Children are our priority. Ensuring their needs are met is our goal.
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.
The video, video chat, and video transcript in this article are from Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) 4.1.20 Special Education Chair and 504 Meeting.
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.
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.
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
Although FCPS struggles with consistency in many arenas, repeat violations of privacy is not one of them.
$65,370.60 = The amount law firm Blankingship & Keith invoiced Fairfax County Public Schools between November 22, 2019, and August 27, 2020.
The result? The Virginia hearing officer ruled the the program “Just Words” is inappropriate for a student with Dyslexia, which was the program FCPS proposed for the student on which the due process hearing was focused.
Two months = The amount of time that passed before Blankingship & Keith started invoicing FCPS for another hearing related to “Just Words” not being appropriate for a student with Dyslexia.
This article focuses on student records—confidentiality regulations and case law that school divisions, school division lawyers, hearing officers, and state education agencies use in documents they issue.
It will be updated as new information is obtained.