VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — For the first time, the mother at the center of a $150 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Southeastern Cooperative Educational Program is sharing her story after she says her son was held in a seclusion room in a classroom just days before he died.
Julie Xirau’s son, 11-year-old Josh Sikes, died in November 2024. Josh, who had autism and an intellectual disability, was described by his mother as a “mama’s boy” who navigated the world with the “awe and sense of wonder” of a preschooler.
“He was my best friend,” Xirau told 10 On Your Side’s Angela Bohon. “I doted on him.”…