Lowell Public Schools IEP Enrollment Data

Mary Connaughton Pioneer Institute filed this request with the Lowell Public Schools of Lowell, MA.
Est. Completion None
Status
No Responsive Documents

Communications

From: Tom Nash

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, M.G.L. c.66, ยง10, I hereby request the following records:

For each school in the district, for the years 2009-2012:

- The number of students evaluated by the district to determine if they qualified for an IEP
- The number of students who qualified for an IEP based on that evaluation
- The number of students initially rejected who received independent assessments and were subsequently placed on an IEP.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Tom Nash

From: MuckRock.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 19, 2012. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.

Thank you for your help.

From: Ortiz, Mike

Hello. Mr. Nash. My name is Michael Ortiz. I am the staff attorney for the Lowell Public Schools.

I have been asked to follow-up on your request for Lowell Public Schools IEP Enrollment Data.

After speaking with our Special Education Department, I have been informed that they do not collect or compile the data that you request. To respond and comply with your requests, Lowell would have to create a system for collecting and compiling information that we do not currently have in place. At this time, Lowell has neither the staff or the resources to do this.

It is possible that the Massachusetts Department of Education may have some of this data. I cannot speak for what they collect, compile or maintain based on individuals notices that Lowell sends to the Massachusetts Department of Education. Please feel free to reach out to the Massachusetts Department of Education for any assistance that they can provide you with.

If you have any question or concerns, please feel free to contact me directly at 978-674-2123. I would like to thank you for your request, because it has caused us to discuss the feasibility of developing such a system of information collection in the future. Unfortunately, this is dependent on resources and staffing, which Lowell as well as many other school district have struggled with.

Again, please contact me if I can assist you further.

Files

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