Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities (ACSD)

Recording

September 11 General Meeting Recording (YouTube) 

Transcript and Translations

0:03
Hi everyone, welcome back! We have many returning faces and some new ones as well. First, I’d like to say that although I haven’t done an exact count yet, I’ve counted enough to know we have a forum, so we can call to order, just as we’ve done in previous years.

0:20
I would like to ask for a consent vote on adopting the agenda and the minutes. Before we do that, I have two small changes to make to the agenda. One is that it currently only states "adoption of agenda." We actually need to adopt both the agenda and the minutes from last June. The item being added is a motion under business, which will come after the committee operations report.

0:51
With that said, without objection, the minutes and the agenda are approved as submitted. Seeing no objections, thank you.

1:04
General announcements: First of all, I want to take a moment to acknowledge that it is September 11th. I am the daughter-in-law of an NYPD officer, and I have family and friends who were in the towers and at the Pentagon on that day. I don’t think any of us will forget where we were. Even if we weren’t directly affected, many of us had friends or family in military service. If we could just take a moment to remember the heroes of that day.

1:52
Thank you. Now, moving on, I want to go over a few housekeeping items because this year's committee experience will be structured very differently from what you may remember. That’s why we’ll spend most of the agenda discussing how the committee will operate.

2:21
One of the changes is that we only have Holly and myself; we don’t have additional officers to help carry out the tasks. For that reason, please make sure to sign in at the table over there. If you haven't signed in, please wait five minutes so no one knows it's you, and then sign in.

2:50
It would have been okay if you waited, Susan, but if you don’t sign in, I may not accurately record your attendance, even though I’ll be making notes as the meeting goes on.

3:10
The other thing is to pick up your table tent and ensure that it’s facing front when you place it on the table. If you could angle it so I can see what it says, that would help. Generally, I’ll know who you are, but I can’t be responsible for my actions when I’m not warned.

3:30
In the file box, you will find a folder with your name on it. It may have contents today, and at any given monthly meeting, it will likely include a hard copy of the agenda and handouts we’re using. Please check that as well.

3:51
I’m going to assume everyone has signed in now. I’m looking at you, Hon.

3:56
As a reminder, when you wish to be recognized to make a comment, please put your name card vertically. Lastly, I want to ensure everyone is familiar with mic usage and that you actually use the mic.

4:11
We will have three students on the committee this year, all representing students with disabilities. At various meetings, we will have different accommodations in place, some of which will be audio in nature. So it’s important to use the mics.

4:38
H, would you like to demonstrate the mic usage? This may seem like a lot of information, but as I mentioned during our orientation, everyone needs a reminder at every meeting.

4:57
So, when you’re done speaking, tap the mic. There we go. The next person can’t speak unless you tap out. We’ll do our best to keep track of this.

5:15
With that in mind, it’s time for public comment, which will be handled by my vice chair, H.

5:21
As a reminder for returning members and an explanation for new members, public comments allow anyone who wants to speak to sign up on a form. We have one person here for public comment this evening. The time limit is three minutes.

5:38
To ensure everyone stays on track, we decided to use a kitchen timer. It took three of us to come up with that idea. So, we will strictly adhere to the three-minute limit. This way, everyone will clearly know when the time is up.

5:53
Members of the committee should not outwardly react to public comments, but we are taking note of what is being said. This information will be included in the minutes and the public recording.

6:11
With all that said, our speaker this evening is Lauren.

6:20
Yes, please go ahead, and I'll reset the timer for the recording.

6:26
Good evening, everyone. My name is Lauren M., and I am the parent of twice-exceptional students who have disabilities. Often in FCPS, these students are forced to choose between small class sizes with support or advanced classes without support, which come with large class sizes. This is particularly problematic at our Comprehensive Services site.

7:04
FCPS now has both a neurodiversity specialist and a twice-exceptional specialist. The twice-exceptional handbook has recently been updated, and FCPS leadership is now having weekly meetings with a project manager assigned for twice-exceptional programming.

7:16
This is a critical time for parents of twice-exceptional students. This year, we really need to hear your voices—both in public comments at the school board and through SEPTA, which is the Fairfax County Special Education PTA. This is a countywide PTA for those involved with special education. Their website is fairfaxcountysepta.org, or you can email their advocacy team at [email protected]. Thank you.

8:11
I actually have not heard from Rajna about her attendance, so if she arrives shortly, we’ll bump her back up on the agenda. Rajna is returning as our school board member.

8:23
You heard me mention a moment ago that the reason we decided to include our committee operations update as part of the main meeting is that everything regarding how this committee has run is now changing. The operations manual we discussed throughout last year was finally approved at the end of June by the school board.

9:00
A lot of what the school board is asking all advisory committees to do is something we’ve always done, but there are parameters in place that tighten the scope of our work a little bit. We will talk about that extensively tonight.

9:29
Are you ready to put my slides up? Yes, I will do that.

9:37
This is your main PowerPoint.

9:52
First, we will talk about which parts of the committee operations you are familiar with that are not changing. If I’m not mentioning something, it’s probably changing.

10:03
We still have our state-mandated activities. As you know, our committee exists as part of an obligation for all divisions in Virginia to have a special education advisory committee to their school board. That state mandate has not changed.

10:22
We still have a requirement to review the annual plan, write an annual report to the school board, and we are empowered to advise our school board on issues affecting students with disabilities in the division. That hasn’t changed.

10:36
In many ways, everything else has either already changed or will change this year. This year alone, our committee representation will remain the same as it has been in the past. We have a representative from each school board district, every magisterial district, and three at-large members of the school board.

10:57
We also have representatives from each of the regions.

11:05
We have 10 or 12 different organizations, including some FCPS department appointees, just as we did last year. One of the changes in the advisory committee operations manual is that we decide each year which community representatives will serve on this committee.

11:16
For example, when I was talking to Susan about this over the summer, there’s no guarantee that PO will have a seat next year. While I don’t reasonably anticipate any situation where that would be the case, theoretically, any organization with a seat at this table isn’t guaranteed to return. It depends on the collective decision of the committee at the end of this year.

11:49
This process was supposed to start this year. I spent a couple of weeks over the summer scrambling to secure my appointment back to this committee because if you want me to chair it, I have to be a member. I missed it by that much—just when you think you're out!

12:21
However, the school board passed a stop-gap measure recognizing that the timing of these changes did not allow sufficient time for the advisory committees to implement them. They issued a stop-gap measure whereby we will maintain our current representation at the beginning of the year.

12:41
After we file our annual report, our remaining task will be to decide on our charge and who will represent that charge on this committee. It will always include the magisterial districts, regions, and a teacher, as stipulated by the regulations.

13:07
The committees, however, do not remain static, so we will address that. It will remain true that everyone has the obligation to serve on one of the subcommittees, and attendance is required.

13:19
The virtual attendance policy remains the same: members may request to participate virtually in two meetings or 25% of the meetings, whichever number is greater. For our committee, which has 10 meetings, 25% is 2.5, so technically, we get three meetings for which any of the members can request to participate via Zoom.

13:44
However, your request to participate by Zoom is not guaranteed, as it depends on having a quorum in the room. If you have a sick child and can’t attend, please ask if you can join virtually. If I can’t offer it, no one will drag you to the meeting.

14:05
There are occasions where it’s reasonable to ask to participate virtually. For example, if there’s inclement weather and you’re traveling from far away, or if you’re out of the DC area, those are perfectly valid reasons to request virtual attendance.

14:43
I just can’t guarantee it, as we must have a quorum.

14:56
I’m going to pretend I didn’t see that you just walked in. We’ll wait two minutes, and then I’ll cover.

15:01
Oh, you’re all good being late—no worries! If Rajna joins us late, we will go back to her.

15:06
We were discussing that it’s easier to rule out the things that aren’t changing on the committee than to talk about the things that are. We’ve been going through what isn’t changing.

15:25
All business must be conducted at public meetings. We will discuss that this has a more restricted interpretation than in the past. We no longer have our legal drives and group emails, but if you have ever attended this committee, you’re already aware that we cannot conduct committee business unless it’s announced and published as open to the public.

15:50
All of our meetings must fit that criteria.

15:58
Oh, did I want to... I’m so sorry, you’re right on top of things. You did give me the right time, and I’m just having a chaotic night.

16:07
Oh, do you mind?

16:08
I don’t mind, thank you.

16:16
So, those are the things that are staying the same. Now, let’s move on to what is changing, which is quite a lot.

16:24
As you already know, we started at the end of last year, and we no longer have four officers in the leadership of the committee. It’s just Holly, Mike, and myself. Holly and I, along with Mike, have a bit of leeway regarding public meetings because Mike is not a committee member.

16:31
Holly and Mike and I are able to collaborate, which is a good thing because I’ve never appreciated you, Ally, as much as I do in this meeting.

16:51
So, it’s just me and Holly. If you want to talk to both of us, the best thing to do is send an email to the ACSD chair address. If you need to reach just one of us—whether it’s me, Mike, or Holly—just choose one, depending on your mood that day, and that person will make sure the other two know.

17:03
Please don’t send it to all three of us.

17:08
Oh, okay. Well, that’s not how I understood it.

17:17
You can send an email; you just cannot respond to all. Once you respond, you can only reply to one person.

17:22
This is the rule you've been living with for five years.

17:29
Oh, I’m sorry. So, these rules have been around forever, but essentially, you can email the entire committee, and you can reply back to individuals. However, once you reply to all or more than one person, it is considered a breach of protocol.

17:48
That’s the guidance we’ve received.

17:54
Right. So, you can send your email to all of them or to multiple members, but only reply to the one person.

18:01
That means you’ll have to use BCC, as I don’t trust anyone to avoid replying all when it’s an open CC. It happens every day.

18:20
Just keep that in mind. We’ll cover this more in detail as we get into the nitty-gritty of committee work, but that’s helpful. Thank you, RNA.

18:33
Regarding the annual report, it is pretty carefully prescribed in the operations manual, including the format it must follow. Ours already aligns with this, so it won’t affect us too much. There are a few tweaks here and there, but in general, it’s the committees that were doing more informal reports that will now follow the same structure we've been using for some time.

18:56
Future committee planning is a new task we will undertake towards the end of this year. We’ll discuss this as we decide what community representation will look like, as we’ll send a proposal to the board. Ultimately, it’s the board’s decision, but we’ll go with a recommendation regarding our charge and the specific organizations we believe best align with that charge.

19:21
Our annual report is now due in May. Previously, our bylaws stated April, and we are updating the bylaws to reflect this change. The deadline set by the school board is May, which is good because it gives us an extra month.

19:39
Now, regarding online work, we talked a little about emails, but also about shared Google Drives.

19:56
It’s going to be somewhat problematic if you’re doing substantive committee work, as it needs to be in the context of a public meeting.

20:02
We were specifically told no Google Drives.

20:07
Who was I talking to? Oh, talking to you.

20:14
Okay, no. Now you have to do it quickly. There you go.

20:22
I apologize. So, what we were told is that you can have a shared Google Document. You can edit it and comment on it, but don’t reply to anyone’s comment.

20:30
I don’t trust these people to manage that. I’m just letting you know. I understand these SP rules were not set up for ease, and I believe in transparency and open government. So, I’m not mostly complaining, just stating that these nuances exist.

20:50
That’s what we’ve been told: you can have a Google Doc, but in terms of open meeting laws, you can’t respond to comments. If someone puts a comment, you can’t reply with something like, “I see that she said this.” That back-and-forth can create confusion.

21:08
The clarity and leadership at the front of this table is just remarkable.

21:18
Okay, I’m starting to give...

21:24
I can’t. So, she’s great. I’m just sharing this to help make your life a little easier.

