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Superintendent: KSDE found no statewide findings after formal complaint about IEP implementation
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Swift told the Lawrence Board of Education that a formal complaint alleging Individualized Education Program requirements were not being met was investigated by the Kansas State Department of Education and found no statewide findings; the district said it will continue to use complaints to improve services.
Superintendent Dr. Swift told the Lawrence Board of Education on June 9 that the district had received a formal complaint this spring alleging that some students’ Individualized Education Program (IEP) services were not being implemented as written.
Dr. Swift said the Kansas State Department of Education’s special education investigator reviewed the complaint and “determined that there were no findings indicating that students’ needs are not being met and IEPs are being implemented in Lawrence Public Schools.”
The superintendent also described the district’s approach to special education: Lawrence Public Schools employs about 1,550 professional educators, support staff and building and district leaders and serves approximately 2,430 students on IEPs. Dr. Swift said the district uses the IEP team process, which by law includes parents, to resolve disagreements about services and that federal law provides informal and formal methods for family recourse including a formal complaint process and due process.
Dr. Swift said the district treats every complaint, even those ultimately determined to be unsubstantiated, as a learning opportunity. “Our special education team uses every complaint … as a learning experience for making systemic improvements,” she said.
The superintendent encouraged families with concerns to contact the district directly: “Please reach out, call us, or email. Our team welcomes the opportunity to hear from parents to discuss their child’s educational experience and to work together through any difficulties,” she said.
The district did not vote or take formal action on any new special education policy at the June 9 meeting; the superintendent’s remarks were delivered as part of her regular report and were informational.
