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19% of Warwick's school population is designated as educationally handicapped (thus the IEP) in some form. That's nearly 1 in 5 kids! Statewide, the number is 15%. East Greenwich and North Kingstown are both 11%, while Cranston is 13%. For those who believe that any comparisons to EG and NK are distorted, the number in Providence is 17%. All districts use virtually identical evaluative tools and criteria to come up with this designation, which makes one wonder... Either there is something in Warwick's drinking water that makes kids become educationally handicapped at vastly disproportionate numbers compared with those in neighboring communities, or these designations are being used as a job security measure since more special ed kids means a need for more......special ed teachers. Assuming that it could not possibly, ever-in-this-lifetime be the latter, why has the RI Dept. of Public Health not conducted a thorough assessment of Warwick's drinking water? And where are the demands for such an assessment from public leaders? And what, exactly, are those "...certain low proficiencies the members found dissatisfying" on PARCC tests? When will these results see the light of day?