21:32
I think it will. Yes, but just before we pivot to the next phase, I know that change can be difficult, weird, and uncomfortable. I’ve told Holly and Mike that much of H’s and my job this year will be reminding you to do things the new way and not the old way.

21:52
While I appreciate the institutional memory and wisdom that comes from serving on this committee for several years, everything you thought you understood may potentially be changing.

22:04
So, we ask for your patience as we figure this out together. Some of the frustrations we’ve experienced as volunteers arise when our communications to the board are not responded to in the way we hoped.

22:24
There are many good reasons for that, but what has changed regarding these advisory committees is a clearer understanding of what they want to learn from us.

22:39
Our challenge as volunteers and committee members will be to stay within that framework, as we may be inclined to ask, “But what about this?” or “What about that?” This can lead to a burdensome workload and information that, while valid, may not pertain to our specific charge.

23:11
So, as part of introducing the nature of our annual report this year, I’d like to do a little icebreaker. I want to hear about an embarrassing story from real life—something that’s cringe-worthy.

23:31
Take a moment to think about it.

23:43
Alright, I’m not actually going to make you share those stories. The whole idea behind making you think about this is to illustrate how accepted practices don’t work for everybody. I did a test run of that with my neighbors and family, and...

24:05
Every single one of them responded the way you all did: “What is she going to make me do?” As people active in the disability field, there’s such a difference between lived experience and the observation of that experience. What I hoped to convey is that while many think everything is just fine, it doesn’t work for me. I had to choose something extreme to ensure it resonated, especially since there are always those who want to go first.

24:49
Moving on to our annual charge this year, it’s very simple, succinct, and clear. The Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities will study and make recommendations for increasing disability-affirming practices in school communities and will encourage a strengths-based approach to educating students with disabilities and learning differences. This charge arose from our conversation in June about focusing on what students do well. It was informed by student feedback expressing that, regardless of their disabilities, they often feel like a burden to teachers simply because they learn differently.

25:46
This charge is remarkably flexible but also somewhat limited. I hope you don’t mind me calling out Jay, but many of us reacted to your comment about how success looks different depending on one’s perspective. It is success nonetheless. I also believe it’s hard to focus on deficits; it’s much easier and more effective to focus on strengths. We must recognize that what constitutes strength can vary.

26:22
Now, I want to give you my actual warm-up icebreaker, and there’s a reason for this. I want you to take a minute to think about your favorite teacher—the best teacher you ever had. We all have one, right? A teacher can take many forms, maybe even a parent or grandparent. Think about someone who comes to mind when you say “best teacher.” I don’t need to know their name, what grade they taught, or the subject. Instead, I’d like you to share what it was about them that made them a good teacher.

26:53
I’ll go first while you think about your favorite teacher. For me, it was a teacher who challenged me to view the world through different eyes—someone who encouraged me to reconsider what I thought was right. They were a lifelong learner themselves, constantly studying, learning, and growing. They were both a student and a teacher.

27:35
Sure, my favorite teacher was from my senior year of high school. We called him Professor because he was also a local college instructor. What made him great was that he had high expectations but treated us like mature individuals. He made learning fun, even bringing a guitar on someone’s birthday to sing. We all learned chemistry in a memorable way.

28:11
I appreciate hearing about these amazing teachers. What made my teacher good was all about relationship building.

28:32
For my teacher, it was also about positive relationships, accountability, and high expectations. He implemented unique activities that no teacher had done before or since, which was phenomenal and provided hands-on experiences.

29:02
The teacher I’m thinking of taught an incredibly complex subject but broke everything down into manageable chunks. His door was always open for extra practice or questions, and even though it was a large subject, he was always approachable.

29:36
For me, it was my secondary teacher who believed I could learn to read when no one else did.

30:06
My teacher was incredibly charismatic, full of energy, and treated us with respect despite our age difference. It resonated with me.

30:27
The teacher I’m thinking of was my sixth-grade teacher. He made learning easy and fun, simplifying complex topics and making them flow well for us.

31:06
In the early '80s, my teacher embraced integration at our school. She encouraged us to challenge conventional thinking.

31:44
My 12th-grade AP History teacher was my favorite. He taught me how to think, write, and organize my thoughts. Much of what he taught me, I still use today in my business and life.

32:15
One of my favorite teachers was a sixth-grade teacher who was always encouraging and supportive. She recognized my potential, which others overlooked, and treated us like kids, fostering a respectful environment.

32:29
The teacher I’m thinking of saw every student for who they were and gave everyone unique opportunities to grow.

32:48
My middle school Spanish teacher had such a passion for her subject. I can still hear her singing verb conjugations. She inspired me to excel.

33:07
I think my favorite teacher saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself and encouraged me to do better.

33:18
In third grade, my teacher was incredibly creative and energizing. I was a kid who moved around a lot, but she made it an amazing year.

33:38
I remember a teacher who was quirky and a bit goofy, openly sharing her challenges. She made it clear that being yourself was okay, welcoming latecomers with kindness.

34:09
I think of a teacher who helped me feel accepted as a very small child who didn’t speak English. She met students where they were and believed in our potential to escape our small town.

34:47
My teacher was approachable and made learning fun, challenging us while keeping it engaging.

35:22
The teacher I’m thinking of had genuine enthusiasm and love for the subject, taking delight in watching students find their voice.

36:02
My favorite teacher was always upbeat, even dancing in the middle of lectures. She treated me like everyone else, seeing my skills, passion, and talent instead of my disability.

36:40
I had a teacher who recognized the challenges of being different in my environment. She assured me that college would be an awesome experience, and I often think back to her encouragement on tough days.

37:15
Rashna mentioned she was debating between two teachers. It’s wonderful to talk about what people are good at instead of focusing on their weaknesses.

37:28
When asked about favorite teachers, many of us may struggle to choose just one, even if we had multiple good teachers. The work we’re doing this year will elevate excellence as a teachable moment rather than fixating on deficits.

38:00
It’s difficult to sit in IEP meetings where the focus is often on what doesn’t work. I've had a few teachers in Fairfax County who spoke about my children’s strengths. It changes everything when someone acknowledges what they excel at while also addressing areas for improvement.

38:51
During my presentation of the annual report in June, I used the metaphor of IEP meetings. It’s tough to be in a room discussing what's wrong. Recognizing strengths doesn’t negate differences in achievement; it changes the conversation entirely.

39:30
This year, we want to encourage conversations about improvement in a positive light. Instead of solely pointing out what’s wrong, we can offer examples of excellence as guidance, focusing on expanding strengths rather than merely addressing weaknesses.

40:01
With that in mind, the new operating manual really focuses our work precisely on our annual charge and the elements of the Strategic Plan. I want to go through how this affects us. You’ve heard a lot about the Strategic Plan; not everyone is comfortable with the specifics, so I’ll give you an accessible version.

40:40
The Strategic Plan is built on four pillars. These pillars act like values; they represent the essential components that must be done well in order to make progress. Completion of these pillars is an ongoing process, and you cannot progress on the goals without these four elements.

41:07
While these pillars are not specific charges to this committee, they serve as a lens we need to apply. If we don’t do this well, we won’t advance on what comes afterward. All of this material is available on the Strategic Plan website.

41:18 We get down into the goals and measurements, which will be more directly relevant to our work this year. The pillars are differentiated and culturally responsive learning environments, vibrant home-school and community partnerships, a diverse, adaptive, and supportive workforce, and a culture of equity, excellence, and accountability.

41:39 These pillars lead to the goals within the period of the Strategic Plan, outlining what should be achieved. These goals will frame our committee's work this year. Our charge is to create a strength-based culture of inclusion at the school level, which aligns with the written goals.

42:14 You'll notice that many of these goals already align with those of previous committees. For example, every student will have access to high-quality academic programming and resources to support their success. This reflects what used to be called student achievement, but our focus remains the same—it's just a change in terminology.

42:45 The reason for this alignment is that our annual report must correspond to these goals. If we frame our recommendations within this structure, we respond directly to what is asked of us in the report. Hence, we will recommend that the committees operate under this new framework.

43:10 We will no longer have a School Board charge committee; instead, all committees will function collectively. There will still be ad hoc and special meeting committees, particularly regarding policy reviews and bylaw changes, but these will be the standing subcommittees everyone must join.

43:44 As we delve into subcommittee work, each goal will have assigned measurements to track our progress. For instance, to measure access to high-quality programming, one measurement is reducing the number of adapted diplomas and ensuring more students achieve standard diplomas. This data-driven approach will serve as a yardstick for measuring success.

44:21 Although our committee doesn't make implementation recommendations, understanding these measurements gives us insight into what the board has tasked staff with doing. For instance, if we discuss adapted diplomas, we can approach it as we always have, but it must align with the direction Fairfax County schools are taking.

44:48 This approach benefits everyone. Often, we find ourselves asking, "What about this issue?" This comprehensive plan should accommodate various experiences, as it was crafted with community feedback. If your concerns seem unique and don’t fit, it may not warrant a strategic-level conversation; perhaps it's better suited for discussion with your School Board representative.

45:50 The essence is that answering the questions asked will foster a more receptive audience. This was evident in various debates; responding to the questions posed is crucial. Our work this year must align with the board's clear directives, and I believe it will be validating to discuss our concerns in a group dedicated to disability issues.

46:27 It may be challenging at times to stay focused on our objectives, but H and I will monitor this as the committees proceed.

47:04 I don't want to add too much; I think you've done a great job explaining this. However, I want to emphasize one reason the school board wanted all committee work to align with the plan. This community-driven initiative reflects a collective decision about the direction of our schools.

47:49 While the superintendent will implement the community plan, we are responsible for policy work, oversight, and governance. We want all our work to be cohesive, hoping that your report at the end of the year will guide us in our governance.

48:08 By tying our efforts to the goals of the system and the Strategic Plan, we aim to generate actionable ideas that can inform our operations. It’s important to move in a unified direction.

48:32 The plan is broad, allowing for flexibility in how we approach it. It's a valuable exercise to consider how our discussions fit within the strategic framework, and I'm confident that there is relevance in the comprehensive nature of the plan.

49:01 I’d like to take a moment to see if anyone has questions or comments. If you don’t, that’s fine.

49:19 As a reminder, because we have assistive technology, please raise your hand if you want to be recognized. Remember, you have one comment until everyone has had the chance to speak. If time allows, you may comment again.

49:41 I know some of you tend to ask two-part questions, but please keep that in mind.

49:57 Is the DSS update just for this meeting, or will that change this year?

50:04 The DSS update is only for this meeting, as this is all an update in itself. I can't promise that all the other standard reports will always remain on the agenda, as we are considering some adjustments to the format, potentially presenting them in writing at future meetings.

50:34 However, I don’t foresee a time when we wouldn’t include it, at least for this meeting.

50:39 Does anyone else have questions? Oh, I'm sorry, Jay, you were hidden behind the microphone.

50:45
One of the thoughts I have is that a recurring theme is the importance of finding examples of things done well. We have a great opportunity to share stories that highlight these successes and draw attention to them.

50:59
I believe it would be beneficial to extract and spread these positive experiences. This mindset fits well with our goals. I want to emphasize that we aren’t limited to what’s already being done in the district.

51:19
For example, when West Springfield High won the F Class Award this year, it was because they figured things out that other parts of the county were still struggling with. We can also look at what other divisions are doing. Personally, I am very interested in affirming neurodiversity and disability. I believe that’s the future of special education, especially when we finally figure out the funding issues.

51:54
Regardless, I think this mindset helps address any concerns we've expressed in the past. It makes our messaging more receivable and allows us to embody the qualities we admire in the teachers we loved. As advisers, we are also teachers to the school board. Don’t we want to be the kind of teacher that leaves them saying, “That was really helpful; I learned so much, and I was challenged to see things in a new way”? Isn’t that the example we want to set?

