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Parents urge district investigation after alleging repeated 504/IEP failures
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Summary
Two parents told the board their children’s federally protected accommodations were ignored, describing denied restroom access, physical restraint/handling and alleged grading that ignored IEP accommodations; both requested district investigations and corrective actions.
During the public comment period the School Board heard two formal requests for district investigations into alleged failures to follow federally protected accommodations.
A parent identified herself as a Newtown Elementary parent and said her son has an active 504 plan that entitles him to breaks and de‑escalation supports. She said staff repeatedly ignored the plan, recounted an October incident in which her son was denied restroom access that led to an accident and humiliation, and alleged that on April 13 a security guard seized her son by both arms with enough force to leave marks and cause lingering pain. She told the board staff delayed notifying her and that the security guard remained visible at the school in the intervening days. The parent asked for a district‑level 504 compliance review and accountability for staff involved.
A second parent, Candy Mason, described her daughter’s experience in an astronomy class at Bayside High School, alleging the teacher failed to implement IEP accommodations (extended time, chunked assignments), assigned disproportionately long work (6–10 page Gizmo assignments) and applied grade caps that effectively nullified accommodations, resulting in a failing grade. Mason asked the board to remove late‑penalties and zeros, recalculate the astronomy grade and ensure consistent implementation districtwide.
Board procedure note: the board later moved to recess into closed session under Virginia Code § 2.2‑3711 exemptions that explicitly include student records and disciplinary matters and personnel interviews; that motion was approved in open session. The transcript does not record a direct staff response to the two commenters during the public comment time, and neither parent’s complaint was resolved on the record.
Next steps: Parents requested district investigations; board recessed into closed session later in the agenda citing student and personnel matters among other exemptions.
