Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents and a student urge Bexley board to prioritize special education after external review
Summary
Three public commenters — a parent, a former board member and a student — told the Bexley City School District board that an external special-education review shows systemic failures and urged immediate action, retraining of staff and that student safety must come before facility or athletics spending.
Several parents and a student used the board’s public comment period to press Bexley City School District leaders for swift changes to special education services following an external review.
Alana Spector, introduced herself as “a very proud parent of a student with a disability,” and told the board she is “exhausted,” saying the district’s special education services have been “miserable” and that an audit compelled by the teachers’ association shows the student voice is “the least heard.” She said the district cannot afford to wait three years to make changes for her child and urged the board to focus on special education rather than facilities or a sports complex. “No longer can you gaslight me and tell me it’s gotten better because it hasn’t,” Spector said.
Alicia Mitchell, who identified herself as a parent and former board member, said the outside investigation into athletics confirmed policy violations and alleged obstruction and retaliation by some coaches and surrogates. Mitchell said the district has “moved with a lack of transparency behind closed doors” and urged the board not to return staff to proximity with alleged victims without retraining and demonstrable competency.
A student who identified himself as Ada Mitchell described being “verbally and physically harassed” and said a third-party investigation found the allegations credible and substantiated. The student described social and academic harms stemming from the episode and asked the board for “real accountability.”
Why it matters: the comments came the same night district leaders presented the final comprehensive special education review and laid out immediate staffing and implementation steps. Commenters asked the board to act quickly so students currently enrolled do not have to wait the multi-year timelines referenced in the report.
What the board said or did: the board accepted the public comments and proceeded into a scheduled agenda that included a presentation of the external review by the district’s chief academic officer. No formal action was taken during public comment; later in the meeting the board approved routine consent items and after executive session adopted two resolutions related to superintendent and treasurer compensation.
Looking ahead: district leaders told the board they have formed an implementation committee to study the report’s recommendations and proposed near-term hires (an additional intervention specialist and paraprofessional support) and increased co-planning time for staff.
