Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lincoln County Schools special education monitoring finds compliance gaps; district moves to fix signage, staffing and procedures
Summary
At a Sept. 16 Lincoln County Board of Education meeting officials described findings from a five‑year special education monitoring visit at three schools and outlined immediate and longer‑term corrective steps, including correcting missing video/audio signage and reviewing staffing and documentation practices.
The Lincoln County Board of Education on Tuesday heard the results of a five‑year special education monitoring visit that reviewed practices at West Hamlin Elementary School, Hamlin Pre K‑8 and Lincoln County High School.
The monitoring team identified repeated issues across the three schools, including missing audio/video‑in‑use signage near cameras, blind spots in camera coverage, inconsistent implementation and display of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), problems with classroom management and use of specially designed instruction, and documentation gaps such as failure to use the required nine‑week assurance form at the end of grading periods.
"There were three classrooms labeled as special education and should not be labeled," Miss Watts said while summarizing the monitor's exit findings. She told the board that a resource room was observed with more than 12 students and that no waiver for that capacity limit was on file. "The 9 week assurance form should be used every 9 weeks or at the end of each grading period," she added.
The report to the board also noted that in one observed classroom three students were sleeping and staff did not check whether they needed a nurse or other intervention; monitors cited at least one classroom that showed "poor classroom management" and limited use of specifically designed instruction. Monitors recommended adjusting pull‑out intervention groups so general‑education students receive grade‑level instruction and ensuring co‑teacher schedules align with the instructional day.
Superintendent Barnett said district staff have already begun addressing some findings. "I've got the tech team down there looking to see where the blind spots are," Barnett told the board, noting signage issues were corrected the same day at some sites and that the district would reposition cameras or order different equipment if necessary. He said audio in special education restrooms is being addressed as well.
Board discussion and staff remarks emphasized operational fixes and training. Watts and Barnett said the district would review the extended school year (ESY) process with teachers, add a special educator to school leadership teams where missing, improve data collection for behavior plans, and reinforce use of the nine‑week assurance form. Watts also highlighted positives from the visit: visible student work, welcoming classrooms, daily PLC meetings at some schools, and teacher engagement observed in several classrooms.
District staff said the formal monitor report will arrive in about 90 days; the team indicated it will return to verify corrections. Barnett said the district's goal is to complete as many corrective actions as possible before the monitor's follow‑up and to finish outstanding items by the end of the school year if feasible.
Clarifying details from the board presentation: three schools were visited over two days; monitors interviewed seven students about CTE classes; a resource room was observed with more than 12 students during observation (no waiver on file); the formal written report is expected in roughly 90 days and the district aims to resolve easily corrected items (signage, camera positioning) immediately.
The board did not take a formal vote on remediation steps during the meeting; staff described planned operational changes and a timeline for follow up.
