Children are our priority. Ensuring their needs are met is our goal.
The documents below were given to another FCPS parent and include information about children other than her own. She didn’t ask to receive this information. FCPS provided it to her in the course of providing other documentation to her.
Fairfax Public County Public Schools (FCPS) provided it to me in response to a FERPA request.
FCPS redacted the names marked in black, but failed to redact almost another dozen names. I redacted those, before posting the document here. They appear as blank spaces in the document.
Between 2016 and 2020, FCPS has inadvertently provided me information about dozens of FCPS students and their families, and staff. I complain. The Virginia Department of Education (VODE) finds FCPS at fault for privacy violations, and then the noncompliance continues.
In addition to violating the privacy of these students, it is an interesting view of the “enrichment program” selection process.
That’s what came to mind after reading this email exchange between Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) Superintendent Scott Brabrand and Virginia Department of Education Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane.
For each issue cited, there is an action required by the U.S. DOE—and these actions have 90-day timelines associated with them.
However, just because there’s a 90 day timeline, doesn’t mean the noncompliance can continue during that period.
Today, Matthew Schneer from OSEP stated, “any actions or activities by VDOE or its LEAs that are not consistent with IDEA in the interim period will be considered noncompliance and subject to the requirements in 34 C.F.R. § 300.600(e).”
Not long ago, I returned to the books, still on my shelves, and found them speaking to me just as they did all those years ago, and found myself regretting I had slid their messages to the side to make room in my head for everything new I was trying to learn. What follows are a few quotes and examples from John’s books, which still speak to me and which might, perhaps, resonate with you, too.
7.21.20: Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Scott Brabrand announced:
“Today, the Fairfax County School Board supported my revised recommendation that we begin the 2020-21 school year with virtual learning for all students. The online school year will begin, as scheduled, September 8.”
In making this decision, FCPS changed the education point of access from school buildings to computers.
8.5.20: FCPS parents started receiving emails stating there is a maintenance fee for the computers being provided via the FCPSOn program.
By charging a fee related to computers it’s charging kids to access their education.
Language Live is a program that school divisions license from the company Voyager Sopris. FCPS uses Language Live as a tier 3 “comprehensive specialized reading program” for students with Dyslexia.
After students were administered the program, starting at Level 2, Unit 7, the publisher advised FCPS, “After we got some initial feedback and data from past implementations, it became clear that if students needed Level 2, they needed all of it. Those students who would have placed in the second part of the level really didn’t need an intervention like LL.”
Students became data points instead of having their unique needs appropriately addressed.
One of his guests was Jan Iwase, retired educator and author of “Leading with Aloha: From the Pineapple Fields to the Principal’s Office”.
I was struck and inspired by Jan’s comments about “leading with Aloha”—and I learned that Aloha is so much more than hello or goodbye.
The “Spirit of Aloha” is so powerful that it was written into the laws of Hawaii.