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Candidates press for faster IEP responses after DESE audit cited at Lowell forum
Summary
At a Lowell School Committee candidate forum, speakers raised concerns about delays in state responses to IEP complaints and urged clearer tracking and faster resolution for special-education services.
Candidates and audience questioners at a Lowell School Committee forum discussed long delays in responding to Individualized Education Program (IEP) complaints and cited a recent audit by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
A forum question referenced the DESE audit, asking what the school committee’s role should be in holding the district accountable for IEP compliance. Connie Martin said compliance timelines are “very clearly, determined by law,” identified administrative timing as a key challenge and noted the committee had previously asked the special-education department to compile timing data to identify gaps. Martin said the district has invested in special-education staffing but acknowledged work remains.
Candidate Sherry O'Connor Barbosa described the complaint timeline as a near-year-and-a-half delay in some cases and said the statutory 60-day expectation for PRS complaint resolution was not being met. She urged earlier identification of students and earlier access to services to avoid “playing catch up” later: “If we can meet them where they're at and give them the supports they need when they need them…we won't be just chasing our tail.”
Dominic Lehi said school committee members should raise problems with the superintendent so the committee can question administration on the record and push for timely service delivery. Candidates also recommended stronger family outreach and earlier “child-find” efforts to identify students who need services sooner.
What was not decided: The forum was a candidate event and did not produce formal committee motions or policy changes. Candidates framed remedies as campaign priorities—improved data tracking, clearer public reporting on unresolved complaints and expanded special-education staffing—without binding commitments.
Provenance: The DESE audit and IEP timeline questions were raised during the equity and special-education segment of the forum; the organizer’s question referencing a DESE audit opens the discussion. The forum included multiple candidate responses that described current challenges and potential remedies.
Ending: Candidates urged voters to consider special-education responsiveness and transparency when evaluating candidates ahead of early voting and Election Day.
