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Parents tell East Lansing board that ASD classroom practices and IEPs are failing; call for investigation
Summary
Multiple parents urged the board to investigate alleged failures in the ASD program at White Hills Elementary, saying IEPs are not being implemented, gen-ed minutes are far below written requirements, communication from administrators has been inadequate, and mediation requests were unanswered; speakers filed a formal complaint citing district policy Section 3115.
Several parents used the meeting’s public-comment period to raise detailed allegations about autism-spectrum-disorder (ASD) classroom supports, IEP implementation and district communication practices at White Hills Elementary.
"This denial of an IEP amendment wasn't about what we might actually want to amend. It was about showing us who runs the show, who has the power," Sarah Wilson said, describing email exchanges and a prior written notice she said limited the family’s ability to request an immediate IEP amendment. She said the family had requested contact with the district and, after repeated unanswered emails, filed a formal complaint to the board alleging violations of policy 3115 (grievance, non-discrimination, anti-harassment and non-retaliation).
Kathleen Brady, a White Hills parent, described her non-verbal first-grade son’s reliance on adult support and said the classroom has seen multiple staff changes since February. Brady said behavior-tracking and incident documentation were inconsistent, that her child attended general-education class only about five times since early February despite an IEP specifying 100–300 minutes per week, and that serious safety incidents occurred within days of a recent IEP meeting.
Commenters alleged additional problems including long delays answering parent emails, use of day-to-day substitutes for extended periods, and at least one asserted FERPA error in a prior written notice (a parent said the notice named the wrong student). Parents requested that the board investigate, ensure IEPs are implemented, improve communication and consider mediation; Sarah Wilson stated she had contacted the special-education mediation office and said district staff did not respond to multiple mediation outreach attempts.
Board members who spoke after public comment thanked parents for raising the issues and said trustees would review the materials provided. One trustee noted an obligation to study the documentation before taking a formal position and said he would recuse from judicial review of a case if it reached that point.
The comments were submitted as public testimony; the board did not take immediate disciplinary or personnel action during the meeting. Parents said they had prepared documentation and asked the board to follow up.
