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Special education teachers urge district not to shift secretary duties to teachers, warn of IDEA compliance risk
Summary
Special education staff told the Richland County CUSD 1 board that duties assigned in mid‑May historically performed by a special needs secretary are being shifted to teachers, creating compliance risks under IDEA and worsening turnover; they requested the district hire a second inclusion teacher for the middle school now.
Special education teachers addressed the Richland County Community School District 1 board during public comment, saying a May 14 assignment of added duties will impair teachers’ ability to meet students’ individualized education program (IEP) requirements.
Melinda King, who identified herself as a special education teacher at RCHS, said the list of new responsibilities included tasks she had not performed in 31 years of teaching and that those duties historically had been completed by the special needs secretary. King told the board that without administrative oversight and the secretary’s support, compliance with special education obligations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is at risk. She said the added responsibilities reduce teachers’ time for instruction, IEP implementation and parental communication and contribute to turnover in special education.
Another speaker, Lori Allen, described the classroom‑level impacts of reduced instructional time: she said students with IEPs need more time with teachers who can implement accommodations, interventions and individualized instruction, and that delaying hiring would harm student outcomes. Allen asked the board to “actively seek and find a second inclusion teacher for the middle school now and not wait until the beginning of the school year.”
Board members did not take an immediate action on the request during the public comment period; the comments were entered into the record during the meeting’s public comments portion.
