ESTABLISHED 1879 | COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI CDISPATCH.COM 50 ¢ NEWSSTAND | 40 ¢ HOME DELIVERY MONDAY | SEPTEMBER 24, 2018 CMSD to address SPED compliance at public meeting One of four formal complaints against dealt with indi- IF YOU GO In 2017, MDE began investi- vidual students, ■ WHAT: CMSD special meeting on gating a sample of 62 SPED stu- while one parent status of special education depart- dents. In March, MDE found 95 special education department resolved filed a blanket ment percent of those students did not ■ WHERE: Brandon Central Services BY MARY POLLITZ complaint on be- have appropriate IEPs — which The meeting, aimed to in- ■ WHEN: Tonight at 6 p.m.
[email protected] form parents of SPED children half of all CMSD set individual educational goals and the general public, will be- SPED students. for students and determines the Columbus Municipal School gin at 6 p.m. at Brandon Central The com- Smith Cheryl Smith, who replaced services needed to obtain those District will host a public meet- Services. plaints alleged, Donna Jones as Special Educa- goals — meaning students were ing tonight to address improve- Last year, four CMSD par- among other things, that CMSD tion director in January, said not getting the services they ments and ongoing concerns ents filed complaints with the SPED students weren’t getting she will be updating the pub- needed for their education. about its special education de- Mississippi Department of Ed- their required individualized lic on where the department Smith said she will address partment (SPED) amid a state ucation against the district’s education plans (IEPs) and ser- stands now after the MDE’s re- those compliance issues to- investigation.