53:03
I don’t want to overlook what we should be doing everywhere. I see part of our role as helping to flip the narrative for FCPS regarding how we set students up for success. If we only focus on their deficits, we won’t achieve that goal.

53:40
During a school visit today, I was struck by how many times people mentioned all the things that enhanced kids need to demonstrate before they can proceed. It’s concerning that they want these students to sit still for 30 to 45 minutes. If second graders can sit still for that long, why are they still in sessions? It often seems like there is a higher bar set for our kids than for others, and I hope you can help address that.

54:26
Go ahead, Alan.

54:36
Sorry, I just wanted to ask about the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). I like the idea, but we obviously need to respond to the community. However, the subcommittees are stated in our bylaws, right?

54:54
I don’t think any operating manuals supersede the bylaws. They specify new committees, so we need to have a vote to change anything. We have a vote scheduled for tonight.

55:14
That’s not what she’s asking. We have a vote scheduled under new business. I understand that if the school board has something in their manual that covers us, it supersedes our bylaws. However, I don’t think that’s correct for our manual.

55:35
Just to clarify, our bylaws say we have certain subcommittees, and we can't disregard them. The operations manual states we can decide what our subcommittees are. We have a vote scheduled tonight for our subcommittees, and our bylaws are being updated.

56:08
Thank you for that clarification. I appreciate the need for strategic policy development. Through this report, will we still have the opportunity to provide recommendations that are more operational in nature, or are we strictly focusing on strategy?

56:25
Under our state mandate, and also in the operations manual, we have the right to comment on anything within our committee’s mandate, which includes students with disabilities. The answer is yes; we still have that opportunity. However, as your chair, I challenge you to consider whether that operational feedback leads to a policy or procedure that benefits this effort.

57:06
I want to be clear: when we comment on or give recommendations for operational matters, it is necessary for the board to make those changes. We can follow up and ask, “What is being done to address what ACSD said?” but we won’t necessarily direct them.

57:44
We want to focus on operational aspects, but it’s essential to note that we can issue an interim report to the superintendent and the school board, even if it doesn’t fit the mandate of the annual report. That doesn’t mean we can’t communicate those concerns.

58:22
With that in mind, should we pause here? I don't want to miss anything.

58:28
I apologize. Can you please state your name for the record?

58:34
I'm late; I'm Catherine from Region 1. My comment is related to operational feedback.

58:41
I came tonight to discuss some operational differences I've observed within the region. I agree with the earlier comment that it’s important for parents to be aware of what’s happening in our schools.

58:53
The operations manual includes provisions for incorporating public comments into our discussions. We always preserve and document public comments in the annual report we provide to the board. So, even if a comment doesn’t go directly to a subcommittee, it is still included in the informational pipeline.

59:35
The feedback will be preserved and carried forward. While we can discuss operations, decisions ultimately rest with the school board.

1:00:04
I want to clarify that operational feedback will be communicated to the staff, who will decide how to act on it. We continually discuss various issues in our oversight role. I often receive emails about what I observe during school visits.

1:00:46
We’re trying to clarify the recommendations. If recommendations come to the board, we need to ensure we have the necessary information about trends and other operational issues. This is important for our oversight.

1:01:12
We don’t need to have all the answers tonight; this is an ongoing process as the committee works throughout the year. We preserve all public comments that are relevant to our committee's work and often incorporate them directly into our recommendations.

1:01:46
At no time are public comments disregarded; they are always captured and included in our report to the board.

1:01:52
Do we have any updates now?

1:01:59
Thank you. I’m not shy about sharing my opinions. I’m Riser, the school board representative for the Braddock District. This is probably my third, fourth, or fifth time attending the ACSD committee. I used to be on ACSD for eight years, so I think I know most of you. For those who don’t know me, I have two kids who went through FCPS, starting with preschool for my son.

1:02:31
He is now entering his junior year of college. He is twice-exceptional, but he has struggled academically. My daughter graduated in 2017; she was in the 504 program, so I’ve experienced both worlds.

1:03:25
This is my fifth year on the school board. I was an at-large member for four years, representing the entire county, and then switched to Braddock. Supporting disability justice and neurodiversity in special education is my passion.

1:03:42
I have presented on advocacy and am currently working with colleges to develop a broader definition of neurodiversity. I want to hear about operational issues and will follow up with staff on those matters.

1:04:12
I don’t have voting rights, but I’m here to share information with the school board and contribute where I can.

1:04:22
I should also provide an update from the school board. I was the chair of the governance committee, which reviews policies. We recently looked at two policies related to disabilities: Policy 2670, which concerns programs for students with disabilities, and Policy 2671, which addresses multi-agency placements.

1:05:05
I realized these policies had not been presented to ACSD for comment, so I asked the staff to extend the opportunity for feedback before they return for final review.

1:05:28
I will ensure that you all have the chance to comment on these policies before they go to the governance committee. Keep in mind that our policies are broad, while the superintendent issues detailed regulations that correspond to them.

1:05:45
When reviewing the policies, keep in mind that we struggle with this. Our policies are supposed to be broad umbrellas, while the superintendent issues regulations that are much more detailed. There will be corresponding regulations that may or may not be updated based on changes to the policy. It’s similar to how Congress passes laws and the IRS issues regulations.

1:06:09
We are about to start our budget process soon. This year's budget process will be slightly different as we are entering a new phase. Many of the advocacy points I’ve raised to the board regarding conditions and salaries will now be met with “thank you very much.” I look forward to seeing how those comments come back to us.

1:06:32
When discussing special teachers and contracts, I want to clarify that I will be listening but not commenting due to my new role. This creates a change in how we all need to address the budget. I think the budget will be tight again this year. The board of supervisors has indicated that they can't keep raising salaries or property taxes. I'm uncertain what the state will do.

1:07:06
Another important update is that the Board of Education recently released significant changes to school accreditation standards. These changes place a heavier emphasis on test scores and have reduced the ability for students to be classified as “sliders” for on-time graduation. This affects some of your students.

1:07:26
Students with IEPs can stay in FCPS until they’re 22 years old, but both the federal and state governments have made on-time graduation a key component of their accreditation. As a result, this disincentivizes schools from allowing students to stay longer than 18 years. I don’t believe this was intended when those laws were passed.

1:08:09
There is now a six-year leeway for students, but the long and short of it is that there is less room for students who may take longer to graduate. This creates challenges for high schools when discussing options for students who could earn a standard diploma but may need six years to do so.

1:08:38
The advocacy point for you all to consider is that I don’t think the people implementing these rules are adequately considering students with IEPs. This committee can highlight the importance of supporting timely graduation without putting schools in a difficult position. When speaking to your state representatives, keep in mind that these changes are happening quickly.

1:09:29
The schools will be audited based on these changes in the coming school year, so we don’t have much time to raise questions about them.

1:09:40
Additionally, the accreditation changes have made advanced diplomas more accessible for students with communication disorders. Students are now allowed to take two credits of computer science as a substitute for language credits.

1:10:04
I noticed this update a couple of weeks ago and shared it with colleagues. Thank you to the school board for your efforts to communicate these changes.

1:10:31
Next on the agenda is new business.

1:11:25
I’ll hand it over to the chair for the next steps.

1:11:33
Thank you. I move that the ACSD have five subcommittees for this school year, aligning with the five goals of the strategic plan. I won’t read through all the goals.

1:12:00
The school board is restructuring, and our community has made it clear that our focus needs to be on the school board’s charge. It doesn’t make sense to have a separate charge for the subcommittees. The previous structure placed a greater burden on the subcommittees compared to others.

1:12:39
We need to streamline our work toward our unified goal. The structure is already in place; we just need to adapt it.

1:13:13
Is there any discussion?

1:13:18
With no further discussion, I will call for a vote. All in favor of accepting the motion as presented, say "Aye."

1:13:25
All opposed, say "No." Any extensions?

1:13:35
The motion carries. Moving on to member time. Does anyone have anything to share for the good of the order?

1:14:03
I have two things to share. I represent the Special Education PTA for Fairfax County. You can find us at fairfaxcounty.org, and the join us link is at the top.

1:14:29
We are an organization for specialized teachers and families. We will have our first meeting to start the school year strong, featuring executive coaches Wendy Weinberger and Jackie Wyman. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 24th, at 7 PM. We also offer mini-grants.

1:14:51
The deadline for fall mini-grants will be announced soon. Teachers can apply for up to $500 to fund programs that benefit special education students. Additionally, I want to highlight that we will have another ISA event this year, which is incredibly informative for those new to the IEP process.

1:15:25
Thank you. We have a meeting coming up on September 21st, which Mike has graciously coordinated. We will have several representatives from FCPS come and discuss the upcoming school year. The meeting will take place from 10 AM to 1 PM at the Springfield Government Center. If you're interested, please talk to me afterward, and I will share a link with you.

1:16:08
On October 8th, we will host a Zoom presentation from one of our advisors on parental consent. This will be a virtual event.

1:16:22
I hear about various events in the Springfield District related to disability awareness. One upcoming event is the annual haunted house at Valley Elementary School on Saturday, October 26th. They will have a sensory-friendly hour before it opens to everyone else, where the lights are on and jump scares are turned off, making it more family-friendly.

1:17:03
Shifting to a different topic, I wanted to inquire about the ACSD social media. I used to be an admin but won't be this year. There have been significant engagements—40 page engagements in the last 28 days—likely because people are looking for new content. We haven’t created any new content since last year, even though we have 680 followers.

1:17:36
The social media policy from November 2019 states that the chair and vice chair can be administrators, and social media administrators can be appointed from the Family Engagement Committee. I wanted to check if there’s still a plan for managing our social media.

1:18:02
We are navigating this new landscape, and I’ll have an answer for you in October. Thank you for the reminder.

1:18:15
I hope you don’t mind if I share a very short, funny family story. We gathered for a wedding with many nieces and nephews who have various neurodiverse issues. While sitting around the table with food, we coined the term "gastro-divergent."

1:19:03
One of the action steps from our last committee meeting was to discuss the items before our next meeting. If you’ve taken materials out of your file folders, many of you have flash drives that contain all the necessary information, including a calendar of meetings.

1:19:42
I'll check with Melissa to see what she put on there. If not, we can send out an email with all the meeting dates. The meetings will still be held on the second Wednesday of every month. Last year, we had a few changes, but this year there are fewer alterations.

1:20:07
The only change is that the January meeting will be moved to the third Wednesday, the 15th, because we didn't want to hold a meeting on the first day back after the holiday break.

1:20:20
I’ll ensure a calendar is sent out as part of the follow-up communication. Each of you will receive a Google form where you can indicate your interest in which goal areas you would like a committee to focus on. Since we have fewer people managing administrative tasks, I’ll ask everyone to rank their choices from one to five.

1:20:48
As each area fills up, it will be first-come, first-served. If you feel strongly about your top choice, please respond quickly, as I will move on to the next section once one is claimed.

1:21:06
You will also have the option to indicate whether you are willing to serve on ad hoc committees that may arise, such as social media or policy reviews. This will be a simple yes or no option, and you can decline if you're not interested.

1:21:24
You'll receive more information leading up to the October meeting, where you will have your subcommittees assigned. We will still meet at six o’clock, and your subcommittees will have designated room assignments. Your first order of business will be to choose a subcommittee chair.

1:21:47
We are looking to restructure subcommittee meetings to allow for more substantial work during that time and reduce the tasks that need to be completed as a whole group. We will provide more details during that first committee meeting.

1:22:07
If there are no further questions or comments, we are adjourned. Thank you!

Printable Version of the September Meeting Minutes

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 7:02 pm. A quorum of committee members were present in the room, no members were participating virtually.

Minutes

Without objection, the minutes of the previous meeting and the agenda were approved by the committee. The chair made brief announcements, including welcome of new and returning committee members, and a recognition of the event of September 11, 2001. Committee members were reminded that they must sign in at each meeting to have attendance recorded accurately.

