Parent tells board special-education services have fallen short; superintendent outlines improvement steps

A Hampton parent addressed the school board on Sept. 3 to report longstanding problems with special-education services and urged the board to issue a directive ensuring the division meets state benchmarks for special education.

Brenda Marks told the board she has repeatedly sought compliance for her daughter's individualized education program (IEP) and submitted six years of special-education performance reports. Marks said she had filed complaints outside the division, met with staff, and would continue to press the issue using social and news media until she saw results.

Superintendent Raymond Haynes responded during the superintendent’s report. Haynes said the state reports are designed to measure division performance rather than evaluate individual students and that the indicators aim to ensure compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). He said the division provides a continuum of services and cited specific efforts to support students with disabilities, including contracting outside evaluators to handle higher referral volumes, refining internal tracking systems to meet evaluation timelines, and providing professional development and evidence-based reading supports in alignment with the Virginia Literacy Act. Haynes acknowledged areas for growth, particularly in timely evaluations and services, and said the division has an eligibility tracker to help meet the 65-day evaluation limit. He also noted that federal and state graduation metrics differ and that the division had recently completed federal monitoring processes.

Marks was acknowledged for meeting with superintendent staff earlier and told the board she would continue to pursue the issue until she saw measurable change. The board did not take immediate action at the meeting; the superintendent said matters requiring response would be directed to his office for research and follow-up.