Sept. 1, 2026, U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) issued a close-out letter for Nevada’s Oct. 4, 2024, Differentiated Monitoring and Support (DMS) report. The close-out letter marks all three findings of noncompliance closed as of Sept. 1, 2026.
What OSEP Found
OSEP conducted monitoring activities in October and November 2023, which resulted in its 2024 report. The report identified two fiscal management findings and one dispute resolution finding.
Nevada lacked an adequate system for monitoring recipients of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds, and its grant award notices lacked required information. In addition, Nevada didn’t have a system in place to ensure due process hearing decisions met hearing officer deadlines or, when none was given, a reasonable deadline set by the state.
Why OSEP Closed the Findings
According to OSEP, Nevada revised its fiscal monitoring procedures and submitted records showing how it used them, including its review of Clark County School District. The state also submitted corrected grant award notices. OSEP accepted these materials as meeting the relevant requirements.
For due process, Nevada revised its tracking procedures. OSEP’s letter states Nevada submitted training materials, an agenda, and attendance logs Sept. 18, 2025. OSEP accepted the policies and evidence of implementation as meeting IDEA requirements.
Final Words
Pay attention to the dates.
Nevada had until Oct. 4, 2025, to submit evidence that it was carrying out its fiscal monitoring procedures. Aug. 6, 2025, OSEP reminded the state that it needed records showing those procedures were being used. Yet . . . The close-out letter identifies July 10, 2026, as the date Nevada submitted the additional evidence OSEP accepted. That was more than nine months after the original deadline.
Yes, that submission date doesn’t prove every problem lasted until then. Still, why the late submission? The letter describes earlier submissions and OSEP’s request for more proof. It doesn’t explain the gap.
Keep in mind that the close-out letter isn’t a statewide clean bill of health.
OSEP’s original report warned that OSEP hadn’t reviewed IDEA implementation in every local educational agency. So, closing three findings doesn’t establish that every district complies with IDEA.
Virginia offers an example of how noncompliance can continue after closure. In December 2024, OSEP closed a finding about requiring signed confidentiality pledges before mediation. Yet in August 2025, a state-contracted mediator again told participants they had to sign before mediation.
Virginia Department of Education later acknowledged that the mediator’s instruction was wrong. After a state complaint was filed against VDOE for its failure to properly train, oversee, monitor, and ensure compliance in Virginia’s state-sponsored special education mediation system, VDOE nevertheless found in favor of itself for the complaint.