Special Education Action Page 20 of 21 - Children are our priority. Ensuring their needs are met is our goal. Children are our priority. Ensuring their needs are met is our goal. Providing parents and their children the tools to advocate for themselves is our mission. Improving Public Schools is our goal.

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

08.21.2020

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.

FERPA Violation: Willow Springs Elementary School Students’ Privacy Violated

08.20.2020

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.

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

08.19.2020

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.

FOIA Release: Scott Brabrand to James Lane, Trying to Figure How to Open Schools for 2020-21

08.18.2020

You know the saying about throwing spaghetti at wall to see if it sticks?

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.

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

08.10.2020

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).”

Recommended Reading: Anything by John Holt

FCPS Charges Students Fee to Access Education

08.05.2020

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.

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

08.02.2020

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.

The Best Teachers Lead with Aloha

08.01.2020

Last week, I watched Education Week’s “A Seat at the Table”, moderated by Peter DeWitt.

One of his guests was Jan Iwase, retired educator and author of “Leading with Aloha: From the Pineapple Fields to the Principal’s Office”.

I was struck and inspired by Jan’s comments about “leading with Aloha”—and I learned that Aloha is so much more than hello or goodbye.

The “Spirit of Aloha” is so powerful that it was written into the laws of Hawaii.

FOIA Release: FCPS’ Jane Strong and VDOE’s Samantha Hollins; E-Mails, May 5 and May 13, 2020

07.30.2020

These May 5 and May 13, 2020 e-mails were obtained via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

They are between Jane Strong, director of Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) Office of Special Education Procedural Support, and Samantha Hollins, assistant superintendent of the Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) Department of Special Education and Student Services.

Jane explores using waivers to graduate students who weren’t expected to graduate.

COVID 19 and FAPE

07.27.2020

Are schools required to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) during COVID-19?

Let’s start with the United States Departments of Education and IDEA.

§ 300.17 of IDEA states: “Free appropriate public education or FAPE means special education and related services that—(a) Are provided at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without charge; (b) Meet the standards of the SEA, including the requirements of this part; (c) Include an appropriate preschool, elementary school, or secondary school education in the State involved; and (d) Are provided in conformity with an individualized education program (IEP) that meets the requirements of §§300.320 through 300.324.”

Sections §§300.320 through 300.324 specifically address meeting the needs of the child, not the needs of the school.

COVID-19 did not change the needs of the child. It changed the location at which those needs are addressed.

Crisis Management Messaging: Gov. Cuomo’s, Gov. Northam’s, VDOE’s, and FCPS’ Staff on “Distance Learning”

07.26.2020

“Sorry this got to you and James”.
â€”Scott Brabrand, FCPS Superintendent.

4.21.20, Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) Superintendent Scott Brabrand emailed this apology to Donald R. Fairheart, Deputy Superintendent and Chief of Staff, Division of School Quality, Instruction, and Performance, VDOE. James is James Lane, Superintendent of the Virginia Department of Education.

His “sorry” followed an email from Alexander Cochran, Special Counsel to the Governor for Federal Affairs, Office of Governor Cuomo, to Stacey Brayboy, Director of the Virginia Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, warning about FCPS’ failures to launch.