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Parents say special-education transportation changes were rolled out without adequate notice; board urged to allow exceptions
Summary
Several parents told the Litchfield Elementary School District governing board that a recent district decision to implement program boundaries for specialized special-education programs and to limit transportation will force some students to move from placements where they are succeeding unless exceptions or grandfathering are allowed.
Several parents urged the Litchfield Elementary School District governing board on Tuesday to grant transportation exceptions and grandfathering for students in specialized special-education programs after the district sent a notice in late April that it would implement program boundaries for those programs to achieve transportation efficiencies.
During the public comment period, parent Andy Wilhelm said he and many other families were "completely blindsided" by an April 28 notice and that his son, who recently stabilized and is "thriving in his current location," faces a reassignment away from that placement if the district does not provide continued transportation. Wilhelm told trustees the IEP team had previously arranged transportation for his child and that forcing a move because of route changes would be harmful.
Joe Wilhelm, Andy Wilhelm’s husband, told the board he reviewed a previous board meeting where directors discussed options including phased approaches and grandfathering. He said the district had told trustees roughly 75 families would be affected but that, in his view, only about 10 families were randomly contacted for feedback and his family was not surveyed or called. He asked the board to require the district to provide exceptions and to allow families to maintain current school placements and transportation if they desire.
What the commenters asked the board to do
- Require the district to grant individualized exceptions to transportation changes when a move would disrupt an IEP placement and harm student progress. - Grandfather students who are succeeding in their current placements and provide transportation to maintain continuity. - Provide clearer, more inclusive outreach and better documentation of parent feedback before implementation.
District response and context
During the public comment introduction, board staff read a standard disclaimer referencing Arizona law and noting the board cannot take action on items not listed on the agenda during public comment; staff may ask for the matter to be studied or placed on a future agenda. Parents said they expected more direct outreach; the board did not adopt a motion during the meeting to change the transportation policy but did hear the comments and the item was discussed earlier in prior meetings, the parents said.
Other public speakers and notes
Other speakers at public comment raised different topics during the allotted time, including concerns about board governance and training, and a former LESD student offering thanks to the district. The special-education transportation concerns received extended, multiple-family comment and follow-up questions from trustees.
(Reporting note: parental statements about the district's outreach process and the number of families contacted reflect the speakers' accounts during public comment. The district did not record a formal vote or directive on transportation during the meeting; the board indicated such topics can be studied and brought back for action.)
