The Maricopa school board’s newest member Carolyn Lopez made it clear she was a strong advocate for special needs children when she accepted her appointment late last year.

After all, she has two special needs children of her own and years of firsthand experience working with school systems. She thought it would be better on the inside, rather than remain on the outside looking in.

She’s now gathering voter signatures to get on the general election ballot for a four-year elected school board term.

Coming in hot

Lopez today admits she’s walking the collegial political tightrope, with her private life of special needs on her left and working behind the scenes with MUSD special needs educators on her right.

“It’s like you only have power when you’re on the board, and at the same time you are a private person too,” she told InMaricopa after a recent school board meeting.

The question was about a certain social media post she left online, skewering Lindsay Stollar Slover, Maricopa Unified School District’s director of exceptional student services, who oversees the district’s special education system.

The post called for Stollar Slover’s firing.

“Our [special education] community is tired of being lied to and led on,” Lopez said in the post. “Any information that comes from her is and will always be a lie! I have witnessed it advocating for other families within our community. In my short time on school board, I gave her an opportunity to show who she says she is with my own son and his IEP.”

An IEP is an individualized education plan, which is a program developed to ensure a child with an identified disability has specialized instruction to meet special needs.

“She lied to me, led me on and has no idea about the world of special needs in any area,” Lopez said.

Lopez insisted in a follow-up interview that she was speaking as a “private person and not a school board member.”

Stollar Slover’s LinkedIn profile states she believes “it is truly an honor to serve our schools and their communities. I believe in focusing on what is best for students in every decision we make.”

The social media post is something Lopez now regrets doing, because she is a school board member, she said.

“It’s not allowed,” she said. “I can’t call for anybody’s firing. Even as a private person. That crosses the line.”

‘I keep getting complaints’

As a “private person,” however, Lopez is still quite critical of Stollar Slover, who has a doctorate degree in education from Grand Canyon University and certificates in technical and professional writing from Northern Arizona University.

She’s also served as a principal, vice principal and teacher at various Valley school districts.

But when it comes to special education experience, “as far as I have been able to find she has zero,” Lopez said.

Lopez said Stollar Slover was last a grant writer, which jibes with her LinkedIn profile.

MUSD hired Stollar Slover in July 2022 to head up special ed.

She’s responsible for the 1,659 students enrolled as of July 2024, district officials said.

“I think we need to build those community relationships,” Lopez said.

She fiiled a complaint with the district.

“I was trying to prove a systemic problem,” she said. “The state needed at least one other complaint. That second complaint came and that child was awarded compensatory  time.

“I keep getting complaints over and over again,” Lopez said of the special ed parents she knows.

Lopez said it was becoming a board member that has brought her closer to MUSD Superintendent Tracey Lopeman, whom she describes as an educator and administrator “with a vision.”

“I do believe that Tracy Lopeman really does care,” Lopez said. “But I think that for whatever reason Stollar Slover is misleading Tracey.”

Lopez said she decided to join the school board, seeing “a lack of just general basic knowledge” of special education.

Special ed boss stays mum

Lopez has more than 20 years of firsthand experience in special ed. She has also served as a board member and parent committee member for Pinal Gila County Child Services, based in Casa Grande.

In response to Lopez’s concerns, Lopeman said: “We appreciate hearing from all parents about their experiences with our organization and will continually work to provide excellent customer service and meet the needs of every child in our district.”

She said Lopez’s concerns have been heard and “we have sought to address them.”

At the same time Lopeman defended Stollar Slover saying, “The district has improved compliance with state and federal requirements relating to special education. Over the past two years, special education staff have implemented required improvements based on directives from the Arizona Department of Education. Ultimately, these changes create a more inclusive environment.”

InMaricopa offered Stollar Slover a chance to comment for this story. She directed reporters back to MUSD’s communications staff.

Lopeman said Stollar Slover hosts regular training sessions for administrators on aligning school procedures with applicable laws and best practices.

“We also formed an ESS Parent Advisory Committee to give parents a forum to share their experiences and concerns directly with Dr. Slover,” Lopeman said.

MUSD spokesperson Mishell Terry said Lopeman “has added a goal for herself and all district and school administrators to address special education services. This goal emphasizes compliance, quality and excellent customer service.”

Following the law

Terry said like many districts in Arizona and across the nation, MUSD faces challenges with staffing, including positions in special education.

“During the past two fiscal years, the district has invested $1.947 million to create more than 25 new positions to better support our students,” Terry said. “Despite the national teacher shortage, we are determined to recruit and retain qualified staff.”

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act “has never been fully funded at the federal or state level,” Terry said.  “As educators, we have and will continue to advocate for increased funding at both state and federal levels to support educational programs and services for our students with special needs.”

IDEA is a piece of congressional legislation intended to ensure students with disabilities receive education tailored to their individual needs. Its intent is also to give children with disabilities the same opportunity for education as others without disabilities.

“MUSD’s approach to special education is multi-faceted,” Terry said. “First, the district has worked to create systems that help ensure compliance with state and federal laws, regulations, and rules. Additionally, we work diligently to provide necessary support to staff so that they can provide the necessary supports and services to our students, so that each student can master their Individualized Education Plan goals, access the general curriculum, and successfully transition from school to post-school activities. As well, we strive to continuously improve our programs and services.”

Lopez said she agrees the district has improved and implemented systems to comply with IDEA but “having a director that undermines everything the district does doesn’t fit the vision or goals they have expressed.”