Complaint Summary

Date Findings Report Sent

May 20, 2026

Case Number

26-0518

School District

Old Saybrook Public Schools (single student) 

Person filing complaint

Parent

Grade Level

Elementary school

Allegation(s)

Issue 1: The Parent alleged that the District did not complete the ED629 (the Multidisciplinary Evaluation Report for Students Suspected of Having a Specific Learning Disability) at a PPT meeting held on September 16, 2025, when determining the Student’s eligibility for special education. (34 CFR § 300.111(a) and RCSA §10-76d-9 and 34 CFR § 300.111(b))

Issue 2: The Parent alleged that the District did not use data when making the determination that the Student was not eligible for special education and related services under the primary disability of Emotional Disability at a PPT meeting held on March 20, 2026. The Parent further alleged that the District did not share the evaluation obtained by the Parent with the PPT prior to the meeting, copies of the evaluation were not shared or reviewed at the PPT meeting, and that the evaluation obtained by the Parent was not considered by the District at the PPT meeting held on March 19, 2026. (34 CFR § 300.306(c))

Conclusion(s)

Issue 1:

There is no evidence that the District was considering eligibility for special education and related services under the primary disability of a specific learning disability at the PPT meeting held on September 16, 2025. The referral submitted by the Parent indicated the major area of concern was social/emotional. The classroom teacher’s report at the initial PPT meeting indicated that the Student was meeting all academic benchmarks. Areas of struggle were identified as “unstructured settings, particularly with noisy settings and when faced with social conflicts such as winning/losing”. If the PPT was not considering a specific learning disability, the Multidisciplinary Evaluation Report for Students Suspected of Having a Specific Learning Disability (ED629) would not have been required at the PPT meeting held on September 16, 2025. Therefore, the District was not in violation of the requirements of 34 CFR § 300.111(a) and RCSA §10-76d-9. No corrective action is required. 

Issue 2:

In advance of the PPT meeting held on March 19, 2026, the Parent provided the District with an independent evaluation obtained by the Parent. At the PPT meeting, the Director stated that she had reviewed the evaluation but had not shared it with the PPT team and the evaluation was then not shared with the members of the PPT at the meeting. The only element of the evaluation that was discussed was the diagnoses of Autism and Adjustment disorder. There is no evidence to support that the Parent’s input, in the form of the independent evaluation, was considered. While the PPT completed the Planning and Placement Team worksheet to Determine Eligibility for Special Education Due to an Emotional Disability at the PPT meeting and found the Student ineligible for special education and related services, 34 CFR § 300.306(c) requires the LEA to draw upon information from a variety of sources, including aptitude and achievement tests, parent input, and teacher recommendations, as well as information about the child’s physical condition, social or cultural background, and adaptive behavior; and ensure that information obtained from all these sources is documented and carefully considered. The District is in violation of 34 CFR § 300.306(c) as it relates to the consideration of parent input, specifically the independent evaluation obtained by the Parent. Corrective action is required.

Corrective Action(s)

1. The District must reconvene a PPT meeting, preferably (but not required) with the evaluator who conducted the evaluation in attendance given the Director expressed concerns with the evaluation, to consider and document information from a variety of sources including Parent’s input in the form of the independent evaluation obtained by the Parent and use all available information when reconsidering the Student’s eligibility for special education and related services.The consideration of the evaluation must be documented following its careful consideration in accordance with 34 CFR § 300.306(c).The PPT meeting must be convened prior to the end of the 2025-2026 school year.The District must inform this investigator after required documentation for the PPT meeting is finalized in CT-SEDS.