ADAMS TWP — Dozens of parents heard the Mars School District’s plan to address concerns over special needs programming during a heated meeting Monday.

Parents of special needs students voiced concerns last month after an audit showed the district is out of compliance with state rules in areas including “least restrictive environment,” parent training, personnel training and a lack of documentation students need when transitioning from high school to college or the work force.

Superintendent Wes Shipley said the district will focus on those four specific areas of concern.

While administrators work to fix programs, “it would be foolhardy for us to go and try to draw back a student who has found a comfortable home,” he said.

Shipley said district officials will continue meeting with state officials to tweak the plan, which is due July 1. They will also seek a new special education director for the district, which is currently outsourcing those duties to Keystone Educational Consultants through the end of June. Shipley said that search is ongoing, and the district will not hire someone “just to have a body in place.”

Those in attendance, however, said the plan left many questions unanswered, and seemed to be too little, too late.