Complaint Summary

Date Findings Report Sent:

September 19, 2025

Case Number:

26-0027

Grade Level:

High school

Person filing complaint:

Parent

School District:

New Haven Public Schools/Charter School

Allegation(s):

• 34 CFR §§ 300.323(c)(2) and 300.17, RCSA § 10-76d-1(a)(1) failure to provide timely special education and related services in accordance with the student’s individualized education program.
• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-66ee failure by the school district where the student resides to convene the planning and placement team (PPT), inviting representatives of the charter school and paying the charter school for the reasonable cost of special education and related services. Failure by the charter school to ensure that services are provided as mandated by the Student’s IEP.
• 34 CFR § 300.111 failure by the charter school to identify, locate, and evaluate a child with a disability residing in the State who is in need of special education and related services.
• RCSA § 10-76d-7 failure to provide a prompt referral to a PPT of a child who has been suspended repeatedly or whose behavior, attendance or progress in school is considered unsatisfactory or at a marginal level of acceptance.

Conclusion(s):

• The District failed to retain appropriate oversight of the Student, properly report the educational placement, and convene a PPT with representatives from the Charter. Both the Charter and the District failed to ensure that services were provided as required per the Student’s IEP. Consequently, the District and the Charter are in violation of 34 CFR §§ 300.323(c)(2), 300.17, RCSA § 10-76d-1(a)(1), and Connecticut General Statute § 10-66ee. The Charter asserts that it had no knowledge of the Student’s eligibility for special education and therefore did not have an IEP to implement. However, the Student’s documented truancy, unsatisfactory academic progress, and behavioral incidents resulting in suspension were known and should have triggered a timely referral to special education. By failing to act on these indicators, the Charter failed to meet its child find obligations and is in violation of 34 CFR § 300.111 and RCSA § 10-76d-7.

Corrective Action(s):

• The District and the Charter will coordinate to provide the Student with compensatory education to make up for the time missed in the areas of academic services and counseling services. The District and the Charter must convene a PPT meeting to conduct an annual review and, with the Parent’s consent, recommend any necessary evaluations to update the Student’s present levels of performance and all corresponding sections of the IEP. The District is required to review their current monitoring systems, and provide training for administrators involved in this case, on responsibilities when students within the district attend Charter schools. The Charter is required to provide training for all staff involved in this case, including the Students’ teachers, school counselor, and administrators, on the laws and regulations relating to Child Find requirements. The Charter is required to provide training for all staff involved in this case, including the staff responsible for handling student attendance, on laws and regulations relating to truancy policies and procedures. The Charter is required to provide training for all staff involved in this case, including the staff responsible for student enrollment, on the processes for communicating with districts regarding the intake of new students.