Stafford 26-0278

Complaint Summary

Date Findings Report Sent

January 20, 2026

Case number

26-0278

School District

Stafford Public Schools

Person filing the complaint

Advocate

Grade Level

Middle

Allegation(s)

  • Failure to conduct a comprehensive evaluation to identify all of the child’s special education and related services needs, whether or not commonly linked to the disability category in which the student has been classified (34 CFR § 300.304(c)(6))
  • Failure to use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information about the child, including information provided by the parent, in conducting an evaluation (34 CFR § 300.304(b)(1))

Conclusion(s)

The Parent submitted a referral to determine eligibility for special education and related services. The areas of concern indicated in the referral were academic with specific concerns of attention, organization, work completion, and social difficulties. A PPT meeting was held where the PPT reviewed the referral and recommended an evaluation to determine if the Student was eligible for special education and related services.

Another PPT meeting was held to review initial evaluation results and determine eligibility for special education and related services. The District indicated that the PPT utilized the following assessments to determine eligibility for special education and related services: psychological evaluation, educational evaluation and behavioral observation report. It must be noted that the PPT planned to conduct assessments in communication and social history when recommending the initial evaluation, although these were not completed or reviewed by the PPT when determining eligibility.

A review of the assessment reports reviewed by the PPT was conducted for the investigation. Although the evaluation utilized multiple sources of information and different types of data, it lacks evidence of assessing all dimensions of ADHD and getting information about the Student’s functioning in different settings. The initial referral made by the Parent indicates that there are concerns regarding the Student’s attention, organization, work completion, and social difficulties. The assessments reviewed to determine eligibility contain limited data for the concerns indicated in the initial referral.

In addition to this, the District indicated that the PPT utilized the ADD/ADHD Worksheet and the Autism Worksheet when determining if the Student was eligible to receive special education and related services and both worksheets were not completed comprehensively. The PPT utilized only part of the recommended assessments to complete the worksheets, as the evaluation that was planned for was incomplete.

As evidenced by the teacher report reviewed by the PPT, the Student was failing four out of seven classes. The observations reviewed by the PPT indicate that concerns were present when the Student was participating in class. This indicates that the Student may have required further intervention than what was being provided at time of the PPT meeting.

Based on the facts above, the District is in violation of 34 CFR § 300.304(c)(6) because the evaluation was not sufficiently comprehensive to identify all of the child’s special education and related services needs, whether or not commonly linked to the disability category in which the student has been classified. The District is also in violation of 34 CFR § 300.304(b)(1) for not utilizing a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information about the child, including information provided by the parent. Corrective action is required.

It must be noted that after the complaint was filed, a Referral to Determine Eligibility for Special Education and Related Services was completed in November 2025. A PPT meeting was held to review initial evaluation results and determine eligibility for special education and related services. At this PPT, the District’s ADD/ADHD Worksheet was reviewed again with the existing assessment data. The PPT determined the Student is now eligible for special education and related services under the category of OHI-ADD/ADHD. The PPT recommended additional targeted assessments including neuropsychological evaluation by a mutually agreed upon evaluator, social history, communication evaluation, fine motor skills evaluation, sensory processing evaluation, and observation by the District’s speech and language pathologist to determine assistive technology supports and strategies.

Although the District attempted to correct the violations found prior to the findings of this investigation, the eligibility determination made at the PPT meeting indicates that the Student should have been determined eligible for special education and related services at the previous PPT meeting. Because of this, compensatory services are required.

Corrective Action(s)

On or before March 15, 2026, the District must provide training to special education teachers and related service providers involved in eligibility determination for special education or related services at the middle school. The training must include the following items:

  • Requirements of 34 CFR § 300.304(c)(6)
  • Requirements of 34 CFR § 300.304(b)(1)
  • The District’s procedure for planning and conducting an initial evaluation
  • The District’s procedure for determining eligibility at PPT meetings
  • The District’s procedure for completing the District’s ADD/ADHD Worksheet at PPT meetings
  • The District’s procedure for completing the Worksheet for Determination of Eligibility for Special Education Services Under the Classification of Autism at PPT meetings

Such training may be in a form chosen by the District (e.g., memorandum, video, live, etc.).

No later than March 30, 2026, the District shall provide the CSDE with an attestation that the training has occurred including names, roles, and signatures of staff that participated in the training.

On or before March 15, 2026, the District must develop a compensatory service plan to provide the Student with 33 hours of executive functioning services and 3 hours of counseling services.

  • Should all parties feel that the total number of owed compensatory services hours will be overly burdensome to the Student, the parties may determine a mutually agreed upon alternate number of hours and inform the State of that agreement.
  • The full measure of missed service hours must be delivered to the Student no later than September 30, 2026.

On or before March 15, 2026, the District must send a copy of the compensatory service plan to the CSDE.

Immediately upon delivery of the Student’s full measure of compensatory services, the District shall inform the CSDE.