Complaint Summary
Date Findings Report Sent:
March 20, 2026
Case Number:
26-0385
Grade Level:
Elementary School
Person filing complaint:
Advocate
School District:
Danbury Public Schools (single student)
Allegation(s):
- Issue 1: The complainant alleged that the District did not respond to the Parent’s request for an independent educational evaluation (IEE) at public expense nor did the district file a due process complaint in response to the Parent’s request, causing an unnecessary delay. (34 CFR § 300.502(2)).
Conclusion(s):
The District acknowledged that the Parent’s request for an IEE at public expense went unanswered from December 8, 2025, until February 12, 2026, after the complaint was filed. The delay in the District’s response is considered unnecessary, and therefore it is concluded that the District violated 34 CFR § 300.502(b)(2) by not approving the request for the IEE or filing a due process complaint to request a hearing to show that its evaluation was appropriate. Corrective action is required.
Corrective Action(s):
- The District is required to fund the independent neuropsychological, speech and language, and occupational therapy evaluations of the Student. At the Parent’s discretion, the District may conduct their own occupational therapy evaluation based on the agreement between the District and the Parent on February 12, 2026. Immediately and not later than two weeks from the issuance of this letter, this investigator must be sent documentation that the District has taken steps to ensure that the independent educational evaluations are conducted at no cost to the Parent. Such documentation could be correspondence from the District to the independent evaluators stating that the District will be responsible for the cost of the evaluation.
- The District must provide training to the District’s special education and building administrators on the required response, timeline, and follow-up actions when a Parent requests an independent education evaluation (IEE) at public expense. Documentation of the training shall be sent to this investigator on or before April 27, 2026. The documentation must include an overview of the training materials as well as staff signatures, titles, and date for all staff that participated. The District’s tracking system for IEE requests must also be sent to this investigator for review.