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Spears said he received no indication Jones’ resignation was due to the recent MDE investigations or the multitude of parental complaints and scrutiny of her job performance. Several other parents have also filed complaints on behalf of their own children in the last year. Her complaint alleged the district was not providing services the students with special needs were entitled to under federal law. In September, the board called a special meeting to discuss the state of the district’s SPED program, and parents of children with disabilities complained their children were not receiving the proper services they needed in a timely manner, or at all.Ĭolumbus resident Heather Ford filed a complaint with the Mississippi Department of Education in October - only a few weeks after the special-call meeting. However, her departure from the district comes after state and local scrutiny fell on the SPED program. Board members released Jones from her contract at her request.īoard president Jason Spears said Jones asked to be released from her contract because she had found another position elsewhere, though he said he didn’t know the details. The CMSD board of trustees Monday unanimously chose Cheryl Smith to replace the outgoing Donna Jones as SPED director. Columbus Municipal School District has a new director of its special education program.
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