Comment on State investigating Iowa City schools’ practices in special education

The state Department of Education opened two reviews of the Iowa City school district this week over the way it runs its special education program.According to a May 4 letter from the state department, one review was spurred by the district’s failure to comply with corrective measures laid out by the Grant Wood Area Education Association, which monitors 32 area school districts including Iowa City for violations of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.Those measures were meant to correct “documentation issues that were systemic and needed to be addressed,” said Maria Cashman, the AEA’s director of special education.Many of the issues identified, Cashman said, centered on individualized education plans — a document that outlines services for a student who receives special education.