In King County, 6 school districts need assistance and 1
needs intervention
Each year, the U.S. Department of Education reviews and informs states on whether they comply with the requirements of Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Part B covers preschool and K-12 special education services.
As a state, Washington rates “needs assistance” for provision of special education services for children ages 3 to 21. Washington has failed to meet the requirements and purposes of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) since 2014, when student results were added to the federal review.
Each state must then assess each of its local education agencies (LEAs) on overall compliance with IDEA. Local education agencies include school districts, charter schools, and tribal compact schools.
Rankings are:
- Level 1 - Meets the requirements of IDEA
- Level 2 - Needs assistance in implementing the requirements of IDEA
- Level 3 - Needs intervention in implementing the requirements of IDEA
- Level 4 - Needs substantial intervention in implementing the requirements of IDEA
No LEAs in Washington were assessed at Level 4 – Needs Substantial Intervention.
- 11 were assessed at Level 3 – Needs Intervention, including Tukwila School District in King County
- 43 were assessed at Level 2 – Needs Assistance, including Bellevue, Issaquah, Lake Washington, Renton, Riverview, and Seattle school districts in King County
- 228 were assessed at Level 1 – Meets requirements, including Auburn, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Highline, Kent, Mercer Island, Northshore, Shoreline, Snoqualmie Valley, Tahoma, and Vashon school districts in King County
You can read the November 2021 list here.
You can read the November 2019 list here.
(We could not find the November 2020 list online.)
Washington uses the federally required criteria, which include audit results, timely correction of non-compliance, timely submission of data, as well as state performance plan indicators for:
- Suspension and expulsion by race/ethnicity
- Disproportionate identification in special education
- Disproportionate identification in specific disability categories
- Timely evaluation
- Timely transition from Part C (birth to 3 services) to Part B (preschool and K-12 special education services)
- Secondary transition components
Also, whether the LEA
- Demonstrates substantial performance on post-secondary engagement rates
- Received a designation of significant disproportionality
Washington does not include least restricted environment (LRE) data in its determinations. In the most recent IDEA report to Congress, Washington ranked in the bottom 8 for K-12 LRE and bottom 4 for preschool LRE. Washington also ranks in the bottom 2 for LRE for students with intellectual disabilities.
You can find the overview of technical assistance and enforcement actions for each level here.
Here is an alphabetical list of King County school districts and their determination levels:
Auburn, Level 1
Bellevue, Level 2 – Needs Assistance, 2 or more years
Enumclaw, Level 1
Federal Way, Level 1
Highline, Level 1
Issaquah, Level 2 – Needs Assistance, 2 or more years
Kent, Level 1
Lake Washington, Level 2 – Needs Assistance, 2 or more years
Mercer Island, Level 1
Northshore, Level 1
Renton, Level 2 – Needs Assistance, 2 or more years
Riverview, Level 2 – Needs Assistance, 2 or more years
Seattle, Level 2 – Needs Assistance, 2 or more years
Shoreline, Level 1
Snoqualmie Valley, Level 1
Tahoma, Level 1
Tukwila, Level 3 – Needs Intervention
Vashon Island, Level 1
ADVOCACY TIP: If your school district is determined to need assistance or intervention, and you are concerned, you should contact your local school board and ask them what steps they are taking to ensure compliance. While the state monitors, it is up to each local authority to implement IDEA. That is your school district or charter school; and the district is governed by its local board. Special education compliance, results, and quality are all the responsibility of the school board, as are other district-run programs and general education.
If you have a concern about your child's individual education program (IEP), then you should work within the IEP dispute resolution process to resolve it. This can include facilitation or mediation, as well as requesting a due process hearing.
If you believe your school district is not in compliance with IDEA, then you can file a community complaint.
This article was written by Ramona Hattendorf, director
of advocacy at The Arc of King County, using resources posted by the state’s
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction at https://www.k12.wa.us
