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Parents and advocates urge PSD board to audit special education after falling IEP graduation rates
Summary
During community comment the board heard calls for a district audit of special education and integrated services after multiple speakers cited declining graduation rates for students on IEPs, high law‑enforcement referral rates for students with disabilities and open federal complaints.
Parents, advocates and community members asked the Poudre School District board on Sept. 9 to order a disabilities audit and a task force to examine the district’s special education services, citing declining four‑year graduation rates for students with individualized education programs (IEPs) and other concerning data.
Anna Labeda, who identified herself as a parent of a child on an IEP, told the board that four‑year graduation rates for students on IEPs in the district have been below state averages for five consecutive years. “We need to throw intention at these kids with the same kind of gusto that we throw at our typically performing students,” Labeda said during public comment.
Danny Lawrence, a community member who reviewed Colorado Department of Education data, said law‑enforcement referrals were disproportionately assigned to students with IEPs and Section 504 plans in 2023–24 and that he found the district added about 100 fewer IEPs than in prior years. “In 23‑24 school year, students with IEPs and 504s made up 68% of the law enforcement referrals districtwide,” Lawrence said. He told the board the district has 17 open federal Office for Civil Rights investigations relating mostly to disability rights.
Both speakers urged the board to direct the superintendent to commission an independent audit of the integrated services department and to create a task force to act on the audit’s findings. Lawrence described the situation as a “five‑alarm fire” for families of students who rely on special education services and said the evidence is “overwhelming and damning.”
Board members did not vote on the request during the meeting. Kristin Draper, board president, thanked speakers for their comments and pointed attendees to an upcoming engagement session.
The board’s agenda that night also included a staff presentation on district enrollment trends and projections; several board members said they expect comprehensive planning work and community engagement to inform future responses to concerns raised during public comment.
Ending: Speakers asked the board to provide a specific directive to the superintendent to begin an audit and to establish a community task force; at the meeting the board acknowledged the request but took no formal action.
Sources for this article: community comment statements by Anna Labeda and Danny Lawrence at the Sept. 9, 2025 board meeting.
