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
Independent Educational Evaluation: VDOE Rules FCPS in Noncompliance; Follows OSEP Monitoring Report
Below is an example of an IEE-related Letter of Findings, which the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) issued after it found Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in noncompliance.
VDOE’s Letter of Findings language can be used as guidance as you write your own state complaint in Virginia. If you live in another state, explore if your state has the same regulations as Virginia or if those regulations are in line with IDEA.
8 VAC 20-81-110.B.2
One goal of this series is to identify usage trends. Each article will be dedicated to one regulation. The articles will be routinely updated to include when, where, how, and who most recently cited the regulations.
§300.323(c)
One goal of this series is to identify usage trends. Each article will be dedicated to one regulation. The articles will be routinely updated to include when, where, how, and who most recently cited the regulations.
Fairfax County Public Schools, Sands Anderson, and Blankingship & Keith Breach Privacy During Due Process
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and two law firms with which it works—Sands Anderson and Blankingship & Keith—failed to secure personally identifiable information on seven occasions in just a four-month period, between June and October of 2020.
During this period, four due process complaints were filed on behalf of four children. Their parents requested that their children’s full records be provided. They didn’t request unredacted information about other children (or adults). However, that’s what they received.
Due Process Diaries: Hearing Officer Confirmation, Pre-Hearing Scheduling, Granting Control to LEA Lawyers
The hearing officer’s confirmation letter and her notice of pre-hearing letter fall on the benign side, with a few exceptions:
Metadata lists them as being associated with the U.S. Army.
They included incorrect information related to the parents.
They granted the LEA’s lawyer control of the conference platform.
Prepare for Due Process by Tapping into the Training Provided to Hearing Officers
Can a hearing officer force a family to meet in person, rather than virtually, even though the family and/or witnesses fall into the category of at-risk?
Can their training help parents prepare for due process?
These are just a few of the questions running through my mind when I submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for “all of the training materials that VDOE provides to hearing officers, as well anything else related to their training.”