Parents, school staff and board members raised concerns about special-education funding and staffing at a Hamilton County Board of Education work session (date not specified), saying Individualized Education Program (IEP) services lack the staff and funding needed to meet students’ needs.

The calls for action came from Lindsey Lynn, a parent, and Marlene Wolf, the RTI facilitator at Westview Elementary, who described shortages in interventionists and canceled central-office support meetings that she said disrupted services.

Lynn said students entitled to IEP services must receive them under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and appealed to the board to prioritize funding for those services. “These kids have a right to a free and appropriate education,” Lynn said. “They are different, not less.”

Wolf described operational problems at her school: she told the board that a requested special-education support team visit was denied on Sept. 16, 2024, and that a central-office special-education support meeting scheduled on Jan. 8, 2025, was canceled 13 minutes before it was to begin, which she said resulted in canceled student services. She said Westview currently has one full-time interventionist serving 43 Tier 3 students and that staffing shortfalls have contributed to teacher departures. “We simply do not have enough support staff,” Wolf said, and she urged the board to adopt a plan that includes mandated interventionists rather than leaving the positions to the district’s staffing model.

Board members acknowledged the concerns and suggested more focused follow-up. A board member moved that the body discuss special education; another board member seconded the motion. The chair said the work session was not the appropriate forum to take that action and suggested scheduling a committee meeting to “hone in on this one particular topic” so the issue could be handled in detail at the proper time. The motion was not taken to a formal vote in the work session.

Board policy and next steps were also raised: one board member said they will examine policy 1.0.400 (delegation/delegations procedures) to consider whether limited, structured follow-up with members of the public should be allowed when citizens bring substantive education concerns. No formal policy change was made at the meeting.

Why it matters: Special-education services and IEP implementation are legally required under federal law; board members and school staff said current staffing levels and canceled support meetings are causing gaps in services, contributing to student frustration and declines in teacher retention at the school level.

What’s next: Board members suggested a committee meeting focused on special education to collect more information and craft options for the full board. No formal budget or policy changes were approved during the session.