Category: News (page 24)

Due Process Hearing Officer: “Just Words” Not a Methodology that Addresses Learning Disabilities Associated with Dyslexia; FCPS Continues to Recommend “Just Words” for Students with Dyslexia

“From the evidence presented at the hearing, I have learned there are several competing methodologies that address learning disabilities associated with dyslexia. But it is clear to this Hearing Officer that JUST WORDS is not one of them”. —Richard M. Alvey, Due Process Hearing Officer

If you have a child in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), Virginia, who has Dyslexia, chances are FCPS has stated the program “Just Words” is appropriate to address your child’s unique needs related to Dyslexia.

Didn’t matter if the child was in 4th grade or 10th grade, FCPS pushed “Just Words” for children with Dyslexia.

Earlier this year, due process hearing officer Richard M. Alvey stated a final decision about “Just Words” that every parent with a child who has Dyslexia should know about—and which should have stopped FCPS’ continuing to recommend the program for children with Dyslexia.

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VDOE: School Divisions May Not Charge Students for Computers or Other Devices

Today—after weeks of asking the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) why FCPS is charging a fee to access education (and receiving no response)—VDOE’s Constituent Services team sent the email stating:

“Guidance just released from VDOE this week states computers and devices now fall squarely within the category of items for which divisions may not charge due to the substantive shift in how core and required instruction is being delivered for this school year.”

Takes a community (and/or a few vocal parents) to point out ignorance to the individuals who should be in the know.

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FERPA Violation: Willow Springs Elementary School Students’ Privacy Violated

While FCPS has inadvertently provided me information about dozens of other FCPS students and staff, I’m not alone in this dubious honor.

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.

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FERPA Violation: Silverbrook Elementary School Students’ Privacy Violated; Behind the Scenes, Choosing Students to “Enrich”

I didn’t request this document.

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.

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Advocacy Alert: FCPS Won’t Implement Corrective Actions Required in U.S. Dept of Ed Monitoring Report

6.23.20: The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) issued a Differentiated Monitoring Report about Virginia.

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).”

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Recommended Reading: Anything by John Holt

I ran into John Holt in a college “Conflict and Negotiation” class. His book “Learning All the Time” sat atop a classmate’s satchel, and I found myself straining to see the title of the book with all the colorful handprints. As the class ticked by, and the classmate bumped the bag here and there, the book inched out of its nesting spot and onto the floor.

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.

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FCPS Charges Students Fee to Access Education

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.

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If Your Child was Administered the Program Language Live, this Article is for You

This article applies to all the parents of all the students nationwide who were given the program Language Live, even though the examples below pull from Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Virginia.

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.

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