Public Comment

Lauren McCaughey: FCPS is moving forward with plans to support twice exceptional students. Members of the public who are interested should be vocal in public forums, including speaking before the School Board.

School Board Liaison Report

Rachna Sizemore-Heizer returns as the School Board Liaison to the ACSD. Her updates included:

1. Ms. Sizemore-Heizer chaired the School Board’s Governance Committee last year, during which time the committee looked at two policies related to students with disabilities. She has asked the current chair to send those policies to the ACSD for comment. 

2. The School Board is starting its budget process for the year.

3. The state has implemented changes to school accreditation standards for schools, which implements punishments for schools for students who do not graduate on time. However, the new standards do not take into account special education students who benefit from continuing with FCPS until the age of 22. 

Committee Operations 2024-2025

The Chair reviewed changes that are being made to the committee’s operations during this program year in response to the School Board’s updated Community Advisory Committee Operating Manual, approved by the School Board on June 27, 2024. The changes to the committee will be to adhere to the operations manual, and to create greater alignment between the recommendations of the Annual Report with the 2024-2025 School Board Charge and the 2023-2030 FCPS Strategic Plan.

New Business

A motion was made by Holly Stearns, seconded by Joanne Walton as follows:

Motion: The Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities (ACSD) recommends that it have five subcommittees for the 2024-25 school year, and that those subcommittees align with the five goals of FCPS’s Strategic Plan 2023-30. Those five goals are:

1. Strong Start: PreK-12
2. Safe, Supported, Included, and Empowered
3. Academic Growth and Excellence
4. Equitable Access and Opportunity
5. Leading for Tomorrow’s Innovation

The School Board’s recently updated guidance to its advisory committees makes the former subcommittee structure ineffective for aligning with these goals. The Operating Manual permits the committee to determine the structure of its subcommittees each year, in a manner that best supports the work of the committee. 

The ACSD has an update to its bylaws planned for this program year that will incorporate the Operating Manual changes in future years. This motion is necessary to begin this year’s work under the terms of the Operating Manual prior to the planned update to the bylaws.

The motion passed by a vote of 22 in favor, none opposed, one member abstaining.

Member Time

Ally Baldassari introduced herself as the FCPS Special Education PTA (SEPTA) representative to the ACSD:

• Members are encouraged to visit the SEPTA website at www.fairfaxcountysepta.org and to attend the group’s first meeting on September 24 at 7 p.m. 
• SEPTA awards mini-grants to teachers. The fall deadline has passed but another opportunity will be available in the spring. 
• SEPTA will again host its IEPalooza, which provides information to parents who are new to the IEP process. The event will take place in November.

Susan Edgerton introduced herself as a member of the Parents of Autistic Children of Northern Virginia (POAC-NOVA). Members are invited to attend the group’s meeting on September 21, at which FCPS staff would be present to discuss the upcoming school year. 

Amanda Campbell noted that Rolling Valley Elementary School will host a sensory-friendly hour during its haunted house event on October 26.

Closing Remarks

The Chair reminded committee members that they will be receiving an email requesting their preferred subcommittee assignment. Subcommittees will meet prior to the main committee meeting beginning in October, at which time each subcommittee will be tasked with selecting a subcommittee chairperson.

Meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm following a motion of unanimous consent.

Date:  October 9, 2024
Time:  7 p.m.
Location:  8270 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive, Fairfax, Virginia 22031

Next Meeting: Wednesday, November 13, 2024. 

Recording

October 9 General Meeting Recording (YouTube) 

Transcript and Translations

0:04 

Review before we get started. Um, sorry, I'm on decongestants tonight; it may not agree with me.

0:10 

Yes, we have a forum this evening. We have some changes to the minutes and one change to the agenda. If we could please review the minutes. 

0:23 

We have two changes under committee operations: the vote on the motion has two extensions, not one. And under member time, the SEOR rep, Ali, reported that the mini-grants deadline had not passed.

0:39 

So those are two changes. On the agenda, we need to add a discussion of the social media policy, which will come right after the DSS updates. 

0:46 

So, I'm going to ask the committee if there are any other changes to the minutes or the agenda as you review them.

1:00 

None? No objections? Great, those are accepted with the changes incorporated.

1:07 

I want to make a couple of announcements. Some of our individual members who require extra accommodations for the meetings are not here tonight, but out of transparency and deference to their needs when they're present, we need to make an extended effort this year to use the microphones and not speak at the same time as someone else. 

1:28 

When we have translators here for our committee member who has a hearing impairment, they can’t keep up with what's being said, and the student representative missed a lot of the material as a result. 

1:43 

So we need to be very particular about using those microphones and taking turns. 

1:49 

As a reminder, would you like to demonstrate the appropriate use of the microphone, Holly?

1:54 

I would be happy to. So, click once to turn it on; it will light up green. When you’re done speaking, click once again. 

2:05 

Somebody else's microphone cannot activate if yours hasn’t been turned off, so we may have to remind you to turn it off from time to time.

2:16 

For members of the public observing, the same rules apply for public comment. You’ll be given a microphone, and it's the same rules. 

2:24 

When we have a student here or any individual that has a service animal, please do not interact with that service animal without permission. 

2:35 

I thought when a working dog was working, you let the dog work, but evidently, there has been some engagement with adorable Miss Beasley. 

2:52 

I just want to make sure that everyone remembers that unless Delaney has told you that Beasley is released from her responsibility, Beasley's attention is solely on Delaney.

3:05 

Now, I'm going to go through the responses you provided to our Google form for those that would like to take on additional responsibilities. 

3:17 

The Dyslexia Open House is scheduled for Monday, October 28th, from 5 to 7 p.m. The ACSD has been invited to have a table where we will discuss what we do as a committee. 

3:30 

We’ve got all the materials ready; we just need volunteers to help represent us. I’ve done it a few times; Caroline’s done it with me once. 

3:42 

It’s not hard to do, but we need to spread some of the responsibilities around for the tasks that just the three of us up here at the front are doing on an ongoing basis. 

3:53 

So, if anybody is particularly interested in that topic or if they have plans to be at the Dyslexia Open House anyway and can set aside some time to stay at the ACSD table, that would be greatly appreciated. Please find me, and I'm happy to take your name.

4:07 

Um, pardon, you can say yes anytime you want, Brandon. You want to do it?

4:13 

It's on! It is all you. Thank you!

4:20 

As a reminder, don’t forget to sign in on the sign-up sheet at the entrance to the room. We don’t have a recording secretary anymore, so if you don’t sign in, you’ll be marked absent. 

4:32 

We just can't take attendance in real time like we used to, so please don’t forget to sign that sheet. Holly and I will collect it at the end of the meeting, and that's how we know who is here.

4:44 

I’m going to remind you about that every month because it’s easy to forget. One last reminder: if you could please angle your name tag so that I can see it from the front. 

4:51 

Thank you! I really appreciate it, especially when I’m on decongestants. 

5:05 

As a reminder, when you want to be recognized, speak into the microphone.

5:10 

Thank you! Also, I really love the way you all were very coordinated, like you rehearsed it. 

5:15 

I think that's everything. With that, I defer to our Vice Chair, Miss Thus, for public comment.

5:21 

Thank you! We have one email public comment and one person here for public comment. I’ll just remind everyone that commenters have three minutes. 

5:30 

We do not have our kitchen timer this week, but I will set the timer on my phone and raise my hand when three minutes are up. 

5:44 

We do not publicly react to comments, but they are recorded. 

5:49 

With that, I will read the comment that was sent in via email, then I will call on the in-person comment.

6:02 

The first comment is from Patty Parner: 

"I'm reaching out to the ACSD regarding the need to improve support for twice-exceptional students. At the September 2 event in March 2024, Dr. Reed promised to share a plan by the end of the 2023-2024 school year to create the first FCPS 2 Center. 

6:15 

We are still waiting for FCPS to share that plan. The opening of the 2 Center for middle and high school students cannot come soon enough. Every year, twice-exceptional students leave FCPS for better support and understanding of their individual needs. 

6:26 

When will FCPS open a school with teachers and staff trained to support our students? FCPS needs to provide training to general education teachers to support twice-exceptional students, especially autistic students, in the general education setting. 

6:39 

As a parent of a twice-exceptional elementary student, I already see my child struggling with communication differences and sometimes losing his ability to speak when dysregulated. 

6:46 

He experiences sensory overload, miscommunication, and misunderstandings. He struggles in the school environment and is accused of "refusing to work" when he takes the self-directed breaks that have been written into his IEPs. 

7:00 

Every year, we have multiple meetings to share his support needs with his teachers and staff, and every year it becomes more difficult for us to keep our student enrolled in FCPS. 

7:12 

Please require professional development for all general education teachers to support our twice-exceptional students. If teachers are trained to be proactive and meet the needs of our autistic students, they will have more time for instruction. 

7:24 

Our students will experience less burnout and more academic success. We look forward to learning more about the planned opening and budget of our first FCPS 2 Center this school year."

7:36 

Our public speaker is Michelle KES. Please come to the podium, and I’ll pick off and you click on. I will give you a thumbs up when I accept the time, or you give me a thumbs up, and then I’ll give you a thumbs up.

8:00 

I’ll do my best to keep track of the minutes. Can you please make sure your mic is on?

8:39 

My name is Michelle KES, and I'm the parent of three twice-exceptional children. I testified before the ACSD in April of 2018, which was over six years ago, to share problems encountered by all three of my kids. My youngest, my autistic daughter, is now a high school senior. 

8:53 

To my frustration and dismay, overall, there's been little change in the day-to-day systemic problems faced by twice-exceptional students. To paraphrase the expression: same stuff, different year. There are very few teachers who understand twice-exceptional students, and those who do have shown interest or a willingness to learn. 

9:07 

But overall, as a system, FCPS general education teachers—ranging from electives to standard to advanced courses—are not where they need to be with their knowledge and mindset. This year, my daughter elected to take a specialized hands-on elective class that could absolutely support her future career plans in the museum industry. 

9:32 

The teacher recently requested an IEP meeting to discuss safety concerns. The teacher needed my autistic daughter to employ more two-way communication skills. She physically cannot communicate when she is anxious, unsure, or dysregulated. 

9:46 

She shared that in an introductory letter to all her teachers before the start of the year. She's had IEP goals on communication for years. The teacher's demand that my daughter display this skill is not going to magically make it develop, but the teacher's demand has left my daughter feeling demoralized and invalidated. 

10:05 

The teacher cited my daughter's introductory letter, saying that many of the points highlighted were "red flags." Inclusion is not working for my child. At the end of the meeting, my daughter was in tears, I was in tears, and the special ed team was furious. 

10:24 

My daughter said the meeting brought back that familiar knot in her belly that she feels at meeting after meeting, where general education teachers make harmful comments and show a lack of understanding about twice-exceptional students. One meeting like that is a traumatic event, but multiple meetings like that over several years have led to symptoms of complex PTSD for my child and for me. 

10:53 

We can send FCPS therapy bills, but that's not going to change the damage that has been done, nor will it change the system. FCPS programming for twice-exceptional students does not work for many of them, especially those who are autistic; they cannot access advanced curriculum. 

11:06 

There is clearly a lack of awareness about twice-exceptional students and the teaching practices needed for them to be successful. Stop focusing on what has been shown not to work. Listen to your students and their families; create a program that meets their needs. 

11:23 

Twice-exceptional students are a large portion of the homebound population, and that's not inclusion either. They are depressed and anxious, experiencing school refusal, and some are even suicidal. 

11:36 

By the way, at the end of this story, my daughter dropped the class. She doesn't need it for graduation, and she doesn’t have the physical or emotional energy to handle another year in a class with a general education teacher who doesn’t understand her. 

