Charter school meets first of five deadlines set by state officials

Cirrus Academy has updated one portion of its special education practices, but it has several more changes to go under orders by the state.

Earlier this spring, three teachers at the Macon charter school filed a formal complaint under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. They expressed concerns that services and plans listed in students’ individualized education programs were not being followed.

The Georgia Department of Education investigated the allegations and responded with a report March 31 detailing corrective actions that Cirrus had to take.

The school met the first requirement April 20 when representing law firm Smith, Welch, Webb & White submitted a daily schedule of services for each student and which special education staff members were responsible for instruction.

“The academy’s staff and attorneys are working hand to hand with the Georgia Department of Education to resolve all issues. Each academy student will receive the services required, and the academy will comply with the directives of the Georgia Department of Education,” according to an emailed statement from the law firm.

The school, located on Pio Nono Avenue, opened to students in August 2016 and had 434 students as of March. Ashanti Johnson is the superintendent, and Gail Fowler is principal. Twenty-seven of the enrolled students have disabilities, according to the state’s report.

The State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia made a surprise visit to the school in November and outlined five things that needed to be done immediately, including revising the process of screening and evaluating students with disabilities.

Cirrus’ Jan. 23 corrective action plan to the commission said those policies had been updated and administrators were working “to ensure the special education department is compliant and has taken all necessary steps to ensure all students are educated properly.”

The employees who filed the formal complaint said special needs students were not receiving proper instruction, speech services were not being provided to all those who needed them, and classroom accommodations and staffing were inadequate. Cirrus said additional special education employees have been added since then.

“The record is clear that all students with disabilities at Cirrus did not receive all of their special education and related services for the first semester,” the state report said. “There was not enough staff to implement these required services. With only two special education teachers, it was impossible to serve all students requiring collaborative and co-taught instruction across nine grade levels.”

Cirrus’ April 20 report met the first of five deadlines set by the state Department of Education. By Friday, the school must tell the parents of special needs students about its violation of federal and state regulations and the makeup services that will be provided. The school is offering Saturday classes and summer school to special education students.

Makeup education plans for disabled students must be sent to the state by June 2, as well as revised policies for implementing individualized education programs. Cirrus administrators and special education teachers must be trained on the new procedures, with proof provided to the state by Aug. 18. All compensatory learning services should be finished by Dec. 22.

“In the event the school does not remedy the concerns identified by Georgia DOE, or otherwise continues not to comply with special education requirements, the SCSC will utilize its authority under its charter contract to require the school to complete specific corrective action,” Gregg Stevens, deputy director of general counsel for the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia, wrote in an email. “However, I have no reason to believe that the school is not currently working diligently to improve its special education programming.”

The state DOE is responsible for monitoring the legal aspects of special education services. The State Charter Schools Commission probably won’t do another surprise site visit until the fall, but commission staff will continue to review Cirrus’ progress on its corrective action plan, he said.

This story was originally published May 2, 2017 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Charter school meets first of five deadlines set by state officials."