Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Brunswick parent alleges repeated denials of 504 accommodations; files complaint with state
Summary
Allison Duiker, a Brunswick resident and 26‑year special education teacher, told the board she repeatedly experienced denial of her child's legally required 504 accommodations from 2021 through 2025, described specific testing incidents and said she has retained an attorney and filed a formal complaint with the Ohio Department of Education.
Allison Duiker, a Brunswick resident and a special education teacher in Bedford City Schools, addressed the Brunswick Board of Education during public comment on Oct. 21 and described multiple instances from 2021 through 2025 in which her child was denied accommodations specified in a 504 plan.
Duiker told the board she requested meetings and reviews of the plan over several years after her child began experiencing testing‑related anxiety. She described repeated failures by school staff to provide accommodations such as small‑group testing, extended time and frequent breaks, saying the failures happened in multiple grades and multiple school years despite repeated apologies from school staff.
Duiker described a specific incident on Sept. 9, 2025: her daughter arrived late to testing because of an orthodontist appointment, was given a computer in an art room where about 20 other students were testing, and then was interrupted when the teacher left for a meeting and another adult stopped the test before it was finished. Duiker said the 504 plan expired on Sept. 11 and the re‑evaluation/renewal meeting was not scheduled until Sept. 19, during which time she said her child was effectively denied services tied to a legally binding plan.
Duiker said she escalated the matter to district administrators (she referenced conversations with staff including principals and central office administrators named during her remarks) and that she has retained counsel. When her attorney sent a demand letter, she said district staff responded that corrective actions were “being worked on” but that those steps “take time.” Duiker said she has filed a formal complaint with the Ohio Department of Education and delivered a written letter to the board, which the board accepted that evening.
Board members did not debate or vote on Duiker’s complaint at the meeting; a representative told her the board would accept the letter and someone would follow up.
Duiker: "I am a resident of this community. I voted for some of you sitting here. I'm a mother. I'm a 26‑year veteran special education teacher, and I am appalled."
