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Parents, disability advocates tell Roaring Fork board letters left some families without clear appeal steps for special‑education placements
Summary
The Arc of the Central Mountains and Spanish‑speaking parents told the board that Spanish translations of key IEP documents are missing, the language‑line service is insufficient, and several families received late letters saying students in the Significant Support Needs program would not be offered placement next year because of overcapacity.
Members of the Arc of the Central Mountains and parent organizers addressed the board about problems families said they encountered in special education this spring.
Jill Pitcock, executive director of the Arc of the Central Mountains, told the board the Arc was not invited as a community partner to participate in a special‑education program audit survey and said community respondents were told the survey results would be shared but that follow‑up has not been provided. She urged the district to translate critical IEP documents into Spanish before meetings, including progress reports and evaluation reports that describe present levels of performance.
Maribel Abreque (identified as director of operations and outreach at the Arc) said several monolingual Spanish‑speaking families learned in May that their children in the Significant Support Needs (SSN) program at Glenwood Springs High School would not be offered enrollment for the upcoming year due to program overcapacity and that priority was given to in‑district students. Abreque said the letters referenced Regulation JFB‑R (intra‑district choice/open enrollment) and mentioned an appeal right but did not explain how to appeal; the notification instead advised families to email the vice principal to request a meeting. She said one mother who sought to appeal was told the decision had already been made and described the meeting as “performative.”
Advocates said the affected students are typically children with disabilities who have attended the district since preschool and that late, unclear notices have the potential to destabilize students who benefit from continuity of services. Jill Pitcock urged the board to review both the compliance process and the district’s communication and language access practices.
Ending: The speakers asked the district to provide clearer, translated materials and to explain the appeal process in plain language to families, especially monolingual Spanish speakers. The board did not take immediate action during the meeting; staff and board members acknowledged the comments and said the district would follow up on outstanding audit and communication questions.
