MPS Receives Positive Report From DESE...

Medfield Public Schools Receives Positive Report from DESE on Special Education Equity Initiatives and Indicators

Superintendent Jeffrey Marsden and Director of Student Services Mary Bruhl are pleased to announce that the Medfield Public Schools has received a report from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that showed positive results in the district’s initiatives and indicators relating to special education equity.

The report outlined five initiatives and indicators, and in none of these areas were the Medfield Public Schools flagged as having inequities or needing improvement.

The report, which was received earlier this month, is part of DESE’s priority to increase educational access and equity for the state’s most marginalized students, especially students with
disabilities. This priority necessitates that inequities are identified in special education and how local districts can respond to them.

The five areas in the report include:

Indicators 4A and 4B, required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), measure whether students with IEPs from certain racial and ethnic groups are suspended or expelled more
than students with IEPs statewide. Medfield Public Schools was listed as “Not Identified” in these categories in its report.

Indicators 9 and 10, also required by IDEA, measure whether students from certain racial and ethnic groups are disproportionately receiving special education services, both in general and in specific disability categories, because they were inappropriately determined eligible for special education services. Medfield Public Schools was listed as “Not Flagged” in these categories in its report.Significant Disproportionality, also required by IDEA,measures whether students from certain racial and ethnic groups are disproportionately receiving special education services in specific disability categories, whether they are disproportionately placed in certain settings, and whether they are disproportionately receiving certain kinds of disciplinary removals. Medfield Public Schools was listed as “Not Identified or At-Risk” in this category in its report.

"We are pleased to have received positive results on all of the state's noted indicators, and it is to the credit of our district's devoted special education team," Bruhl said. "We are committed to ensuring all of our students at all grade levels are treated equitably and have access to the necessary educational services and resources that will help them to be successful."

For more information on the report and the initiatives and indicators measured by DESE, click here.