“She’s built a good rapport with the parents, and she understands the job,” Spears said. Smith also served as the interim director of special education during the search that led to the hiring of Jones, Spears said.ĭuring Smith’s time with CMSD, Spears said she has served in multiple capacities within the SPED department, which is why she was the recommended candidate to replaces Jones. Smith, who has been employed by CMSD since 1999, has served as a teacher, assistant principal and most recently case manager. Jones did not attend Monday’s meeting, and The Dispatch could not reach her for comment. Since we had a suitable replacement, we were able to release her.” “She told us that she had another job that offered her ‘great advancement’ or something to that effect. “The request for release was very short on details,” Spears said. 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.Columbus Municipal School District has a new director of its special education program. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.
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