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Parent describes long delay securing IEP; district plans external review of special education
Summary
A Glen Ellyn parent told the board her family waited more than two years for an individual education plan (IEP); the superintendent said the district will pursue an outside review of special education and convene stakeholders.
A parent told the Glen Ellyn School District 41 Board on June 16 that her son's special education needs went underserved for years and that district processes were slow, and district leaders said they will commission an outside review and engage stakeholder groups.
Dawn Reese, who identified herself as a parent of a rising second-grader at Ben Franklin Elementary, told the board she had filed "more than 2 years and 3 formal requests" to obtain an IEP for her son. She said her child has permanent hearing loss ("cochlear in both ears"), ocular motor dysfunction affecting visual tracking, is "profoundly dyslexic," and has Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Reese said the family hired two advocates, including one from the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, after two IEP requests were denied and the child was placed on a 504 plan and tiered interventions.
Reese described repeated communications with the school: "it took more than 13 emails and 4 months to figure out what was going on with the school," she said, and asked the board to improve communication and the district's special education processes.
Superintendent Jeff acknowledged special education had been "on my radar all year" and told the board the district would take a closer look at its special education program. He said the district previously completed a review in 2017 with a refresh in 2020 and that the administration would "work with an outside consultant on this" while pulling in stakeholder groups to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement.
Nut graf: The public comment from Reese presented an individualized account of long delays and multiple appeals to secure special education supports; the superintendent responded by promising a renewed, consultant-supported review and stakeholder outreach to assess district practice and identify improvements.
Board members and administrators discussed communication and documentation practices; Superintendent Jeff said the district will include the special-education review among priorities for the coming year along with preschool planning and instructional technology.
Ending: The board did not vote on specific policy changes during the meeting; administration described planned follow-up actions and stakeholder engagement to review special education services and procedures.
