Posts by Callie Oettinger

The short version: I'm a mom who was educated in the Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DODDS) and public school systems, who believes children come first, and who doesn't take no for an answer. The long version: For 20+ years, I've helped bestselling authors, publishing houses, award-winning indie and documentary filmmakers, and other entrepreneurs and business leaders with writing, editing, production management, publicity and community outreach and development, sales and content partnerships, content monetization, and ecommerce and customer support. Along the way, I was introduced to the Special Education system by a close friend who struggled to obtain services for her son — and then struggled to have those services implemented in full — within Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools. And then the struggle entered my home. So . . . I pivoted. I turned skills sharpened over 20 years toward raising awareness of the problems, helping other families, and holding Fairfax County and the Virginia Department of Education accountable. And, I made a lot of mistakes along the way, because 1) special education law is kin to learning a foreign language and 2) I trusted FCPS to a) know the law and b) implement it in full. I'm forwarding my experiences and lessons learned to help other families.