Due to multiple parent
complaints resulting in lawsuits alleging that Mendocino Unified School
District had denied special education services to students within the district,
the Mendocino Grand Jury initiated an investigation.
The Grand Jury noted that
the parents’ lawsuit ruling had found MUSD at fault for failing to properly
identify and provide mandated special education services to several students.
The report also noted the district had been ordered to pay all the parents’
personal costs for special education services including travel, professional
educational consultants, and legal fees dating from January 2021 to June 2022.
The Grand Jury faulted the
school district for its disregard of services for students with individualized
education plans and its failure to inform parents of the free diagnostic
services offered by the North Coast Diagnostic Center. The Grand Jury also
found that the SELPA board’s practice of routinely earmarking budget funds for
future legal settlements provided the Mendocino district with the option of
settling parental lawsuits to avoid expensive judgments.
In spite of settlements,
all parents chose to move their children to other school districts rather than
continue to confront perceived negative viewpoints about special education’s
encroachment on the school district’s general funds. The Grand Jury stated that
non-disclosure agreements tied to settlements hampered its ability to interview
a number of parents about their experiences with the school district.
The report details the
Grand Jury’s findings and recommendations to the school district and to the
county’s SELPA governing board which oversees all of the local schools’ special
education budgets.
To view the entire report,
go to https://www.mendocinocounty.org/government/county-organization/grand-jury/2021-2022-reports
The Mendocino Beacon/Fort
Bragg Advocate News
Mary Benjamin
August 4, 2022
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