11:49 

Instead of trying to please and comply with staff to stay in class, I am proud of her decision to set personal limits and say, "No, enough is enough." It’s time for FCPS to do the same thing. 

12:03 

Thank you.

12:13 

Thank you, Michelle.

Here’s the cleaned-up version of the transcript with timestamps retained:

12:21 

Moving on, next on the agenda is Dr. Shannon Anderson, the new manager of the Family Resource Center, to introduce herself.

12:27 

Sure, okay. You do need a mic because we’re recording. 

12:39 

Your voice might carry, but the mic will help. 

12:46 

You probably have to move it closer to you to pick up. 

12:52 

If it's green, that’s good. 

12:58 

Oh no, it's not green. Just push it in and out quickly. 

13:06 

Okay, there we go. Hi everyone, I’m Shannon Anderson. I started my position as manager of the Family Resource Center on August 1. I’m here to go over the update I sent regarding our October webinars and our Family Academy.

13:18 

I’m thrilled to be part of the Family Resource Center and our partnerships. I sent you all an update on what’s been going on in September and October. We've had a great number of webinars take place. 

13:35 

Some of them are listed, but I can go through many of them. We had "Seven Simple Strategies for Sibling Support," the "Back to School Toolkit: Improvement Strategies for Saving and Organizing," and "Overcoming Procrastination" with author Ann Dolan. 

14:02 

We also introduced the new alternative assessment program presented by internal FCPS staff, which helped inform families about this decision-making tool. 

14:16 

Additionally, we had a session on "Setting Limits and Dealing with Dramatic Resistance" by Rachel Bailey, a well-known author. Authors often come because we have about 30,000 people on our email list, and they usually attract a great audience. 

14:54 

We also held a webinar on "Understanding Adolescent Development: The Physical and Emotional Changes." Just last night and this morning, we had a session on "Benchmark Advance," explaining that process.

15:21 

We have external presenters as well as internal staff to fill in gaps in information, ensuring families understand changes in curriculum and other developments.

15:34 

On October 18, we have "Math is Everywhere: Talking to Your Children About Mathematics," and on October 25, we have "Trans Confidence," collaborating with the Department for Aging and Rehabilitation Services.

16:00 

There are QR codes on these and our Family Academy materials for registration. You can attend live or receive a recording, and we also offer interpretation services.

16:28 

We continue our eBook checkout service. Our Padlet is linked here and includes many resources. We’ve noticed some recurring inquiries, such as questions about tutoring, so we plan to hold a webinar on navigating tutoring options.

17:01 

This will be extremely helpful for families to understand available resources. 

17:07 

Our November webinars include topics such as "Escalating Nuclear Meltdown," "Stopping the Shame Cycle," "Reading to Kids with Disabilities," and "Building Resilience: Helping Teens Develop Confidence and Emotional Intelligence."

17:35 

We’ll also start a reading series in November called "Magical Moments Together" at the Family Resource Center. We'll begin with our early literacy and HIPPY groups, hosting a "Brown Bear" activity and eventually opening it up to others who want to bring their children for story time. 

18:08 

We plan to start quarterly and then increase the frequency as we develop it.

18:14 

All the links are included in the materials provided. The recordings of previous webinars are also available; if a link is not hyperlinked, it means the recording isn't available yet.

18:48 

We continue to offer consultations and webinars weekly, along with all the services provided.

19:03 

Great, thank you, Dr. Anderson. I'm wondering, since this is your first opportunity to meet members of the committee, if you could take a few minutes to talk about your career background and what led you to your current role with the Family Resource Center.

19:14 

Oh, I'm sorry, you're going to have to turn your microphone on.

19:25 

Okay, now it’s on. So, I’ve been in education for 28 years. I started as an administrator of an alternative school for grades 6 to 12, working with students who were out of school.

19:34 

I also served as an assistant principal and then opened two charter schools in D.C. with the same organization before moving to Fairfax as an assistant of support at Justice and then Stewart. 

20:21 

I then joined Family School Partnerships as a specialist, focusing on early learning programs. After three years, I became the coordinator for conduct and was later called back to Family School Partnerships after Mary Beth retired. 

20:55 

I had the opportunity to interview for this position, and now I’m back with Family School Partnerships.

21:06 

[Music]

21:17 

You mentioned the Family Academy. Can you explain what it is?

21:24 

Absolutely. The Family Academy is our new online platform that houses all resources related to families. It’s not just for Family and School Partnerships; it includes everything across the school system that touches families. 

21:32 

For example, if you want to learn about the new curriculum, you can search for it in the Family Academy. You might find videos or contact information for further questions. It also includes organizations you can reach out to.

22:06 

Our goal is to create a one-stop shop for anything that services your child and family. The site launched on August 1, and we’re still working to make it user-friendly.

22:31 

While I didn’t build it myself, the curator in my office is dedicated to troubleshooting and ensuring that everything is logically organized.

22:44 

We encourage you to explore the QR codes available. There’s a lot of valuable information that may have been scattered in different locations before, now consolidated in one place for easier access.

23:11 

I also want to highlight that we're looking to partner with the Family Academy. There's a section dedicated to supporting families with students with disabilities in Fairfax County. 

23:30 

As Dr. Anderson mentioned, we’re working on streamlining this information so that it’s not spread across multiple web pages on the FCPS main site.

24:01 

We plan to consolidate and move information previously located in different areas to the Family Academy website, including additional resources related to twice-exceptional learners.

24:28 

Regarding our library, we have many resources available for checkout. You can also access our online library and request books to be sent to your nearest school. 

25:11 

One of our goals this year is to review all the books and resources we have to ensure they are up to date and relevant, and to remove anything outdated.

25:34 

Thank you. Any other questions?

25:40 

Dr. Anderson, you're going to have to turn your mic off. There we go. I was just going to ask about the special ed conference that was held for 18 years before last year. I understand that last year it was changed to have more of a family mental health focus. I’m wondering if we can count on that having more of a special ed flavor this year and if it will be done again next year.

26:12 

I forgot I have the number two mic now. I can only connect when they are disconnected. Dr. Anderson, I can provide some information related to that. This year, I'm happy to announce we are planning a large-scale in-person event similar to our past special education conferences. 

26:40 

It will still be called the Family Summit, but we are going to have a number of dedicated workshops for parents of students with disabilities. This will not be similar to the Family Summit that was piloted last year, which was much smaller in scope with a limited number of workshops. 

27:05 

We have a planning committee coming together, and we will be asking a member of the ACSD to participate on that committee. We’re looking forward to it and will also have a keynote speaker, which we haven't had in quite a few years. 

27:30 

We’re excited to bring back the old format of our special education conference, and it will still be the Family Summit. We have a tentative date of Saturday, March 15, which is about 99% confirmed. 

27:48 

We initially scheduled it for another date but realized it conflicted with the countywide science fairs, so we changed it to March 15. More information will come soon.

28:21 

Did you have a comment?

28:27 

I just wanted to say I'm a huge fan of your library and your staff. You have saved me hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars. If there are books about ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or any topics that you feel you should buy, you can visit the Family Resource Center. 

28:46 

They have many of these books, and if there’s one you really want that they don’t have yet, if you talk to their staff, they will order it for you and let you check it out. Huge fan—thank you! Great job!

29:18 

And we are about to order more books. 

29:25 

I’ve had my eye on a book that costs $88; many people could benefit from it.

30:28 

[Inaudible response]

30:44 

So, there’s that. 

30:58 

Yes, that’s correct.

31:35 

In the interest of time, if there are additional questions, you still have the ability to send us questions for the record, which we will forward to Dr. Anderson after the meeting. Thank you and welcome again. We look forward to…

31:49 

Thank you. Moving on, we do not have our school board liaison here. If she arrives later, we can bring her back in, but in her absence, we’ll move on to the DSS update.

32:08 

Okay, great. Thank you, Liz. I am going to share my screen to present a brief PowerPoint with some updates that we wanted to share. I also wanted to let you know that Don Schaefer, our Director of the Office of Special Education Procedural Support, has joined us on our Zoom call. She will also be presenting some updates.

32:27 

Let me share my screen, and we can go ahead and get started. One second... Here we go.

32:46 

I wanted to start by sharing some updates related to the Virginia Literacy Act. For quite a few months, we have been preparing as a county to implement some components of the Virginia Literacy Act in Fairfax County Public Schools. 

33:05 

I just want to preface this by saying that I am not the expert on all things related to the Virginia Literacy Act, so I received some of this information from my program manager, who is working closely with instructional services. If you have any follow-up questions related to this information I’m presenting, please write them on your cards here, and I'll get them to the right people who can answer those questions.

33:28 

I fear that if I get a lot of very specific questions, I'm probably not the one to have that information tonight. But in general, the curriculum for all classrooms in Fairfax County, grades kindergarten through eight, will be using a state-approved curriculum as a basal resource called Benchmark Advance. This is for students accessing the general education curriculum.

34:03 

The Virginia Literacy Act applies to students in grades K through three, but Fairfax County has decided to implement the basal resource for kindergarten through eighth grade. 

34:13 

We also have a curriculum for students on an adapted curriculum, specifically those with significant cognitive disabilities who may take the Virginia Alternative Assessment Program (VAAP). We’ve ensured that this adapted curriculum is aligned with the science of reading. We have a vendor called Attainment, and I can provide the specific grade-level curriculum names as a supplement to this.

34:59 

We have the curriculum broken down into specific grade levels, K through eight. Again, I will share additional details regarding that. I won’t be able to go into specifics tonight. So, we have two different basal resources: one for students on the general curriculum and another for those on the adapted curriculum.

35:32 

As for the assessments required by the Virginia Literacy Act, all students in kindergarten through grade two will receive the Virginia Language and Literacy Screening System, or the VLS assessment. For students in grades three through eight, they will take the I-Ready screener, which we’ve had in place here in Fairfax County for several years.

35:49 

Some students in grade three may also participate in the VLS assessment if they score at the 15th percentile or lower on the I-Ready. This is to inform decision-making around intervention.

36:13 

As a result of these assessments, all students in kindergarten through grade eight who may need extra support or intervention due to being at risk will receive additional support through intervention. A reading plan will be developed for them, which will provide an additional 30 minutes a day, five days a week, of intervention time.

36:48 

You will receive a copy of this PowerPoint, which includes a link to a resource page where you can access various resources provided to support literacy for families.

37:01 

The next part of our updates relates to special education staffing, recruitment, and retention. Last year, we provided numerous updates as we went through the school year, and again this year we recognize that special education positions are a critical area of need.

37:15 

We have hired a dedicated recruitment administrator for special services within our Human Resources Department, Peter Choy. He started in August of this year and has been a great addition, focusing solely on recruitment for special educators across all disciplines. 

37:42 

He’s interested in recruiting not just special education teachers but also instructional assistants. If we have significant vacancies for speech and language pathologists or other critical areas, he can support recruitment and hiring in those areas.

38:02 

Peter will be starting some monthly information sessions for potential candidates. We have pathways for instructional assistants and teachers who may not be special education endorsed to obtain their endorsements in special education. 

38:23 

Peter is available to help navigate staff members through some of our cohorts with universities like George Mason, James Madison, and VCU. We have partnerships with these universities to provide these opportunities, including discounted tuition for participation in these cohorts.

38:50 

We’re trying to provide opportunities to recruit and incentivize our teachers and instructional assistants to receive their endorsements in special education. We are providing information on the public web and sharing additional information through Human Resources newsletters.

39:08 

He’s also offering individual career counseling and connections for recruitment. We're excited that this school year, the CC Conference for Exceptional Children will be in Baltimore. This provides a great opportunity for us. In years past, we have had a booth in the exhibit hall dedicated to recruitment. 

