Special Education Action Page 32 of 43

Due Process Hearing Transcript: Six-Day Hearing

The transcript included in this article is for a due process hearing that took place over the course of six days, between December 3, 2019, and December 13, 2019.

The mother and father of a student attending Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) filed for due process. FCPS is the local education agency (LEA) involved. FCPS was represented by John Cafferky, a lawyer with Blankingship & Keith. The Virginia hearing officer was Richard Alvey. The parents were represented by lawyer Ashley VanCleef.

This hearing and the decision written by Hearing Officer Alvey proved to be a gamechanger, specifically Alvey’s statement that the program “Just Words” is inappropriate for students with Dyslexia.

Office of Civil Rights Opens Investigation of Fairfax County Public Schools

April 12, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) launched an investigation of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). This follows OCR’s launch of a separate investigation of FCPS, just three months earlier, on January 12, 2021.

April 13, 2021, FCPS staff exchanged an internal e-mail in which FCPS admitted fault and an intention to discuss entering into a rapid resolution with OCR.

Call for Nominations, State Board of Education Advisory Committees

Who is on your state’s advisory committee or panel?

How are members nominated and elected to serve?

When will the next round of individuals be nominated?

If you don’t already know the answers to these questions, please visit your state education agency’s (SEA) site (or call) to find out who is representing you and your children — and to perhaps seek a nomination to the committee yourself.

FOIA Release: Fairfax County Public Schools’ 4.1.20 Special Education Department Chair and 504 Meeting

The video, video chat, and video transcript in this article are from Fairfax County Public Schoolsâ€™ (FCPS) 4.1.20 Special Education Chair and 504 Meeting.

Fairfax County Public Schools Is Offering In-Person, In-School Instruction Four Days A Week; Neglects To Include Students Who Need It

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is offering in-person, in-school instruction for four days a week.

The Problem: Parents of students who need such an option have not had it offered to them—and many don’t even know the option exists.

Contact Your State Education Agency; It Is Required To Request Input On Its Waiver Requests

Contact your state education agency (SEA).

If it is seeking a waiver from the United Stated Department of Education (USDOE), it is required to give the public notice and a reasonable time for it to comment.

February 22, 2021, USDOE issued a letter inviting states to request waivers for the 2020-21 school year “of the accountability and school identification requirements in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).”

From “Just Words” to Lexia, FCPS Continued Its One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Addressing Dyslexia

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) did it again.

It used a one-size-fits-all approach to addressing the needs of students who struggle with reading.

In 2020, Lexia gave FCPS 999,999 licenses for its programs.

FCPS’ response?

The FCPS Office of Special Education Instruction (OSEI) recommended Lexia for all students who were using “Just Words” prior to Governor Ralph Northam’s March 23, 2020 executive order calling for the cessation of in-person instruction.

FOIA Release: Fairfax County Public Schools’ 9.21.20 Special Education Chair Meetings

The documents and videos in this article relate to the morning and afternoon sessions of Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) 9.21.20 Special Education Chair Meeting.

Both meetings cover the following topics:

FCPS Online Campus

Data Collection

Sharing Successes

Career and Transition Services

Recovery Services

Due Process & Eligibility and SEA-STARS

OSEI Updates

Related Services

Author: Callie Oettinger (page 32)