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East Lyme 25-0606

Complaint Summary

Date Findings Report Sent:

July 11, 2025

Case Number:

25-0606

Grade Level:

High school

Person filing complaint:

Parent

School District:

East Lyme

Allegation(s):

  • Issue 1: The Parent alleged that the Student’s regular transportation did not constitute safe and appropriate transportation and that the Student, therefore, required special transportation. (34 CFR § 300.34(c)(16), RCSA § 10-76d-19).
  • Issue 2: The Parent indicated that, at the Student’s PPT meeting, specific accommodations which had been included in the Student’s previous IEP were removed and the Parent alleged that the Student required those accommodations in order to make appropriate progress (34 CFR § 300.320 (4)).

Conclusion(s):

  • As related to Issue 1, in reviewing the process used by the Student’s PPT to determine if special transportation should be continued for the Student, it was determined that the process was reasonable. The PPT considered all available information at that time: a transportation observation which had been conducted, considered the Student’s history with other types of school-related transportation during extracurricular activities, and considered a CREC Soundbridge audiological evaluation. The process resulted in a reasonable determination to return the Student to regular transportation. It was also recommended that the Parent submit a letter from Urgent Care of Colchester regarding the Student, which had not previously been submitted to the District, for consideration at a PPT. Regarding the issue related to the questionable communication from the District to the Parent with respect to the Student’s transportation to compensatory services on two separate dates, it was found that the District did not communicate sufficiently and corrective actions were issued.
  • As related to issue 2, for the portion of the allegation in which the Parent alleged that 16 IEP accommodations were not implemented, it was found that 6 such accommodations were not implemented with fidelity. For the portion of the allegation in which the Parent alleged that 20 IEP accommodations were removed from the Student’s IEP which were required for the Student to make adequate progress, it was found that 20 were, in fact, removed. However, it was determined that the lack of implementation of the 6 accommodations, and the removal of the 20 accommodations did not cause the Student not to achieve less than de minimis progress and that the Student was, in fact, provided FAPE. No corrective actions were issued.

Corrective Action(s):

  1. The District was required to review its procedures or practices for scheduling transportation for activities such as for compensatory services (including the methods utilized to ensure adequate communication between the District and Parents) to determine if such procedures or practices substantially contributed to the insufficient communication found in Issue 1.
  2. If it is determined that such procedures or practices substantially contributed to the insufficient communication in Issue 1, those procedures or practices shall be revised to address any inadequacies.
  3. After such review (and possible revision has taken place), the District shall provide a signed attestation to the State that such review and/or revision has occurred.