District staff outlines new waiver guidance and IEP-form work as state graduation rules change

Dr. Rachel Santo, director of student services, told the Special Education Advisory Committee that the Rhode Island Department of Education now requires two years of the same world language and Algebra II/advanced math for high school graduation and that the district has developed a waiver system and guidance documents so students for whom that pathway is inappropriate can be exempted by an IEP team.

"There is a waiver system," Dr. Santo said, describing a guidance document and form designed to make discussions meaningful and to ensure families understand consequences for postsecondary eligibility. She said the district augmented an initial high-school draft, added clarifying language that special-education considerations must be documented as part of an IEP team, and shared materials with department heads for comment.

Santo also said the state is redesigning IEP forms and has selected a vendor; she has been asked to serve on the vendor team and to bring parent and practitioner perspectives into form design. "The documents that were given to us by the department of ed were sadly lacking anything about special ed," she said, and described efforts to tighten language and the process.

Why it matters: The change affects students who are not pursuing four-year colleges, including those planning trade careers or other postsecondary paths. Committee members emphasized the need for clear, accessible family-facing materials and recommended starting IEP discussions earlier (as early as eighth grade) so students and families can plan.

Next steps: Dr. Santo said she will submit a year-end review and bylaws to the school committee (May 19) and will share the finalized waiver guidance and form with families when complete. The committee requested a future presentation when the new state IEP form is available so families can review the look and content.

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