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Parents press Waterloo board over special-education communication; district pledges new director and outreach
Summary
Parents and advocates told the board that resource rooms and inclusion help students meet IEP goals; the superintendent apologized for gaps in communication and said the district is hiring a full-time special-education director and will meet with families to review IEPs.
Public comment at the Waterloo Board of Education’s June 11 meeting focused on special-education services and communication between families and the district. Dominique Becker told the board that “Room is more than an academic support service,” saying resource rooms provide individualized instruction to help students meet IEP goals and state standards. Nicole Starcher urged the district to prioritize inclusion, co-teaching and universal-design training for general-education teachers.
Superintendent responded that the district is making special education a priority and apologized for not being aware of individual parents’ concerns, saying, “I am sorry that I was unaware of that,” and offering to meet with families and read IEPs with them. The superintendent said the district plans to hire a full-time director to oversee special-education services and noted that several current administrators and new hires have intervention-specialist backgrounds to strengthen service continuity.
Board members and administrators acknowledged recent personnel transitions and promised more regular communication during the summer and ahead of the next school year. The board president and other members invited parents to remain after the meeting for follow-up and encouraged district staff to arrange meetings to address specific IEP questions.