39:41 

The last few conferences have been in the Midwest or western part of the country, where foot traffic hasn't been as strong from the Northern Virginia and DC area. So, we’re really excited that the conference will be in Baltimore this year.

39:58 

We’re hopeful that we will attract a number of potential candidates—people interested in attending universities here locally and individuals looking for a career change—to participate in that conference. We will have a booth ready and available with a team to provide information about all our different critical need areas.

40:17 

The nice thing about the conference is that we're able to conduct on-site interviews and provide contracts the same day if we have the appropriate process in place. This allows us to engage in early hiring, and we've received permission from Human Resources to proceed with this process. 

40:37 

We want to ensure that we’re recruiting qualified teachers early, especially since there's a lot of competition from local divisions for our educators. Again, we’re doing all we can to keep our good teachers here.

41:01 

Regarding our new recruitment administrator, we are also continuing to support our teachers through our induction program, which in Fairfax we call "Great Beginnings." We had a summer institute that provided three full days of professional development for our new special educators and general educators. 

41:19 

Specifically, we have nine special education cohorts differentiated by teaching assignment level, involving roughly 325 novice teachers in special education. They are now meeting monthly for professional development and are connected to the central office supports available in instruction and behavior.

41:46 

Our ABA team also has a cohort dedicated to new speech and language pathologists. We’re really trying to provide monthly touchpoints to support our new educators as part of our efforts to retain them and help them navigate the challenges of being first-year teachers, which can be stressful.

42:05 

We aim to make this experience less stressful, and we will continue providing monthly professional development. 

42:23 

Lastly, we have targeted support for positions called "teacher trainees." These are individuals who have even less experience than provisionally licensed special education teachers; they are taking their introductory courses while teaching in the classroom.

42:48 

This pathway allows someone interested in becoming a licensed, endorsed special education teacher to receive additional support while they work through this process. Teacher trainees help fill some of the critical vacancies we have at the start of the school year.

43:08 

This year, we did not have as many vacancies at the beginning of the school year as in the last two years. If you recall, last school year, I mentioned that we had to deploy about 25 or 26 central office staff members into classrooms. This year, that number was about five or six, and all were back in their central office positions within two weeks.

43:39 

Schools were able to secure long-term substitutes, teacher trainees, or they were in the process of hiring certified licensed teachers and just needed to complete the onboarding with Human Resources. It was a positive change that we weren't in as critical a situation regarding staffing deployments as last year.

44:06 

I wanted to provide quick updates on the special education enhancement plan and some initiatives we are implementing this year. Without going into too much detail, one of our key focuses is working more closely with our special education department chairs located at every school—elementary, middle, and high school.

44:29 

In the last couple of years, many of our department chairs were asked to fill vacancies at their schools. When we developed this position at the elementary level—a special education department chair—it was meant to support teachers within the school, allowing that person to provide coaching around behavior, instruction, and assessment.

44:54 

However, many of those chairs were assigned to classrooms and couldn’t fulfill their intended role. This year, we are in a much better place. Almost all department chairs are now in dedicated positions, not filling classrooms. While a few are still classroom teachers, we want to build their capacity for coaching to provide literacy and math support to their special education staff.

45:34 

We will be implementing an inclusive education framework with guiding principles for academic and social models of inclusion. We’re working with a consultant to assess and improve our inclusive practices in Fairfax County as part of the enhancement plan.

46:04 

We are providing professional development and resources to teachers of advanced courses who instruct twice-exceptional learners. Our twoe specialist, Dr. O, who was here last year, is continuing her work to develop professional development with our team.

46:24 

Now, I will turn things over to Don Schaefer.

46:33 

She’s going to cover some updates to the enhancement plan, focusing on the last four bullets on our screen.

46:43 

Don: Good evening, everybody. Mike, I don't know if Rachel has a copy of the presentation, but what's projected on Zoom is just the cover page for the recording.

46:57 

I'm talking pretty loudly here at my house, so I hope you can hear me. Let me see if turning this up helps.

47:11 

[Music] 

47:18 

Don: Is it showing on the screen now? 

47:25 

Yes, thanks.

47:30 

So, we’re also doing some additional work around transitions—not just our post-secondary transition, but also from pre-K to kindergarten, elementary to middle school, middle to high school, and obviously post-secondary. We are developing division-wide expectations for these transitions.

47:53 

Along with that, we have revised the transition toolkit that our CTS office has put together. We would love your feedback. Elizabeth, I can send you that link or to whomever you’d like. We’d appreciate your insights and feedback as a committee.

48:17 

One of the recommendations from the AIR report a few years ago was to update our IEP progress report. That will likely happen for deployment in the fall of 2025 due to other priorities in the development queue. It makes sense to do this at the beginning of the school year.

48:45 

Regarding translations, we have what's called the Google Translation Hub, which provides machine translation for many materials. We still have human translators in the office, but this is helping with turnaround times and availability of additional languages for our families.

49:27 

We are currently working to securely translate IEPs and 504 plans within SEARS, and we will provide training to staff on that soon. We should have something to test internally very shortly. Our vendor is finalizing the last pieces of that development.

49:57 

Along those same lines, we’ve also updated the parent/guardian input form for special education. I’ll send that to you, Elizabeth, for dissemination and feedback. We've incorporated quite a bit of feedback and made several changes. Our hope is that it's more user-friendly and loads properly on the FCPS website.

50:36 

The questions and prompts are designed to be more accessible, allowing families to share their input in a more meaningful way. We’ll be sending you these materials for your input and thoughts.

50:49 

Mike, do you want me to share the compensatory education update as well? I know you're interested in ABA.

51:05 

The COVID-19 compensatory education is going quite well. We have shifted from focusing on completion of meetings and reimbursements for past expenses during the pandemic to providing services to students whose teams indicated they required those services. That’s our big push right now.

51:35 

If you look at the yellow part of the chart, there’s a section for future reimbursements, which are ongoing—either reimbursements to families or direct payments to private providers for services determined necessary by those teams. 

51:57 

We are offering a variety of options for those services, including Saturday school, which starts on November 16th, as well as services with FCPS teachers, Varsity Tutor Services, and private provider services. 

52:29 

Our hope is to deliver these services to the students in need. Thanks, everybody. It’s great to see you.

52:35 

Mike: Great, thank you, Don. I’ll share this last slide quickly to give you updates on our classrooms and the growth we've seen. 

52:41 

This year, as part of our ABA programs, we opened 35 new preschool autism classrooms and 18 new enhanced autism classrooms in our elementary schools. 

53:00 

Over the summer, we trained 71 new preschool autism classroom staff through Hands-On training, which allows staff to interact with children brought in by their parents during the summer. 

53:19 

This hands-on experience helps staff learn new skills while working with students with autism. It's very beneficial. All of our ABA coaches are engaged in this training opportunity, modeling skills and working alongside our instructional assistants and teachers to build their skills before the new school year.

53:48 

We also trained 100 secondary and elementary staff in our August Hands-On training. Additionally, we provide Hands-On training for teachers in our intellectual disability and severe intellectual disability classrooms.

54:01 

There’s a hands-on experience for those teachers as well. That’s all I have to update on the slides, but I see there are a number of questions.

54:10 

I want to share something pretty amazing that happened when you mentioned CCEP. 

54:19 

It reminded me that the state of Virginia decided to... 

54:51 

Anyway, I just thought that was pretty amazing. 

55:00 

[Music]

55:05 

I was just wondering how parents will be notified about the reading plans. Will they be contacted?

55:20 

Yes, I’m glad you mentioned that. Parents will have access to view their child’s reading plan through Parent View. I believe the first reports are going to be sent out at the end of October. I was told today that it would be the end of October.

55:38 

I’m not exactly sure what the communication process will be, but you can expect parents will receive information soon as those reports or reading plans become available in Parent View. 

55:49 

I was also told that if a parent does not have access to Parent View, schools will be able to provide a printed hard copy of their child’s reading plan.

56:02 

Amanda, you may not be able to answer this tonight, and I totally understand, but could it be brought back to the committee next month? I appreciate it.

56:21 

You mentioned the adaptive curriculum for literacy from the Attainment Company. If the adapted curriculum classrooms are using a completely separate curriculum from what is used in general education, how does that impact the ability of the students in those classrooms to mainstream for core instruction in literacy and increase inclusion opportunities?

56:54 

Thank you. I won’t provide an answer now, but as you said, we’ll make sure to have an answer next month or provide it in written form.

57:05 

Can I mention one more thing? Since Amanda mentioned literacy, I forgot to mention that we had an opportunity last month to present to the POAK leadership team and membership at their back-to-school meeting in September. 

57:22 

There were a lot of questions about enhanced autism classrooms and what the implementation of the basal resources would look like in those multi-grade classrooms. 

57:29 

I wanted to share that we do have materials provided to all those multi-age classrooms, both the Benchmark Advanced Materials and some adapted curriculum materials. Some classrooms may have a mix of students on adapted or general curriculum.

57:58 

We’ve also started a specific cohort, a collaborative team we call CTS (Collaborative Teams), specifically for multi-grade classroom teachers. We had our first meeting this week with about 50 teachers in attendance. 

58:16 

Dr. Agrawal reported that a number of them were teachers of enhanced autism classrooms. We want to do these monthly CTS meetings to provide extra support and learning.

58:37 

Another thing mentioned in the POAK meeting was some supplemental materials to support multilingual learners called Benchmark Express. We’re meeting with the ESL team next week because some components of the Benchmark Express materials are really good supports for all students, specifically students with disabilities.

59:03 

We’ll be working to provide guidance to our special educators on how they might access and use the Benchmark Express materials they already have but may not know they can use to supplement their classroom activities.

59:17 

Additionally, Benchmark Advance has many built-in scaffolds that teachers can access to support students with disabilities. These are just a few extra ways we’re trying to support our teachers.

59:43 

I remember there weren’t as many opportunities for transitions to private school levels. There just weren't enough spots with providers.

1:00:03 

May I...? 

1:00:18 

Don, were you able to hear that question?

1:00:23 

I had to turn on close captioning, and my computer also died, so it’s been a lovely evening. 

1:00:30 

Thank you for that. We are working on tackling that issue from a couple of different angles.

1:00:44 

One of our approaches is finding additional providers, which requires us to reach further into Maryland, west, and south. We have had some success in adding more private day providers.

1:01:06 

Thank you to the Policy and Regulation Subcommittee of the ACSD for working with us in the spring to update our restraint and seclusion policy. This update clarifies that we can place students in private day schools that use prone restraints, not supine restraints. 

1:01:31 

This will provide us with additional private day school options. To be clear, these are schools that were options prior to our restraint and seclusion policy, and we would be bringing them back as options for our students. 

1:01:51 

We still have students in those schools, but they are there at their parents' request, so to speak. This policy should go before the school board sometime this fall. We're still waiting for confirmation. 

1:02:17 

Mike, I don’t know if you’ve seen anything regarding a date, but we’ve been in touch to get that in front of the board for consideration and approval. Thanks for your question; it’s certainly an issue impacting many of our programs.

1:02:53 

[Music] 

1:02:58 

I wonder if you could provide some hard numbers, both total numbers and percentages, on how many special education teachers left last year. There’s some concern about a large exodus, as well as the current numbers of teacher trainees, provisional teachers, long-term subs, and short-term subs.

1:03:19 

Sure, I can definitely get that information. If you put that on the 4x6 card, then I can easily get that information. We were able to gather that data last year for the committee, and I'm sure we can do it again this year. 

1:03:46 

One data point I’m unsure we received last year was the number of special educators who left Fairfax County Public Schools, but I’ll check to see if we can get that information this year. The other numbers related to provisionally licensed teachers, trainees, long-term subs, we can definitely obtain.

1:04:10 

Any other questions? 

1:04:16 

Go ahead, Brandon. 

1:04:36 

What efforts are in place to ensure that kids...?

