Parent calls for outside audit of special education after alleged repeated noncompliance; board schedules roundtables

During the public‑comment period, Mandy Colville of Dignity Township delivered an extended statement raising systemic concerns with the district’s special‑education services. Colville said administrators are overextended, placement options are limited, IEPs have not been delivered with fidelity in some cases, and support staff are burnt out. She told the board she keeps working through state complaint channels and said, “I am here to tell you the department needs more.”

Colville described a personal situation that led her to keep her child home from school because of unresolved safety and IEP compliance concerns. She urged the board to commission an outside audit and to institute quality‑assurance checks to identify gaps and prevent issues from escalating.

The nut graf: the meeting record shows a parent making detailed allegations about special‑education capacity and practice, and the board responded by committing to convene special‑education roundtables (dates were announced) to gather more detailed input and by discussing whether budgetary or staffing changes should be accelerated.

Board members and administrators stressed legal limits on discussing individual students in public and encouraged participation in the scheduled roundtables (Feb. 24, Mar. 3, Mar. 10 were announced for special‑education discussions). Several trustees asked staff to bring more precise budget and staffing figures and signaled willingness to consider targeted funding or hires if roundtable findings indicate immediate need. One trustee urged the administration to present salaries and special‑education cost breakdowns in a coordinated way so the board could evaluate funding requests earlier than the April budget process if necessary.

No formal remedies were enacted at the session; staff committed to follow up through roundtables, data review and potential budget proposals informed by the roundtable outcomes.