DHS files corrective action plan for Eldora training school

The Iowa Department of Human Services has filed its corrective action plan for the State Training School for Boys in Eldora.

The school, which fell under scrutiny for some of its educational standards after two investigations earlier this year, filed a detailed plan to make improvements last week.

Those reviews - conducted by the Iowa Department of Education and group Disability Rights Iowa - found that the school is not meeting some minimum education standards for special education students.

Amy McCoy, DHS spokeswoman, said the facility has 130 beds and about half of the adjudicated delinquent youth at Eldora receive special education services.

'We appreciate the effort our partners in education have made to assist us in further improving the special education services for these delinquent youth, many with significant classroom behavioral barriers that we are working together to better address,” DHS director Charles Palmer said in a Monday release.' DHS welcomes both the direction and resources identified by the Department of Education.”

The Area Education Agency and DHS submitted the plan of corrective action Friday, as required by the Department of Education. Now, McCoy said they await the department's feedback.

A review completed by the Department of Education in March found several areas of non-compliance at the facility, which included issues with behavioral assessments that were not individualized and preparing students for transitioning out of the facility.

The review said Functional Behavioral Assessments - a problem solving process to address student behaviors - lacked individualized Behavioral Intervention Plans that were not updated or reviewed and were not specifically designed to meet students' needs. Some Behavioral Intervention Plans were written in a way that would reinforce behaviors, the review said.

Many of the concerning behaviors also were not directly observable or measurable, making it difficult to monitor.

The review also found secondary transition planning didn't meet the needs of transition-age students and some assessments primarily were based on the student's interests, rather than the student's skills. Though a transition counselor was available, the review said the services the counselor provided were vague and it was unclear how much time each student spent with the counselor every month.

A release from DHS said the corrective action plan will include:

' Improving functional behavioral assessments and behavioral intervention plans for special education students that need them.

' Adding a social worker, psychologist and Individual Education Plan training specialist to the program.

' Reviewing Individual Education Plans, Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behavioral Intervention plans for new special education students within 10 days of their arrival at the state training school.

' Working with a national expert to improve secondary transition planning and services.

' Hiring an expert to review plans and assign intensive secondary transition services for special education students scheduled to leave or graduate in the next three months.

The release said many of the actions proposed already are being put into place.