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
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.
Less James Bond and More Sherlock Holmes
Years ago I had the honor of working with LTG Samuel Vaughan Wilson. General Sam was the youngest of Merrill’s Marauders and went on to have an extraordinary career in the military in the decades that followed. (Too much to include here.)
He once told me that obtaining information is less about being James Bond and more about being Sherlock Holmes. We don’t need hi-tech devices to obtain the information we need. Often, it is staring us right in the face.
Texas and Virginia: Too Big to Fail
Texas is toward the top of the list of U.S. states when it comes to federal, state, and local revenue, but Virginia has Fairfax County, a school district with one of the largest budgets and per pupil spending in the United States.
And yet . . . They’ve both failed.
In the case of Texas, the United States Department of Education’s (USDOE) Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) just announced that USDOE will be reducing funds provided to Texas and putting specific conditions in place.
Will OSEP follow with Virginia?
Virginia Isn’t Just For Lovers; Virginia Is For Breaches Of Children’s Privacy, Too
For the second time in as many years, the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (VDBHDS) has breached the privacy of children.
October 6, 2021, just one day before the VDBHDS breach, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) announced that it is opening an investigation into Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), focused on systemic privacy violations.
Every Child Deserves A Champion; Open Your Eyes, Channel Your Outrage, Show Up To Help Every Day
FCPS has been failing children in its special education program for decades—and the legal bills and other documents exist to prove it.
What to Do?
Change starts with advocacy, with kindness, with help.
Virginia Department of Education to Investigate Fairfax County Public Schools for Systemic Privacy Violations
VDOE has always had a reason NOT to initiate a systemic investigation — even after it was provided an internal FCPS document in which FCPS itself stated concerns with privacy breaches.
What changed VDOE’s mind this time? I have no idea.
Here’s hoping for a thorough investigation—and for the noncompliance to stop.