Sam Feeney on Closing the Compliance Gap
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Release Date: 07/09/2025
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info_outlineThe Ruckus Report
Quick take: The biggest legal risk most districts face isn't a headline-grabbing lawsuit — it's the hidden gap between the accommodations they promise and the ones students actually receive. Sam Feeney built a tool that collapses this compliance gap to 10 seconds and a single click.
Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker
Sam Feeney has been an educator for twenty-five years as an English teacher, counselor, administrator, and consultant. He created Accommodate in response to his professional observations and his personal experience as a father. Sam and the team at Accommodate provide classroom supports for students with all kinds of learning needs so every teacher can maintain instructional integrity.
In his spare time, Sam enjoys reading and collaborating with others to build something new. Sam, his wife, and his five children live in suburban Denver, where they enjoy sports and the outdoors. And—no—he doesn't ski.
Breaking Down the Old Rules 🔨
In this episode, Sam Feeney challenges traditional education paradigms:
Key Insight #1: Need Equals Permission
- What's broken: Waiting for perfect credentials or expertise before tackling problems you see
- The shift: Recognition of a need is your permission to solve it — start with passion, build expertise along the way
- Impact: Innovation happens when educators stop waiting for someone else to fix what's broken
Key Insight #2: Hidden Non-Compliance Is Everywhere
- What's broken: Beautifully written IEPs, 504s, and ELL plans that vanish under the weight of crowded classrooms and overworked teachers
- The shift: Technology that transforms any lesson into student-specific accommodations at the push of a button
- Impact: Students get the support they're legally entitled to, teachers avoid guilt and burnout, districts avoid million-dollar settlements
Key Insight #3: Time Is the Ultimate Gift
- What's broken: Teachers spending hours trying to accommodate across three different areas of expertise (special ed, ELL, gifted)
- The shift: 10-second accommodations that give teachers back their most precious resource
- Impact: Instructional integrity becomes sustainable, not just aspirational
Quotable Ruckus
"Need equals permission. If you see a need, that's your permission to go tackle it." – Sam Feeney
Your Do School Different Challenge
Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:
- Tomorrow: Audit one accommodation plan — is it actually happening in the classroom, or just living on paper?
- This Month: Calculate the true cost of hidden non-compliance on your campus (teacher burnout, potential lawsuits, student outcomes)
- This Semester: Invest in tools that give your teachers back time while ensuring every student gets what they're legally entitled to
Connect & Continue
🎯 Get the full episode transcript: [Link] 🔗 Follow Sam Feeney: LinkedIn 🌐 Learn more about Accommodate: accommodate.live
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IXL Meet your students where they are and take them where they need to go. Join over 1 million teachers who trust IXL to drive data-informed excellence in their classrooms. 🔍 Learn more: ixl.com/leaders
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ODP Business Solutions Stop letting compliance paperwork kill innovation. Some leaders are transforming special education support with technology that turns accommodation promises into reality. 🔍 Learn more: odpbusiness.com/education
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