Video: Parent Refuses Mediation And Takes Complaint To MDE

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TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) –  The Mississippi Department of Education is investigating a complaint from the parent of a special needs student in Tupelo schools.

However, school district officials say the MDE investigation could have been avoided, had the parent agreed to mediation.

TPSD Superintendent Doctor Gearl Loden says each special needs student is given an “Individualized Education Plan” or IED. Any complaints that can’t be resolved are taken to a mediator. Dr. Loden says there have been only two issues needing mediation in the past few years, and they were both resolved.

Loden says in this case, the parent skipped mediation and went straight to MDE.

“We have a thousand students with IEPs, and they have a variety of needs and we want to make sure we’re serving our children and when a parent is not happy , when you look at almost a thousand children per year and only two situations over the last three years where we had mediation, I think it says a lot about our district and the efforts we make to work with our parents before worrying about mediation,” Dr. Loden said.

Doctor Loden says the district will do whatever MDE suggests to resolve the complaint with the parent. There are not any allegations of abuse or mistreatment in the complaint.