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Parent urges Vashon board to rewrite special-education policy language to emphasize inclusion
Summary
A public commenter told the Vashon Island School District board the revised special-education policy reads as if it segregates students and urged clearer, inclusion-focused wording; the board noted OSPI and legal review and asked the commenter to submit annotated suggested edits.
A Vashon Island parent urged the school board on Thursday to revise the district’s draft special-education policy, saying the current wording reads as if the district might separate students rather than prioritize inclusive placement.
"This feels like we're separating students," public commenter Amanda Curtis told the board after the policy discussion, urging the board to add explicit language that, "if we can provide this in the AL setting, we will," and offering to submit an annotated version highlighting the specific language she found problematic.
Administration said the proposed change to policy 2161 arose after a complaint to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and had been reviewed by legal counsel and OSPI. One board member disclosed an abstention from discussion and decisions on policies 2161 and 2255, citing a family conflict of interest.
Board members invited Curtis to share a marked-up version of the policy language so the board and administration could address the specific concerns. The superintendent reiterated that placement decisions are determined by an IEP team and that OSPI had reviewed the proposed revisions, but acknowledged that wording and procedures can affect how policy is perceived.
Next steps: the board asked for specific annotated language from the commenter and noted the policies will return for further consideration; no final policy action on 2161 occurred in this meeting.
