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
FCPS Disabled SEA-STARS’ Function that Tracks Login Information, Record Access, and Changes to Student Data
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) did just that.
If you have a child who receives special education via (FCPS), you’re likely familiar with “SEA-STARS”, which is the program FCPS is always logging into to access your students’ information.
What you might not know, is that 10 years ago, FCPS disabled the function that tracks login information, record access, and changes to student data.
Worried About Hackers? FCPS has Been Breaching Students’ and Staff’s Privacy for Years
Hackers breaching its system is another breach in a long line of privacy breaches and failures to secure information.
This evening, news outlets reported that the hackers posted private information about students.
And yet . . .
FCPS has been releasing information about students—without their permission—for years.
Dear FCPS: Universal Screeners WILL NOT Identify Students in Need if the Data is Falsified, Misrepresented, or Misunderstood
This headline appears in an internal FCPS report and precedes the following two entries about two Fairview Elementary School students (Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia).
For Student One:
“Lack of acceptance of dyslexia by teachers”
For Student Two:
“private dyslexia diagnosis; student parentally placed at ”
Silverbrook ES Principal Advises Staff Member: “No Paper/Email Trail”
“I suggest that you do not email your reply to her questions (no paper/email trail)”
This occurred after the parent shared a private evaluation with the school.
The parent went into the meeting thinking she was providing information that would help the school division address her child’s needs, only to learn later that the principal focused on “paper/email” trails and the psychologist had no intention of responding to her.
FCPS Vice Principal Sets IEP Meeting Rules; Full Parental Participation Truncated
Although parents are considered equal IEP team members, in this case, the “rules” were set without their input and included a threat that the meeting would be shut down if the parents violated the rules.
And yet, some of the rules err on the noncompliance side of state and federal regulations.
“It’s Deja Vu All Over Again”: Yogi Berra Said It; FCPS Parents Are Thinking It; Tech Issues Strike Again
At least one principal in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), VA sent notice Sept. 2, 2020, that FCPS is again running into tech issues.
This Spring, FCPS’ tech failures made national news.
Not only was their online launch a disaster, their online re-launch was a disaster.
And now, just a week before FCPS launches for the 2020-21 school year. . . . Deja Vu.