Special Education Action is a 501(c)3 nonprofit publisher covering special education.
Its mission is to ensure parents, educators, and students have the information and tools necessary to fully understand, address, and safeguard the unique needs of all students who require special education.
Recent Articles
Fairfax County Public Schools Withheld Records from Office of Civil Rights; FCPS Didn’t Provide Full Response to OCR’s Investigation Data Request
January 12, 2021, OCR launched an investigation into FCPS, for civil rights violations related to the COVID pandemic.
May 4, 2021, OCR submitted an “Initial Data Request Letter” to Superintendent Scott Brabrand, which has a focus on “what the Division has done to address any denial of free appropriate public education (FAPE) that has occurred for students with disabilities while the Division has offered remote learning in response to the pandemic.
FCPS failed to provide a full response.
UPDATE: Fairfax County Public Schools FOIA’d Parents’ Communications with Office of Civil Rights
Accommodation Breakdown: Flash Pass
What is a Flash Pass?
A Flash Pass allows a student to leave class without having to 1) ask permission or 2) provide an explanation.
Fairfax County Public Schools Provided Recovery Services to Less Than 1% of Students
FOIA Response: More Internal Emails Provided, More Proof FCPS is Aware of Problems with Independent Educational Evaluation Rates and Other Issues
For the limited time covered, the FOIA response includes significant information related to the hot-button issue of FCPS’s below-market Independent Educational Evaluation rates.
Although numerous parents through the years have complained to FCPS and/or have filed state complaints about the rates, FCPS has refused to change the rates.
Yet . . . It looks like FCPS has known for years that the rates are a problem.
FOIA Response: Records FCPS Provided to Office of Civil Rights for OCR’s COVID Investigation
A FOIA request was made for all of the records FCPS provided to OCR for the investigation. In response to the request, FCPS refused to provide the records within the mandated timeline, filed a lawsuit related to the request, and to date has refused to respond to subsequent requests for records and to questions about records responsive to the request.
Over a period of about a month, FCPS provided the records published here.