Iowa hires nonprofit to help families navigate disability services, replacing AEA-run program

The Iowa Department of Education has hired a Johnston-based nonprofit to help families of students with disabilities access services and understand their rights, after ending a contract with the state's Area Education Agencies for a similar service.

The department announced Monday it was awarding a contract to the ASK Resource Center, a nonprofit that provides information, training and advocacy for families of students with disabilities.

The organization will replace the Family and Educator Partnership Program, which is run by Iowa's AEAs and is ending July 1 after the state decided not to renew the program's contract.

More: Iowa ends contract with AEA-run program that helps families navigate disability services

Gov. Kim Reynolds is pursuing legislation this year that would overhaul how the AEAs offer special education services to students and other supports to school districts. But Heather Doe, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, said the department's decision not to renew the Family and Educator Partnership program was "independent from any proposed legislation."

"There have been concerns regarding conflicts of interest, inconsistencies in support provided and confusion of roles and responsibilities with documentation beginning in 2014," Doe said in an email Thursday. "Despite the department’s efforts to address these concerns, unacceptable variances in support provided to families of students with disabilities persist."

Cindy Yelick, chief administrator of the Heartland AEA in central Iowa, said last week that her team was hearing "a pretty significant outcry from parents" over the fact that the Family and Educator Partnership program was ending.

The Department of Education announced the new contract with the ASK Resource Center in a news release Monday.

“The Department of Education remains committed to ensuring all families of children with disabilities consistently receive timely, high-quality resources and supports that are responsive to their needs,” McKenzie Snow, the department's director, said in a statement included in the release. “In partnership with ASK Resource Center, families across Iowa will have the support of family specialists, family mentors, and experts focused on accessibility and postsecondary transitions as they advocate for their children with disabilities.”

The ASK Resource Center will provide 18 full-time positions for the program, including a family support supervisor, lead family support specialist, nine full-time family support specialists and other professionals who will provide one-on-one support to families of students with disabilities, the news release says.

Staff will be based in each of Iowa's nine AEA regions, according to the release.

More: As Reynolds pushes big changes to Iowa special education, most like AEAs, Iowa Poll finds

Their responsibilities will include helping families understand education and disability laws, including the Individuals With Disabilities Act, as well as preparing families for meetings with the team in charge of implementing their student's individualized education program (IEP), attending IEP meetings and helping families resolve disputes with school districts.

Doe said the organization will serve families of children with disabilities from birth through age 21.

Karen Thompson, the executive director of ASK, said the organization has been providing services to families since 1997.

"We are excited to partner with the Iowa Department of Education team to scale these services and create a streamlined experience to ensure effective family and school partnerships," she said in the release.

The contract runs from March 1, 2024, through Feb. 28, 2025, and has the option of five yearlong extensions. The first year of the contract will be funded with $1 million through the Individuals With Disabilities Act.

Doe said Iowa's Department of Administrative Services approved the Department of Education's request to award the contract to ASK after it determined there were no other viable entities who could bid for the contract.

"ASK is the only Parent Training and Information Center for Iowa recognized by the federal Office of Special Education Programs to serve parents of children of all ages and all types of disabilities," she said in an email.

The Department of Education will use a number of metrics to assess how the organization is fulfilling the terms of the contract, including looking at how many families the organization assists, surveying parents and families on their satisfaction with the help they receive and examining the quality and consistency of the services provided, according to the news release.

The state's grant to the AEAs for the Family and Educator Partnership program was worth $1.3 million and also paid for 18 employees statewide, including 16 full-time workers and two part-time workers.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa hires nonprofit to help families navigate disability services