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Speakers urge Lee County board to fix ESE services, preserve prevention positions funded by JUUL settlement

5509769 · July 30, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Public commenters highlighted alleged failures in special education services and urged the board to retain prevention specialist positions funded by JUUL settlement money; speakers asked for accountability for administrators and for the district to use settlement funds for prevention.

Parents and education advocates told the Lee County School Board on July 29 that special education services are failing some students and urged the district to use existing settlement funds to preserve prevention positions.

India Valencia, a parent and workshop attendee, said an internal audit found widespread lapses in required special-education supports and urged the board to take immediate action. “An audit pulled 289 student IEPs and found only 2% of those legally required accommodations were actually being delivered,” Valencia said, calling the situation “catastrophic neglect of our most…

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