Fairfax County Public School Lawyer bcc’d on Email between Teacher and Student; Why?

Dear Taxpayers:

Does anyone think it a good use of taxpayer money to bcc Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) lawyers on emails as benign as:

1) an email from a teacher to her student, about an assignment; and

2) an email from an IEP case manager introducing herself to the student’s family?

About three dozen emails, spanning this past year, have been uncovered, with bcc’s to Blankingship & Keith attorneys Wesley Allen and/or John Cafferky.

As of 2018, John Cafferky’s billing rate was $295/hour and Wesley Allen’s was $245/hour.

Do we really need to pay $4-to-$5 a minute for lawyers to read emails, when there are greater needs within the school system?

These e-mails aren’t related to litigation.

Not that it makes a difference, but these emails aren’t related to a student in trouble, with perhaps disciplinary issues, either.

The student simply has parents who advocate for him, and for his special education rights.

Aside from the waste of money, it’s disturbing that a student—a minor for that matter—is having his educational activity stalked by lawyers, and that FCPS approved these actions.

What happened to transparency?

What part of the school budget is funding nefarious activities like this?

Could it be under the Chief Equity and Academic Officer Fund?

Or the Family and School Partnership Fund?

What about the Professional Learning and Family Engagement Fund?

And who provided such training?

Is this a mandatory session in the Great Beginnings new teacher training that occurs at the beginning of each school year?

Will this be included in the long-promised, but-yet-to-be-delivered FCPS Parents’ Special Education Handbook?

Is this the true definition of #FCPSStrong and #FCPSReady? Lawyers, educators, and students combined?

A few of the emails are included below, as is a page from a 2018 billing sheet that lists Cafferky’s and Allen’s then-hourly rates.