Volusia County Schools outline ESE compliance gains, Education Modified rollout and plans to expand service continuum

Volusia County School Board members heard a progress report on Exceptional Student Education on the workshop agenda in February 2025, including updates on implementation of the Education Modified platform, quarterly compliance audits and planned changes to the district's continuum of ESE services.

The report, delivered by Jacqui Copeland, executive director for Exceptional Student Education, and supported by Superintendent Dr. Carmen Balgobin, said the district is continuing to implement measures required by a Department of Justice settlement that followed an ADA complaint filed in February 2018 and that remains in effect through August 2026. Copeland told the board the district has focused on limiting suspensions of students with disabilities, reducing law-enforcement involvement, improving documentation and increasing staff training.

The presentation said the district piloted the Education Modified technology platform in 2023'24 and rolled it out more widely in 2024'25 to help teachers acknowledge IEPs, track accommodations and log paraprofessional support. Copeland said the district has seen substantial usage of the platform: "at this current school year, we've had almost 3,000,000 submissions," and the…