Children are our priority. Ensuring their needs are met is our goal.
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.
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Within 30 days of receiving ARP ESSER funds, the local education agency (LEA) is required to seek input from the community in advance of making its plan publicly available.
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.
Payment and availability are not prerequisites for a free appropriate public education (FAPE).
January 2021, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) launched an investigation into Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) practices of refusing to provide in-person instruction to students with disabilities, while at the same time opening “its schools to in-person child-care for general education students.” January 12, 2021, USDOE OCR submitted a letter to Superintendent Scott Brabrand, to announce the launch of the investigation.
However, the issue is about more than child care.
If you’re new to my articles, I’ve spent a fair amount of time writing about “Just Words” in response to Fairfax County Public School’s inappropriate use of the program for students who have Dyslexia. My articles aren’t a criticism of the program, but of the administration and implementation of a program that 1) the publisher does not endorse for students with Dyslexia and 2) that two Virginia hearing officers have ruled to be inappropriate for students with Dyslexia.
Today I was provided access to the Dyslexia participant slide deck for the 2.12.19 FCPS Secondary Literacy Intervention Teachers “Resource Bonanza”.
On the slide titled “Specialized Learning Programs”, there are three programs listed: “Just Words”, “Corrective Reading”, and “Language Live”.
Speaking the truth of the remarkable Ice T:
“You can’t come out on a record dissing the system and be on a label that’s connected to the system.”
How can case managers collect data for IEPs and 504s if they don’t communicate with teachers?
How can case managers ensure IEPs and 504s are being implemented in full if they aren’t communicating with teachers?
At the start of the 2020-21 school year, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) case managers had to be reminded to connect with the teachers of students enrolled in the FCPS Online Campus.