO? YES. ISAIAH LOVES BEING A GOOD ROLE MODEL AND TEACHING KIDS HOW TO BE A GOOD SPORT. NOW HIS FAMILY SAYS THAT WON’T HAPPEN ANYMORE. JUST A LITTLE SAD, JUST LEAVING THE SCHOOL AND JUST NOT SEEING THE KIDS. HE LOVED IT. HE LOVED WHAT HE DID. AND THIS HAS ALL BEEN RIPPED OUT FROM UNDER HIM. HIS MOTHER SAYS THE DISTRICT TOLD HER ISAIAH CAN ONLY VOLUNTEER 1 TO 2 HOURS A DAY. SHE SAYS TOLD HER IT WAS POLICY. IT’S HORRIBLE. IT’S DEVASTATING. ALL THEY KNOW IS THE OUTGOING PE TEACHER IS RETIRING. WE’VE ALWAYS GOTTEN REALLY POSITIVE FEEDBACK. THE DISTRICT TELLS, QUOTE, WE’VE BEEN WORKING WITH MR. POPE’S LEGAL GUARDIANS TO PROVIDE OPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES. I ASKED A DISTRICT SPOKESPERSON ABOUT THE POLICY. POPE MENTIONED THE DISTRICT RESPONDED WITH THIS. THERE’S NOT A POLICY FOR THE SPECIFIC VOLUNTEER HOURS. THE TEN HOURS WAS GIVEN BY THE DISTRICT AS AN EXAMPLE, DURING THE DISCUSSION WITH THE LEGAL GUARDIAN, I ASKED WHAT CHANGED? THE DISTRICT SAYS THEY WERE MADE AWARE OF HIS FULL DAY IN ALL WEEK LONG VOLUNTEERING AROUND FEBRUARY OR MARCH OF THIS YEAR AND RESTATED. THEY’RE WORKING WITH ISAIAH’S GUARDIANS TO LOOK AT ALTERNATIVES. POPE TOOK HER CONCERNS TO THE SCHOOL BOARD MONDAY NIGHT, SO DID CURRENT AND FORMER STUDENTS. PARENTS AND THE TEACHER. ISAIAH HAS WORKED WITH. THE TEACHER SAYS HE GOT PERMISSION FOR ISAIAH ALL OF THOSE YEARS AGO FROM AN ADMINISTRATOR WHO’S NO LONGER THERE, HAD A KID WHO WANTED LIFE AND HAVING A COMMUNITY AND A PURPOSE IN LIFE. AND SO THAT’S WHAT WE GAVE HIM. AND HE FELL IN LOVE WITH OUR SCHOOL. I FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM. ONE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER WAS IN TEARS. SHE SAYS SHE THINKS THE BOARD CAN DO BETTER AND SHE BELIEVES THEY WILL. ISAIAH’S MOM SAYS SHE’LL BELIEVE IT WHEN SHE SEES IT. NOW ISAIAH’S MOM SAYS THE DISTRICT HAS NOT REACHED OUT TO HER ABOUT OTHER OPTIONS. AS FOR HIS PAID AFTER SCHOOL JOB, SHE SAYS HE WILL NOT BE DOING THAT UNLESS HE CAN KEEP