Author: Callie Oettinger (page 19)

September 26, 2022, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) released the final report for its two-year “independent” audit of its special education program. The audit, done by American Institutes for Research (AIR) paints a bleak portrait of a broken system.

The report comes as no surprise to parents or educators. It confirms what parents have experienced for decades. Students’ needs are not being addressed pursuant to IDEA, Section 504, and state implementing regulations, teachers are undertrained and under supported, and leadership encourages teachers to be quiet rather than proactive in helping to ensure the needs of students are met.

September 21, 2022, Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) announced that detectives from its Major Crimes Bureau’s Child Abuse Squad charged 60-year-old instructional assistant Mark MacDicken “for assaulting a juvenile student.”

This occurred after two teachers walked into their classroom and witnessed McDicken assaulting a student who has special needs.

Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia’s largest school district—and one of the largest school districts in the nation—has spent merely 5% of the $188.7 million from the American Rescue Plan. This number was reported today in Linda Jacobson’s article for “The 74”, “Facing Pandemic Learning Crisis, Districts Spend Relief Funds at a Snail’s Pace”.

FCPS’s ARP funding failed to address the needs of students from the classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022, who graduated or dropped out of school before funding could benefit them. Recent announcements from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the Virginia Department of Education, and Governor Glenn Youngkin’s office indicate that this trend will continue.

In Virginia’s case, this follows a downward trend in academic performance that started before COVID.