Greenwich school board to receive audit update on special education

GREENWICH — A new audit of the special education services in the Greenwich Public Schools is underway, with a scheduled end date of June 2021.

At its Tuesday special meeting, the Board of Education will receive an update on the project, which started last month.

The Board of Education and the Greenwich Public Schools hired Public Consulting Group to conduct the audit at a cost of $98,000, a $30,000 increase on the original contract, which was recently amended. The project’s scope, after a request from Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones and the school board, has been widened to include a study of the creation of Individualized Education Plans for individual students and community feedback.

PCG comes to the project after parents and board members expressed concerns over the district’s original choice of an auditor, Tennessee-based education consultant Key2Ed. Detractors questioned the validity of the selection, noting that Key2Ed already had a relationship with district administrators. The firm had completed an audit of the district’s special education services 15 years ago, during the tenure of Mary Forde, who still oversees Greenwich special education in her role as chief pupil personnel services officer.

Parents were critical of Key2Ed’s methods, claiming they omitted certain comments that were negative about the district’s special education services, which had been under fire for more than two decades.

Complaints have ranged from the district failing to identify students eligible for special education services, to silencing teachers and forcing parents to seek legal action before offering required services.

Since the start of the new school year amid a pandemic, special education parents have again been vocal, saying the needs of their children are not being met in remote school.

The Board of Education will meet virtually at 7 p.m. For a link to watch or for more information, visit www.greenwichschools.org/board-ofeducation