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Gadsden ISD proposes anonymous climate survey for special education staff to guide targeted supports

Gadsden Independent School District Board of Education · January 9, 2026
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Summary

The district proposed a two-phase special-education climate survey: an anonymous initial survey of principals, teachers and instructional assistants followed by a focused, campus-identified survey to design training, templates and compliance tools. Staff aim to finalize the climate survey by late January and issue the focus survey in February.

Secretary Claudia Rodriguez and special-education leadership presented a two-phase climate-survey approach on Jan. 8 to assess supports for special-education services and campus-level implementation.

Phase 1 would be an anonymous climate survey for principals, assistant principals, general-education teachers, special-education teachers and instructional assistants to identify what is working and what is not in communication, compliance, service delivery and staff training. Phase 2 would be a targeted survey that includes campus identifiers and roles so leaders can develop site-specific supports and training.

Officials said the surveys will inform development of tools such as an IEP agenda checklist, improved documentation processes, scheduling assistance for related services, and training aligned to IDEA and district corrective-action priorities. Leadership discussed using the technology department (or a neutral third party) to collect and summarize anonymous responses to encourage honest feedback and reduce perceived risk of retaliation.

Board members asked about anonymity, third-party administration, timeline and parent/staff inclusion. Leadership proposed finalizing the climate survey in late January, administering it for about a week and following with a focused survey in February to support budget and staffing plans for the coming year.

No contract or third-party vendor was selected at this meeting; the survey questions remain in draft form and leadership solicited board feedback before distribution.