Parents and candidates press district after state finds IEP failures
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Summary
Candidates at a League of Women Voters forum described IEP compliance and special-education delivery as urgent problems after state findings; they offered funding, family engagement, staffing and transparency as remedies.
A state review that found Northampton Public Schools failed to provide required special-education services topped discussion at a League of Women Voters candidate forum on Nov. 3, where candidates said immediate steps are needed to restore services and trust.
Several candidates described special-education delivery as the district’s most urgent weakness. "I think the biggest weakness is… the failure to provide for our special education students in the way that we should be," candidate Roberta Sanger Sullivan said, citing gaps that have only recently begun to be addressed. Anat Wiesenfreund, the Ward 2 incumbent, said the lapse had created a "vacuum of leadership" and noted that the district was found to be in violation of legal obligations to students with disabilities.
Why it matters: schools are legally required under federal special-education law to provide services set out in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Candidates framed the problem as a mix of insufficient funding, leadership turnover, and weak family engagement — issues that affect both compliance and students’ daily access to instruction.
What candidates proposed: several recurring remedies came up during the forum. Candidates urged clearer, districtwide family-engagement practices so caregivers are treated as experts on their children’s needs; more predictable staffing and investment so that services can be delivered in-class (push-in) rather than pulling students out; and increased transparency about corrective actions and timelines.
Anat Wiesenfreund said funding remains central: "We don't have enough funding to reliably provide all the services that we are required by law to provide to students with disabilities." She argued that the district must prioritize resources without shifting supports away from other students.
Angela Wack, a candidate for Ward 2, linked IEP problems to leadership instability, citing frequent principal turnover at specific schools: "The school that was cited for the most deficiencies… had 3 principals in 3 years." She recommended retaining leadership and using one-time funds to implement evidence-based curricula and staff training.
Candidates from both the at-large and Ward 2 contests said rebuilding trust will require both accountability and outreach. Several said the district should offer formal apologies where appropriate, conduct exit interviews with departing leaders, and publish clear plans and timelines for corrective measures so families can track progress.
What the district must clarify: speakers invoked federal and state rules without naming specific remedies in the forum. Candidates repeatedly asked for a public, step-by-step remediation plan and asked that the district report to the school committee and community regularly about compliance milestones.
Looking ahead: candidates said they would press for funding, stronger family-engagement policies, more staff to provide services in inclusive settings, and clearer public reporting. "We have to figure it out," Wiesenfreund said, "as a community, no matter what."
