This program serves students in all 198 schools who are either suspected of having a disability, or who, either by qualification under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, or by eligibility under the IDEA, have been identified as a student with a disability. Currently, there are approximately 28,303 students who qualify as having a disability under the IDEA and who have an IEP. Students attending all FCPS sites in pre-K through grade 12 are supported by the program. In addition to students attending FCPS school locations, procedural support staff coordinate planning and services with personnel from other agencies on behalf of Fairfax County students with special needs who may be enrolled in non-FCPS programs. 

Assessments required to determine if a student is eligible as a student with a disability under Section 504 or IDEA, or the provision of a free appropriate public education, are determined on an individual basis after a team of professionals and the parent completes a review of existing data. These assessments may include, but are not limited to, psychological, sociocultural, educational, speech and language, occupational therapy, physical therapy, evaluations, as well as vision and hearing screenings and classroom observations. Additional methods, including standardized and curriculum based measures, may be employed to track progress of identified students on individual goals. 

The Procedural Support Services section works collaboratively with the Due Process and Eligibility section to disseminate information regarding procedural and compliance requirements to all schools and programs. The procedural support liaison (PSL) often serves as a direct link between central office departments and school recipients in the delivery of training, informational updates, and support for required meetings.

The Procedural Support section emphasizes the importance of engaging all parties involved in making decisions about special education programming for individual students in a respectful and collaborative process that affords participants full opportunity to exchange information and ideas. A major role of the PSL is to serve as a resource to both school staff and parents by providing information about services and facilitating communication, thereby supporting a collaborative decision making process, particularly in the context of parent involvement in the IEP meeting.

Future Focus

The Procedural Support section will continue to provide administrative support to schools to increase compliance with VDOE State Performance Plan Indicators. This will be done by assisting schools with monitoring timely completion of the eligibility process and effective utilization of staff which includes psychologists, social workers, teachers, and related services providers. In the summer, PSLs also support Summer Clinic, which conducts screening, evaluation, and eligibility determination for special education.

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