Update On The CREC Special Education Program Review In Brookfield

**News Release Submitted by Office of Brookfield Schools Superintendent**

Dear Brookfield Community,

I write to update you regarding the CREC Special Education Program Review.

We launched this review in February, with the objective of getting independent and expert insights into our Special Education program here in Brookfield. CREC's experience and in-depth knowledge will provide very actionable guidance to us; we are excited to receive their full report in June.

Similar to other such program reviews within the District (NEASC, security, building conditions, athletics), the Special Education Program Review’s purpose is to both highlight our strengths and help us identify areas of need, and plan for next steps to ensure Brookfield’s Special Education program is world class.

CREC has completed the data collection phase of their review. The data collection included school site visits, IEP file reviews, staffing reviews, district/school documents and reports, school and student schedules, professional development planning, faculty/staff/parent/student focus groups and/or interviews, as well as surveys and classroom observations.

CREC is in the process of analyzing all the information they collected, and will apply their framework, which includes reports on resources, organizational processes & structures, student learning & outcomes, and communication & collaboration.

The CREC final report will be presented publicly to the Board of Education on June 7th. The report will highlight recommendations for future action. We would welcome you all to listen to their report, either in person or through streaming of the meeting.

As with any other student-centered activity or study, disclosure of individual student information is tightly controlled. While CREC was able to review student information, their agreement with the district requires confidentiality regarding student information. There will be no public disclosure of any privileged information, as is the case with all student protected information.

In recent days, the District has been presented with inquiries relating to the specifics of settlement agreements in the special education context. The District cannot and will not comment on specific matters because privacy laws, including but not limited to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, prevents school districts from addressing such issues. Such agreements, moreover, routinely contain confidentiality provisions that prevent a party or parties from disclosing information contained therein.

For those of you who completed surveys or participated in this process, thank you for your time and input. We really appreciate our families and join with them in the desire to have the best special education program that we can.

Sincerely,

Dr. John W. Barile
Superintendent