Running head: SPECIAL EDUCATION CASE STUDY 1

Special Education Case Study

Daniel D. Ramos

Grand Canyon University

EAD 519: Clinical Internship 1

Dr. Beverly Deis

March 30, 2021

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Case Analysis

1. Brief summary of the case

 In this case study, I am an assistant principal with the responsibility of overseeing

the special education and counseling department of a school with an estimated

2,400 students in attendance; 100 of which have a 504 plan and 180 have an

Individualized Education Plan, or IEP. Due to cuts in funding, the testing center, a

site on campus that provided testing accommodations for these students, was the

staff that would be getting cut. The special education teachers took up the

responsibility to test the students on their caseload, but the general education

teachers are worried on how they are to meet the needs of students with a 504

plan along with all other student needs that they have in their classroom. The

parents of these students are also unhappy as they feel that their students’ needs

are not being met by the loss of funding on campus.

2. Identify the issues to be resolved

 De-escalate the parents and assure them that the needs of their students will be

continued to be met with the designated accommodations.

 De-escalate the teachers and other affected staff members and assure them that an

alternative option will be taken to support them as well as the students.

 Find and develop a solution for the testing site situation that would meet the needs

of both the students and teachers.

3. Stakeholders involved in the issues

 The stakeholders involved in this issue are the students affected by the budget

cuts, the teachers on campus, the special education staff, and parents of these
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students. If no solution is found, then the district will be held liable for not

accommodating the students needs and will further involve the district official,

board members, and lawyers.

4. One or two existing laws or court rulings that relate to the issues

 Free Appropriate Public Education for Students With Disabilities: Requirements

Under Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973: This act states that no

student should be denied access to a free and appropriate public education due to

a disability, regardless of its nature in severity. This extends out to students under

a 504 plan as well as an IEP, with the appropriate accompanying

accommodations.

5. District policies that relate to the issues

 Mesa Public School Policy Manual states that, “The District will ensure that each

child's IEP is accessible to each regular education teacher, special education

teacher, related service provider, and any other service provider who is

responsible for implementing the IEP. Each teacher and related service provider

will be informed of his or her specific responsibilities in implementing the IEP;

and the specific accommodations, modifications, and supports that will be

provided for the child in accordance with the IEP [34 CFR § 300.323]” (Mesa

Public Schools Policy Manual, 2020).

6. Possible solutions to the issues

 Do nothing and disregard the parent’s and teacher’s concerns.

 Amend the budget and find additional funding to be used to hire or keep the

special education staff in the testing center.

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 Determine an alternative to the testing center to provide testing accommodations

to these students using staff already on hand.

7. The solutions chosen to resolve the issues

 The solution I chose would be to meet with the leadership and administrative

team to discuss budget funds and if there were a possible way to keep the current

special education staff in the testing center. If funding was tight, then I would find

an alternative to the testing center to provide these testing accommodations using

staff already on hand.

8. Action steps (2-5) for implementing each solution, including a timeline for each step

 De-escalate both the teachers and parents by reassuring them that the needs and

accommodations for these students would be met. This is to be done by the end of

the day.

 Meet with the leadership and administration team to discuss possible solutions to

this issue. Gather feedback from these stakeholders as well as other stakeholders

(i.e. parents and students). Do this within the week.

 Depending on the amount of funding available for the coming fiscal year,

determine if other areas of funding could be cut in the place of the special

education support member, or see if there would be other categories within the

budget that can be used to fund it. See if the position could be offered as a part

time position.
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o If funding cannot be found, then begin to reach out to staff members that

are funded through title money and special education money to staff the

testing center during these testing times.

o Talk with each respective individual before the end of the school year.

 Share this proposed schedule of staffing the testing center using title and special

education personnel with the teachers and parents to communicate how the school

was able to collaborate to meet the needs of the teachers and students.

Communicate this schedule to the teachers at the beginning of the school year and

hold a meeting with the parents and other stakeholders to introduce the plan and

receive feedback and adjust it as necessary.

9. Potential moral and legal consequences of each solution

 If this problem goes unanswered, then the school and district could face legal

action from the parents of the students who have either a 504 plan or an IEP.

 Students testing in the testing center might miss instructional time due to their

accommodations.

Rationale

As a current Special Education Resource teacher, I understand the consequences that come

from not following either an IEP or 504 plans. These documents are legally binding

documents that are in place for the benefit of the students and are funded through federal

dollars, if the school district complies with all the guidelines in place. Failure to do so would

result in the school and the school district to be held accountable for inconsistently following

these plans and can result in legal action by the federal and state government, as well as in

civil suits made by the families. With all of this in mind, I also understand how daunting the
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expectations upon these teachers may be and keeping up with all accommodations under the

Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, as well as additional accommodations allocated to

special education and English language learner students is a daunting task. With this solution,

I would be able to collaborate with various stakeholders in coming up with a solution that

would meet this need via budgetary adjustments or staffing adjustments to ensure that the

testing center remains open for use during the school year. By informing the different

stakeholders in a timely manner as well as taking their feedback about the situation would

result in more trust and confidence to be established with the teachers and parents, as well as

to avoid any legal consequences that my result from neglecting to solve this issue. This plan

would also create more stakeholder investment into the school because the school is looking

for other means to be able to provide these students to achieve the established mission and

vision.
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Bibliography

National Policy Board for Educational Administration (2015). Professional Standards for

Educational Leaders 2015. Reston, VA: Author.

Mesa Public Schools Policy Manual. (2020)

https://go.boarddocs.com/az/mpsaz/Board.nsf/Public?open.