A federal audit shows that some school districts in Ohio have had serious problems in special education programs that have gone unnoticed because of a lack of state oversight, according to an article from The Columbus Dispatch.
Federal reviewers, who visited in October, found that some of the school districts they spot-checked were in violation of the law and failing to properly educate students with disabilities, the article said.
Auditors found that students even with mild disabilities in one district were relegated to their own separate classroom, rather than mainstreamed with other students. Another district allowed teachers to limit the number of students with disabilities in their classrooms.
The audit also found that Ohio doesn’t adequately track schools’ special education spending, and does not make sure that districts include eligible students with disabilities in regular education classes, the article said.
The article said the federal special education office ordered Ohio to report in 60 or 90 days, based on the infraction, on how it plans to fix the problems. Some changes already have been made, the article said.
