Children are our priority. Ensuring their needs are met is our goal.
For each issue cited, OSEP required an action to address the issue—and these actions had 90-day timelines associated with them.
Almost two-and-a-half years later, issues remain, the DMS report has yet to be closed out, and more concerns continue to rise.
The complaint on which the investigation is based alleges FCPS engaged in predetermination, which is a procedural violation of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act and implementing Virginia regulations.
“Teachers should not intentionally allow other students to know that XXXXXX has an IEP and receives special education services.”
The parent didn’t understand that privacy is a right, not an accommodation, simply because the privacy violations modeled by the teacher pointed in the opposite direction.
The IEP case manager for the parent’s child replies with a time and a date, and states that the child’s regular education teacher will not be a part of the IEP team.
The school’s proposed IEP team does not comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
If the parent agrees to the meeting, he or she will be attending a meeting, but not an IEP meeting with an IEP team as defined by IDEA.
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.
According to VDOE, “Prior to the pandemic, the number of students statewide who failed an SOL reading test but showed growth — and therefore counted toward their school’s accreditation rating — ranged from 19,000-20,000. With this latest round of accreditation calculations, the number has more than tripled to 61,000.
“Similarly, the number of students who failed a math SOL test before the pandemic but showed growth and counted toward their school’s rating was about 20,000. This year the number has quadrupled to more than 88,000.”
This is the accommodation that warrants its own evolution chart.
In my experience, it has the dubious honor of being the most-changed, least-followed, and most misunderstood accommodation that I’ve ever seen played out.