1:05:07 

Thanks, Brandon. I know that question has come up a few times. For example, in our hearing and vision program, we have staff members who themselves have visual or hearing impairments. We do employ individuals with disabilities in Fairfax County Public Schools. 

1:05:42 

A person who applies for a position does not have to disclose whether they have a disability, but our hiring practices are such that if you're a qualified individual and go through our processes, you can be hired regardless of disability status.

1:06:17 

We also have programs at the high school level where students with disabilities support various roles throughout the county. For instance, in my office of special education instruction, we've partnered with a high school to have two students come into our office one day a week. 

1:06:35 

They perform various office tasks, gaining experience in an office environment, as well as developing interpersonal skills. This is part of their program of studies to gain those experiences. 

1:07:05 

We have positions in the county beyond teaching or instructional roles, where we’re always looking to hire qualified people. We also try to partner with high schools to support individuals in those programs, including our STEP program, Davis Center, Pulley Center, and other career and transition programs.

1:07:31 

I see Don has her hand raised. Thanks, Mike.

1:07:36 

Brandon, I really appreciate your question.

1:07:44 

As part of the transition planning process and the work being done through the enhancement plan and the strategic plan, there is a specific focus on job training for our students as they transition out of K-12 eligibility. This is particularly important in my office right now.

1:08:13 

We have hired at least one person with a disability to work with us, and we are supporting that person to transition from an hourly role to a full-time position. This commitment starts small, person by person, while also developing larger-scale programs.

1:08:56 

Thank you for your question. Go ahead, Mar, and anyone else interested can let me know if you have another comment or question.

1:09:10 

The follow-up question for you is: Is a plan being developed to systematically employ large numbers of FCPS graduates following their graduation?

1:09:24 

That is the goal. This is very much a Career Transition Services project that dovetails with the enhancement plan. The portion of the enhancement plan I oversee involves process improvements.

1:09:46 

It's in the works. Lauren, I think you asked the question, and if you have thoughts, we would certainly welcome them as we begin to pull this together in a larger way.

1:10:01 

Thank you, Mike. Does anyone have any other follow-up questions? As Mike pointed out, we have the 4x6 cards to track questions for the record. 

1:10:24 

I think your mic is turned off. They gave me mic number one, and I already don’t know how to use it! I haven't earned it yet. Thank you, Don.

1:10:45 

All right, moving on to the next item, I have a couple of organizational items to review. For the second part of this agenda, I want to workshop collaboratively what this might look like this year. 

1:10:58 

First and foremost, I understand the mass confusion that exists. I want to share that I feel it too. I didn’t know this was how we were going to operate until shortly before the first committee meeting of the year.

1:11:28 

As I mentioned to one of the subcommittees earlier today, if I seem like I know what I’m doing, then I’m faking it well. I am the duck paddling under the water.

1:11:49 

In the school board's attempt to make advisory committees easier, they have successfully made it harder. This happens when a government entity is tasked with finding a solution.

1:12:01 

I understand the confusion; I'm feeling it too. Culturally, we need to feel free to push back. The school board works for us; we don’t work for them. Staff excluded, of course, as you work for the superintendent, and the superintendent works for the school board. 

1:12:25 

The school board works for the voters and citizens in their constituency. I’m perfectly okay with us collaboratively telling the school board that we are not going to do it their way; we will do it our way.

1:12:44 

We are the volunteers, and we get to decide how we find meaning and appropriate work from this experience. That being said, I believe they have told us what they value, and to the degree that we can align with that, it's in all our interests to do so. 

1:13:07 

This helps them receive information in the way they’ve asked. Where I separate from their guidance is that, as a state-mandated committee, we are to advise on matters affecting students with disabilities within the division.

1:13:24 

If we decide there’s something we value that isn’t listed in the strategic plan, I’m not going to tell you not to pursue it. That’s what we’re supposed to do. 

1:13:43 

We don’t have to capitulate to their rules if they don’t work for us. We are the volunteers who care deeply about what’s happening. 

1:14:02 

I want to acknowledge that not everything fits into neat little boxes. This is all new, and we’re figuring it out, and we might mess up.

1:14:18 

The only thing I can offer is that I want these meetings to be workshop-like, where anyone can provide guidance to others working on something. 

1:14:26 

I expect everyone to be receptive to that guidance. Just because someone offers advice doesn’t mean you have to take it, but we all have valuable experiences to contribute.

1:14:45 

That being said, some logistical elements of what we hope to do this year involve ideas that Mike, Holly, and I have been discussing. I offer these for your consideration.

1:15:02 Lengthening the time period that the subcommittees meet and shortening the time that the main committee meets, with the expectation that very specific and specialized speakers will come to your subcommittee rather than to the main meeting. It doesn't exclude speakers from the main meeting, but many of us have felt that the general nature of the information offered didn’t necessarily enhance our work. It was interesting and helpful in its own way, but not specialized enough. Some subcommittees have wanted specific speakers for their topics. I’m not sure that 45 minutes is enough for that, but having an intimate conversation with an expert around a table with only four or five people, instead of a speaker at the front of the room talking to 30 people, could yield more valuable information. I’d like to offer this idea to the committee for their thoughts on this logistical aspect of how we run.

1:16:19 I'm seeing a lot of nodding, but it's not on the recording. If you're nodding, go ahead. Amanda?

1:16:25 This is my first year on ACS, and I agree that subcommittee time has always been short for the amount of work we need to accomplish. Given that’s the only time we can meet unless we call a special meeting, my concern about lengthening the subcommittee time is ensuring we have time for things like the DSS updates or larger committee conversations about policy that also need to happen. That ability for us all to be in a room and ask questions is valuable too, so I don't want to lose that entirely.

1:17:01 To be more specific, we talked about subcommittees starting at 6:00 PM and going until 7:15 PM, with the main committee starting at 7:30 PM and going until 9:00 PM. This would not eliminate or shorten our standard agenda items, but it would more frequently allocate a special speaker to the subcommittee level. It’s an idea, not a decision.

1:18:00 Jay, you're next.

1:18:07 Since we’re all flexible, I wanted to point out that we don’t have to do exactly the same thing every month. For example, if we have a particularly interesting topic or speaker, we could adjust accordingly. I like the idea in general. The only thing we’d have to do is ensure that all the subcommittees use the same amount of time. If you had a speaker scheduled, and then we had something interesting for the main meeting, that could be a challenge. But I agree, it doesn’t have to be the same every month.

1:18:51 I like the idea of extending the time for more guest speakers in our subcommittees. We should provide a readout after our subcommittee meetings so that the larger committee can benefit from what we discussed.

1:19:11 That’s something we’ve been talking about. Ali?

1:19:17 I was just going to say I like Jay’s idea on flexibility. We need to ensure some meetings have a speaker for the main meeting, not only to fulfill our state mandate but also to assist the local school division in interpreting plans for the community. It’s important for the public to see the committee and for people to attend our meetings when there’s a speaker. I think that’s crucial for our outreach and aligns with our mandate.

1:20:32 Brandon, you're welcome to chime in.

1:20:38 I’d be happy to defer the chairpersonship to you as I go home and sleep. I hear you. I had a profound thought, but while listening to Ally, it slipped away. It will come back. 

1:21:00 Oh, I know! I agree with you. One of my goals this year is to elevate public comment. I proposed to Holly and Mike that we set aside one or two meetings to solicit public input—Town Hall style—so that members of the public can tell us their concerns. This could serve as a conduit to the school board, as we preserve those comments and include them in our annual report. I’m thinking maybe December or January for this.

1:21:58 We discussed limiting public comment time in earlier drafts of the advisory manual, and we felt that it was important not to limit public comments, as our work is informed by them. So, I’d like to solicit and have meetings where we invite constituent groups to share their insights, as we represent only a small fraction of the community.

1:22:43 Many families with students with disabilities want to feel heard. Lauren?

1:23:19 I just wanted to add that if we do Town Halls, they should be live and virtual, as many families can’t make it in person. If they can participate online, more will engage.

1:23:37 I agree. For this to work, we’d have to allow video comments. We can work out the details if the committee agrees to pursue this.

1:23:49 Ally?

1:23:56 You may have already thought of this, but inviting more staff to those meetings could encourage public comments. It would help to have staff present to hear concerns, even if they don’t respond on the spot. It could be a meet-and-greet atmosphere where the public can speak, and staff can introduce themselves.

1:24:51 I like the idea of having this type of meeting twice a year, perhaps in May or June after our heavy lift is done. 

1:25:02 I planned to talk about meeting timing, but it segues nicely from what you said about having meeting speakers. Joanne?

1:25:20 I’m not sure how many were on the committee before, but we used to have powerful Town Halls that yielded great feedback. I’d love to see those return, as some of the best work came from those comments. One concern raised in subcommittees was how to get more responsiveness from school board members. Showing the number of people involved can encourage responsiveness from public officials.

1:26:22 I agree. We should keep the public comment process open and ensure we listen to the community. 

1:26:36 Harry, do you have a final thought?

1:27:05 Yes, I think having a more subcommittee-focused approach with speakers is positive. However, I want to caution that when meetings extended late, we faced challenges in recruiting new members, especially those with disabilities. If we extend subcommittee time for speakers, we might need to streamline the main meeting that month. 

1:28:41 It's important for member recruitment and maintaining a consistent quorum to avoid overloading individual members. 

1:29:02 Al, do you have something to add?

1:29:09 I hope that subcommittee reports during main meetings become more interactive. Each subcommittee could have ideas that align with others, benefiting the whole committee. Last year, we only did quick updates; this year, I’d like to expand that.

1:29:51 Before we move on, I want to confirm the subcommittee chairs. I know one subcommittee only had one attendee, and I told Mimi that means she gets to assign the absent person. 

1:30:04 Goal one, who is your chair?

1:30:17 I absolutely did choose—it's our wonderful chair.

1:30:22 Anything else you want to share from your committee time?

1:30:29 No, we really just spent time getting to know each other.

1:30:35 Next subcommittee?

1:30:42 Two? I drew the straw again. Oh, thank God.

1:30:54 

I am the committee chair, and we actually looked at the measures. Several of us worked together last year, and we’re going to focus primarily on Measure C. We felt that C connects to really all the other measures, focusing on student access for emotional, behavioral, mental, and physical health, as well as engagement in school. You may find that a lot of people want to join this committee; it was the second most popular one. Interestingly, it was the same group that worked together last year. You may find people from other subcommittees adding some things to that.

1:31:42 

[Music]

1:32:09 

I almost—oh, that is grand.

1:32:24 

Grand! You had one job! No, that’s fine; you can email me.

1:33:07 

If you have any issues, feel free to reach out and say, “Hey, I'm trying to do this, and I’m having a hard time.”

1:33:17 

I remember a time when one advisory committee decided not to do an annual report because they were frustrated with how their previous report was received. I respect that because we hold the power. Yes, we’ve agreed to a job, and yes, there are state regulations, but they work for us. I can't stress that enough. If something doesn’t fit within this framework but you all decide it’s important, we can just state that in the report—that it didn’t fit into the framework. But that’s on us for not considering it when we were doing the strategic plan.

1:34:21 

With the remaining time for this segment of the committee, we wanted to discuss how we get started—how we validate our claims, research, gather data, make data requests to staff, and pose good questions. Jay, I hope you don’t mind me putting you on the spot, but you had some great comments about this. In fact, you raised the issue last year about the need for guidance on how to ask better questions. 

1:34:58 

We need to be aware that if we don’t get the answer we want, it might not be because the question was wrong. We may need to follow up, and we’ve built into our calendar that we will ask for data requests a month early. This gives us some time for back and forth. If the question isn’t clear to staff, we won’t just get a yes or no; we’ll receive something meaningful.

