Director: DESE integrated monitoring underway; district details PRS complaint outcomes
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Summary
Doctor D'Angelo briefed the committee on DESE monitoring visits, recommended staff training and program changes, and provided PRS complaint statistics (117 filings since 2017; 62% screened out; 26% letters of finding; 11% pending). She said three hearing requests since July 2025 produced two resolutions and one litigation the district won.
Doctor D'Angelo, the district’s director of student support services, presented the committee with an update on special-education administration and the DESE integrated monitoring process.
She introduced three building-level special-education administrators and described the monitoring work DESE conducted this week: a site visit across seven buildings, review of records and remote interviews with a cross-section of staff. D'Angelo said the district will receive a preliminary findings report (expected in February) and will be able to submit additional documentation during the review period.
D'Angelo also outlined program improvements tied to prior evaluations: additional training on the new IEP model (webinar sessions with an external consultant), hiring a district team‑share position to support middle-school meeting facilitation, and adopting Safety Care (a de‑escalation and behavior management training) with a train‑the‑trainer approach so the district can build internal capacity.
PRS complaint data: D'Angelo provided PRS problem-resolution system numbers to clarify public discussion: 117 PRS filings from 2017 to present; roughly 46% of filings in the past two years came from five repeat parties; 62% of filings were screened out (no investigation opened); 26% resulted in letters of finding that required corrective actions (training, memos or other remedies); 11% of filings were pending at the time of the update. Since July 2025 there were three hearing requests: two were resolved and one proceeded to a hearing in which the district prevailed, and the decision is available on the DESE website.
Committee reaction: Members thanked D'Angelo for the data and for improvements to the special-education website and messaging; several offered help with outreach and implementation. Parents and staff in the room praised the hiring of the team‑share role and the planned training.