Letter to the Editor: Glazier Says FCBOE has Special Needs Shortcomings

For more than a year I have spoken publicly at school board meetings about serious shortcomings in Fayette County’s Exceptional Children Services Department. The recent Atlanta News First investigative report (Georgia special education disputes surge as parents take legal action against school districts) confirms what I have been warning about: a sharp rise in due‑process hearing requests across the state, with Fayette County showing a disproportionately high rate of special‑education disputes relative to its size.

According to that report provided by the GA Department of Education, Gwinnett County had the most recorded due‑process hearing requests, 117, while Fayette County recorded 30 hearing requests over the same period. Using the most recent enrollment figures—Gwinnett County ≈ 178,986 students and Fayette County ≈ 19,869 students—the dispute rates per 10,000 students are:

1. Gwinnett: 117 ÷ 178,986 × 10,000 = 6.54
2. Fayette: 30 ÷ 19,869 × 10,000 = 15.10

Thus Fayette’s special‑education dispute rate is more than double Gwinnett’s. If Fayette had the same enrollment as Gwinnett, we would expect roughly 270 hearings, far exceeding Gwinnett’s actual 117.

These numbers do not exist in a vacuum. As of March 31, 2026, Fayette County’s own public job postings list thirty five open Exceptional Children’s Services positions. When the department responsible for our most vulnerable students is trying to fill this many critical roles at once, it is predictable that services would be inconsistent and that families would feel forced into due‑process hearings at more than twice the rate seen in much larger districts.  When there is this much turnover, something is wrong in house.

Beyond the raw numbers, families who raise concerns about services have reported facing retaliation from district officials. These retaliatory tactics like the one highlighted in the Atlanta News First Investigation not only violate federal protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) but also erode trust between the district and the very families it is meant to serve.

These numbers and experiences reflect a systemic problem that has left many families without adequate support and has forced parents into costly, adversarial legal proceedings. Despite my repeated attempts to bring this issue to the attention of district officials and the Board of Education, my concerns have been met with silence for over a year. The problem is not limited to individual bad decisions; during the Board’s January 12, 2026 work session, district leaders openly discussed involving other government agencies as a way to deter parents from documenting problems, signaling an alarming willingness to treat concerned families as adversaries rather than partners as all IEP meetings are designed.

I urge The Citizen to publish this information so that the broader Fayette community can see the evidence behind my calls for action. Transparent reporting will help pressure district leaders to:

1. Conduct an independent audit of Exceptional Children Services.
2. Allocate additional resources, funding, and training for special‑education staff.
3. Implement family‑centered dispute‑resolution processes that reduce the need for due‑process hearings.
4. Establish clear anti‑retaliation policies and ensure they are enforced.

In light of Fayette County’s disproportionately high special‑education dispute rate, the chronic under‑staffing / turnover in Exceptional Children Services, and the reports of retaliation against families who simply ask for their children’s rights to be honored, it is time for the Board of Education to acknowledge that the current leadership of Exceptional Children Services has lost the confidence of the community and to move decisively to install new leadership committed to transparency, collaboration, lawful service delivery, and better pay and work conditions for special education teachers.

Our children deserve better. Please consider running this letter and the accompanying data to inform residents and spur meaningful reform.

Respectfully,

Chip Glazier
Peachtree City, GA 30269