With literacy bill, Wyoming advocates and lawmakers aim to shore up students’ futures

Many tears were shed inside a nondescript meeting room inside the Wyoming Capitol, where legislators gathered last week to discuss education policy.

Adolescent students cried while telling lawmakers about their own debilitating reading struggles and the subsequent anxiety and self-doubt they felt. Parents broke down describing the frustrations of watching their children advance in grades even as their reading difficulties undeniably impacted their performance. A grandfather’s voice cracked as he recounted the transformation his granddaughter made once she was finally identified as dyslexic and received appropriate help.

“Please do not fail these children,” the grandfather, John Ridley, implored lawmakers on the Legislature’s Joint Education Committee.

Ridley joined family members, stude