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Multiple parents tell board Springs Charter failing to implement IEPs and denying accommodations
Summary
Several parents and representatives from Springs Charter told the board that special‑education students have been denied speech‑to‑text accommodations, loaner devices and facilitated IEP participation; they urged the county to investigate before approving additional charter campuses.
Several parents and a charter representative raised serious complaints about Springs Charter’s handling of special‑education services during the public‑comment period.
Courtney Cook, senior director of special education for Springs Charter Schools, described the charter’s programs and said staff work to develop meaningful IEPs for students across county programs. Later, multiple parents contradicted that characterization, saying their children were denied services and accommodations.
One parent, Bridal Baum, said an aide told her son not to use speech‑to‑text despite it being an IEP accommodation, and that loaner computers were denied to students who forgot devices at home. "How are they supposed to access education when they are denied the very thing that they need to get their education that day?" she asked the board.
Another parent, Anna Salvatierra, said her son did not receive IEP services consistently and alleged additional incidents including removal from an RSP room and denial of a laptop. Salvatierra said these events led to school refusal by her child and urged the board to consider these implementation problems before approving another Springs campus.
Board members acknowledged the allegations and asked staff to follow up with the charter oversight office. A Springs representative had earlier emphasized privacy constraints (FERPA) and the charter’s dispute‑resolution practices. The board did not take immediate action but requested staff investigate and report back.
Next steps: County staff and the charter office to review the complaints, examine IEP implementation records and return to the board with findings or recommended oversight steps.
