Providence Public Schools Achieves Major Milestone in Early Childhood Special Education Lawsuit

Providence Public Schools Achieves Major Milestone in Early Childhood Special Education Lawsuit

Published on Wednesday, November 05, 2025

Closure of lawsuit follows a final report from an independent monitor confirming the district's substantial compliance with the terms of the settlement agreement

PROVIDENCE, RI - Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green and Providence Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez today announced the formal closure of a federal class-action lawsuit concerning early childhood special education services in the Providence school district. The closure of the lawsuit follows a final report from an independent monitor confirming the district's substantial compliance with the terms of the settlement agreement.

"Over the past two years, RIDE has worked in close partnership with Providence Public Schools to directly address concerns related to early childhood special education, and we are pleased the progress we have made has led to the successful conclusion of court monitoring," said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. "With RIDE's support, Providence Public Schools has expanded its evaluation capacity, improved placement timelines, and ensured that families have timely access to the services their children need. These meaningful improvements have strengthened and streamlined critical support for students and families. We remain committed to building on this progress and ensuring that all children, especially those with disabilities, receive the educational support they deserve."

"Early childhood education is instrumental and lays the foundation for a child's educational journey," said Superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez. "With the support of our early childhood team and Commissioner Infante-Green, we were able to grow our Pre-K department and improve our pre-kindergarten evaluation systems to ensure that all Providence students have access to a quality early childhood education. We are committed to holding these structures in place, so we are able to serve our youngest students for years to come."

The 2023 class-action lawsuit filed by parents, the ACLU, RI Center for Justice, and Parents Leading for Educational Equity (PLEE) alleged that PPSD failed to provide timely special education services to Providence preschool-aged children. Over the past two years, the District created a "corrective action plan" which included recruitment campaigns to attract and hire qualified special education teachers to staff an increasing number of Pre-K classrooms. In addition, PPSD has developed more efficient processes and procedures to ensure the needs and services of 3- and 4-year-old Providence special education children are met. Since the lawsuit, PPSD has increased the number of Pre-K classrooms, which has led to an increase in seat capacity.

PPSD is dedicated to continuing this progress to ensure that Providence students and families have access to a high-quality early childhood education.