1:35:24 

We don’t know what those deadlines are yet, but we will provide that information. With that being said, Jay, if you wouldn’t mind sharing some of the comments you shared with me and Holly separately.

1:35:39 

Just put a hand up if I’m rambling too long. Last year was my first year, and I looked back over the questions we asked. There was a wide range of responses. We had a few questions that received detailed answers, and then we had very specific questions that got simple yes or no responses. I tried to dissect those questions and analyze what worked and what didn’t.

1:36:30 

I realized it wasn’t all about the question itself, but here are a couple of guidelines: Some answers indicated that we should do a little research to see if we can find answers ourselves. If we get an answer that isn’t good enough, we can improve our question by saying, “In this publicly available information, we learned X, but we’re wondering why.”

1:37:10 

Another thing to remember is that the purpose of our questions is to gather information to make better recommendations. For instance, if we suggest implementing a policy to ensure more uniform application of discipline, we should first ask what is already being done. 

1:37:36  

An example from last year was asking, “What outcomes do you expect from out-of-school suspension compared to other forms of discipline?” While it was a clear question, the answer was framed in terms of equity rather than the impacts on students and families. I had all that context in mind when I asked the question, so I almost wish we had framed it differently.

1:38:14 

I think there needs to be a mechanism for follow-up because even if we ask the perfect question, maybe the right person didn’t see it, or it wasn’t understood. I hope we have more opportunities for follow-up conversations rather than just a one-month turnaround. 

1:39:03 

To clarify, we’re not asking the questions earlier; we actually have our report due a month later, which opens up some time for us. You don’t have to have your questions ready in November, but I agree that a first pass where we brainstorm could be helpful. I’m preparing some notes to go out in November with examples of questions that generated good responses versus those that didn’t.

1:40:35 

One important point is to establish guidelines on what kinds of questions can be answered. If we asked something like, “What data do you have about X?” and the response is, “We don’t have data on that,” we should clarify what data is available.

1:41:08 

With the new structure aligned to the goals, I can look at the goals and measures to identify which central office departments might be able to provide answers. Expanding subcommittee time could also facilitate live interactions with central office staff, similar to how the policy and regulations committee handled the restraint and seclusion policy. That created a great dialogue.

1:42:29 

It would be helpful if we could pull data from the WorkX system into a centralized webpage for ACSD use. Having a repository of staff responses from previous ACSD reports, restraint and seclusion data, and other resources would save us time and effort.

1:43:15 

I also think there are publicly accessible resources that many of us may not know about. I’m planning to send each of your subcommittees the baseline data report received by the school board, as well as links to statistical data on the BOE website. 

1:44:11 

Additionally, looking at past committee reports can provide insights into recurring issues, which could inform our discussions going forward.

1:45:01 

Lastly, I want to echo that I understand the confusion and the enormity of this change. I completely validate those feelings because I’m feeling it too. If I appear to know what’s going on, I’m just a really good actress—there’s been a lot of work behind the scenes.

1:46:18 

A lot of other questions, Amanda?

1:46:24 

So moving on... oh, I’m sorry, on your computer I can’t see it.

1:46:29 

Oh yeah, I’m sorry, that’s my fault. Okay, so just if I understand: I know that the school board has asked that their work always align with the strategic plan. Did we change our subcommittees to align with the strategic plan because that’s what they want? Any advice they give has to align, so what comes from their advisory committees has to align. Is that correct?

1:46:54 

The new operating manual states that every recommendation an advisory committee makes must be aligned with the strategic plan. So that made you feel the necessity of changing the subcommittees?

1:47:01 

Okay, just the reason I mentioned this is because it’s been on my mind since that vote last week. I felt like our old subcommittee structure aligned better with the state mandate. If we’re all reporting around the school board charge just through the lines of the strategic plan, we’re basically telling them what their priority is. Our priority is to inform them, but part of our state mandate is for us to communicate the unmet needs of special education students. 

1:47:51 

The old subcommittee structure, which aligned with the mandate, included community engagement, policy review, etc. I feel like our state mandate was used to choose those subcommittees, and now it seems like our entire report is just us reiterating what the school board told us. They said they want to hear from us, but our mandate clearly indicates we should help them identify unmet needs and priorities.

1:48:39 

I share your frustration. Two things I think are relevant: one is that in the state regulation, it’s deliberately vague, allowing local divisions to interpret what they find useful. Secondly, it’s in our interest to deliver our recommendations in the format they’ve requested. This removes any plausible deniability about whether the recommendation was one they were willing to hear. 

1:49:25 

That being said, I’m open to revisiting this topic. We decide how we operate, so if we collectively agree it doesn’t work, I’m ready to discuss it.

1:49:38 

I also understand the frustration regarding the late notice of the motion. That was largely due to late information about how everything was supposed to look and work. I, too, have a full-time job, and it was challenging to get everything together sooner. 

1:50:02 

However, anyone can make motions at any time; there’s no requirement under Robert’s Rules to get motions in advance. It’s designed to allow anyone who wants to make a motion to do so. If you think it doesn’t work for you, bring it up for conversation.

1:50:28 

I would be thrilled to see greater participation in this process because honestly, I can’t take on the whole burden of decision-making. It’s too much for me and for Holly. The board aimed to make things easier for smaller committees, but for us, it’s made it more difficult. If you want to do it differently, just tell me, and I’ll support this group with anyone on the board who disagrees.

1:51:21 

Just be aware they might fire me, and one of you will have to step in.

1:51:29 

[Music] I have a related procedural question. We need to look at draft policies and offer feedback before they’re presented. Don mentioned the restraint inclusion policy is being updated. In prior years, the chair would assign it to a subcommittee, probably policy R, and we had a process for that. 

1:51:49 

What I envision is ad hoc work groups, as the operating manual allows us to do that. For example, for First Class Awards or restraint policies, I’ve asked a few people if they want to work on a proposal to bring to the whole committee for discussion. 

1:52:23 

I don’t mean we all go through it line by line for an hour, but one of the challenges with policy and regulations is that they have their own section of the report while doing additional work. I hope we can figure this out as we go along; I’m still learning about the process since this was new to me too. 

1:53:01 

We should ask about the policies we were promised in the September meeting. I haven’t received anything yet. Remember, we have a mandate with our elected officials. Those of you who represent school board members should communicate that all of us are voters and constituents in Fairfax County. 

1:53:32 

Ask your elected official why they aren’t following the rules. 

1:53:57 

Does anyone have anything else they want to add? I want to express my gratitude for this conversation. I want people to engage, and I recognize not everyone wants to speak up. That’s fine; you all have my email address. Please reach out to me directly or through an anonymous comment if you prefer.

1:54:30 

Anything else? Moving on to new business.

1:54:45 

PS social media—oh yeah, sorry.

1:55:03 

Ali mentioned during member time last month that our social media policy is based on an old ACSD structure. I promised to follow up on that this month. So, I have a motion to make: the current social media policy states that social media administrators include the four people who used to be members of the executive committee. We only have two members now. 

1:55:50 

The motion is that the ACSD recommends a revision to the social media policy to allow an additional committee member to be appointed as an administrator of the existing social media accounts. This returns us to the previous structure, which allows someone else to help share the workload.

1:56:17 

I’d like to point out that the rest of the social media policy remains intact, so there are tight parameters around what can be posted. Whoever volunteers or is appointed will work alongside Holly and me; they won’t be going rogue unless they choose to.

1:56:34 

We need a second for the motion. 

1:56:41 

Any questions or discussion?

1:57:14 

Go ahead.

1:57:22 

So, this would be appointed by the full committee, and it would require a vote?

1:57:27 

Yes, thank you. That’s a good question. All additional roles outside of committee work require committee agreement.

1:57:34 

I think we need to decide the role before we proceed with that.

1:57:55 

As the steward of Robert's Rules, I can’t do that, but we’ll get there. So, I call the vote: all those in favor of the motion as presented, say “aye.” All those opposed, say “no.” Any abstentions?

1:58:23 

Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. Would anyone like to make a motion for who the volunteer should be?

1:58:34 

I move that Nita be appointed as our social media rep. Do we have a second?

1:58:53 

Hold on, I’m just keeping up with my notes. Who would like to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of appointing Nita?

1:59:05 

Anyone? I hereby call the vote: all in favor of appointing Nita as our additional social media rep, say “aye.” All opposed, say “no.” Any abstentions?

1:59:19 

Can somebody else handle the Twitter? 

1:59:25 

I was the former administrator, and I can help get access to the Twitter account.

1:59:31 

I’m sorry, I’m speaking up here. 

2:00:04 

The support group will meet the first Saturday in November from 10 to 11:30 at the Oak Library. There’s also an event on November 17 at the K Mosaic District store where they will donate 20% of purchases to our cause, so please come by and shop for the holidays.

2:00:27 

Thank you. Adriana, since I am representing the voters, I want to mention that voting is ongoing now. There are three centers open, and I believe an additional one will open soon.

2:00:46 

Thank you, Daniel. 

2:01:04 

I don’t know if this is appropriate, but I wanted to get this on the record. As the liaison to the Services Board, information should flow both ways. If there are ever questions on how the community services board supports students and their families, I’m happy to answer those questions. My contact information is available.

2:01:49 

I would also like the opportunity to answer those, so I'm putting myself out there as a resource for anything CSP-related. I do work in support coordination for individuals with developmental disabilities, so my experience in other areas of the CSP may be a little more limited, but I am very good at pointing people in the right direction.

2:02:12 

Thank you, Bron. I came across something with a few of my friends. There is a concern with social media, and this has a bigger impact on self-presentation. 

2:02:32 

Recent studies indicate that this focus on self-presentation on social media is associated with adolescents. One conclusion they reached is that we should talk to our kids about how they present themselves online, knowing that they are not alone in this issue. 

2:03:44 

This is a very recent study, so I just thought I’d bring that up. If you send me the link to that study, I'll include it with the resources I'm sending out to the committee if you want.

2:04:48 

I'll give my update as a representative on the ACs. SEPA is holding an IEP event on Saturday, November 16, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. I think they’re partnering with BSS on that. It's a great opportunity for constituents who might be new to the IEP process. There will be breakout sessions covering different parts of the IEP process, including a mock IEP that was very helpful last time.

2:05:14 

If you have constituents who are new and feeling overwhelmed, this is a place where there will be lots of FCPS staff available to ask questions. 

2:05:41 

Regarding the mini-grants, any FCPS teachers and staff can apply, but you do have to be a SEPA member. Membership is only $6, which allows you to apply for mini-grants up to $500 for programs that benefit special education students. The fall due date is the first week of November.

2:06:19 

Moving on to share some events in the field district: tomorrow night, the middle school is having a presentation on "Understanding Your Middle Schooler" from the school counselors. It should be an interesting event.

2:06:37 

At Rolling Valley Elementary School, they will have their annual haunted house and fun fair on Saturday, October 26. They do a sensory-friendly event with lights on and no jump scares from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., then the lights will go off and the event will run until 8:30 p.m. It’s an inclusive event, and they also have a sensory room available for kids who might need a break.

2:07:24 

The West Springfield pyramid is also hosting an annual pyramid challenge on Saturday, November 16, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This includes various runs for all grade levels and a unified run for students with disabilities to participate alongside their general education peers. 

2:08:12 

Hi, I think because of the changes in the organization, some of the new members may not know why I’m here. I’m Kathy Murphy, an assistant in the UDS office, and I have a long history with the school division in special services. I’m here to listen, but I also want you to know who I am. 

2:09:05 

Tomorrow is UTD Day as well. I’m a member of the League of Women Voters and I see all the materials they send out about early voting. Personally, I prefer to vote in person on Election Day; it’s a special occasion in my house. 

2:09:31 

I’m actually knitting a scarf that looks like the flag, complete with little sparkly beads for the stars. 

2:09:46 

Thank you, everyone.

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