Fairfax County Public Schools FOIA Responses & Other Stuff
Although many of the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) records shared here were obtained via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) responses, some of the records shared were provided to Special Education Action via readers and/or FCPS's own carelessness. For example, FCPS provided the "Hot Topics" record in response to a parent's FERPA request, but neglected to redact the record before sharing it.
Fairfax County Public Schools Restraint & Seclusion Policy Training Videos
Although FCPS schools has committed to banning restraint and seclusion practices in all of its schools, “including private schools with whom FCPS contracts, by the start of the 2022-2023 school year,” questions remain about the training being provided to FCPS staff.
Restraint and seclusion videos in this article were created by FCPS and made public in response to a FOIA request.
Clue of the Date: 12.3.21
What is Fairfax County Public Schools trying to hide?
“Attention to email correspondence with C. Rosenberg regarding status of investigation and communications with DOJ.
“Conference call with AUSA Pedersen regarding status and developments.”
What is Fairfax County Public Schools Trying to Hide? These 1,316 Pages of Clues Provide Answers
This week the censorship shackles came off.
Included in this article are all 1,316 pages that FCSB tried to prevent us from sharing.
Fairfax County Public Schools Leaked Its Own Legal Invoices
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) leaked almost 1500 pages of its own legal invoices—and again breached the privacy of students, parents, and FCPS staff. The documents vary from being partially redacted to being entirely free of redactions.
In addition to sharing unredacted information about Due Process Hearings and Equity and Employee Relations Complaints (including staff grievances and dismissals), the following is a short list of some of the information within the documents:
Heartbreaking information related to children who died on FCPS’s watch, as well as the names of the children and their parents was included, as was information about FCPS’s restraint and seclusion problems.Â
Cyber Hacking Investigation
Blackboard Investigation
Coalition for TJ Lawsuit
Recall of Elaine Tholen
Your Fairfax County School Board Member: Stephen Hunt
Why bring him up now?
For over 15 years, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has been failing students who have special education needs. FCSB and FCPS knew this 15 years ago and they know it now.
August 21, 2006, Stephen sent an email to Alice Farling, who at the time was the assistant superintendent of FCPS’s Department of Special Services. The subject of the email?
Problems with FCPS’s special education program.
Your Fairfax County School Board Member: Karen Keys-Gamarra
I’m starting with Karen Keys-Gamarra for no other reason than that I happened to tap into an email of hers for another article I posted today.
FOIA Release: Fairfax County Public Schools’ 4.1.20 Special Education Department Chair and 504 Meeting
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.
FOIA Release: Fairfax County Public Schools’ 9.21.20 Special Education Chair Meetings
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
View Fairfax County Public Schools’ “Concurrent Instruction Professional Development Guidebook”
Documents, images, and videos noted within the guidebook are included as well.
Fairfax County Public Schools Special Education Department Chair Meeting
It includes information about IEP development, too, such as Lourrie Duddridge correcting the use of the PLOP page for present levels instead of a place used to document meeting minutes.
At about the 1:54:56 time mark, Lourrie Duddridge states: “We’ve been looking at a lot of present level of performance pages (PLOPS) and we need to just remind everybody that those documents are really for documenting the student’s present level of performance. How are they doing in their educational environment and what we propose as a team, and that those statements are written in objective measurable terms, and that we’re using appropriate data on those pages. What the page is not for is summaries of what happened–minutes of the meeting. And we’re seeing a lot of that on our present level of performance pages and what it does is clutter the IEP, and then we get present level of performance pages that are 20 pages long, because we have documented so much stuff that really isn’t relevant to the proposal itself.”
Return to School Virtual IEP Guidance Document
Whether you live in Fairfax County, Virginia, or in a different county or state, view this video.
It’s an opportunity to 1) learn what another school division is doing; 2) identify behind-the-scenes practices that are a) problematic and/or b) not occurring according to the training; and 3) to compare against your own division’s practices to a) bring ideas to them and/or b) ask about problem areas behind-the-scenes in your school division.
This presentation was developed by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).
There are a few stand-out comments to consider—and to contact FCPS (or your school division) about if these items weren’t discussed with you.
Here’s one for now, and then the video and transcript follow:
“The first thing the case manager needs to do is to review the IEP and determine whether or not the goals, accommodations, and services can be delivered in a virtual format.”
If yes, did the case manager actually take an action outside of “review” and “determine”?
FOIA Release: Scott Brabrand to James Lane, Trying to Figure How to Open Schools for 2020-21
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.