VIRGINIA BEACH
Some parents are optimistic about changes the school system is making in special education following a state report that found areas of concern.
Special and general education teachers are receiving more professional development as are administrators and support staff. One focus is on preparing students for life after graduation.
Last summer, the state launched an investigation after a complaint alleged system-wide problems. In a letter issued Oct. 31, Virginia Beach was found non-compliant in only one area: It was falling short of helping special education students transition into life after high school. The report also urged the school division to increase training to fix other issues.
Lee Woodard has a son who has disabilities at Princess Anne High. She heads SEAC, a committee that advises the division on special education.
The report issued requirements that school leaders are following, she said in a recent interview. She’s also optimistic because Superintendent Aaron Spence met with SEAC leadership in the spring, and Roni Myers-Daub, director of programs for exceptional children, has continued to listen to the group.
The division’s intended efforts align with SEAC’s goals, Woodard said.
“This letter of findings was a big wake-up call,” she said of the state report.
Too often, educators relied on past reviews to determine a child’s eligibility for services, eschewing re-evaluations, the state found. Too many IEPs — written plans on how to meet learning needs — lacked a thorough, individualized approach.
“Far too many teachers and administrators in VBCPS fail to understand the relationship between behavior and learning, the effect of trauma on learning, and the ways in which a disability can affect behavior,” the report said.
Myers-Daub has addressed the School Board regularly since the report. She has highlighted division efforts, including training on IEPs and evaluations; professional learning on data collection for students with disabilities; and beefed up the department to focus on deficiencies the state noted.
The division also obtained 4,000 licenses for an interactive computer program that helps special education students explore college and career opportunities.
“This is an area that we know we need to continue to grow in,” Myers-Daub told the board this month.
The Carter family was one of many to speak with state investigators. Golden and Matthew Carter and their three boys have lived in Virginia Beach about three years. They have been in the school system most of that time, though they were home schooled one year.
Their youngest and middle children both go to Christopher Farms Elementary. They both have ADHD and dyspraxia, their parents said — the youngest is also autistic. The Carters felt the need to hire an advocate to help them with the process for their IEPs, and said they had to speak to division coordinators before their concerns were addressed by the school.
They said they tried to get their oldest son, who is at Landstown Middle, another plan in place for schools to help students with disabilities, but that was turned down.
The Carters had concerns similar to those the state raised. They sensed some educators wouldn’t fully develop plans unless they were forced.
The couple is cautiously optimistic that things are headed in the right direction, though. They worked out services for the youngest before the close of last school year. They are trying advanced classes and working to secure a gifted evaluation for the oldest.
They recently met with school staff concerning their middle son and came away pleased. “We finally seem to be on track to get a good IEP settled for him,” Golden Carter said.
When Woodard addressed the School Board last month, she said, she prefers to look to the future rather than the past. The state report is “just a great outline of where we can go from here,” she said.
She then listed recommendations. Among them: training; a policy manual for handling evaluations and student eligibility in special education programs; giving the most experienced IEP team members more influence in that process; and expanding a parent support and information center that she said has been valuable.
Virginia Beach’s program is not bad, Woodard said in the recent interview. It has room for improvement and is beginning to make fixes.
The biggest problem she sees is that at certain schools, the child’s needs don’t seem to be everyone’s top priority. Individuals might be helping but there isn’t buy-in from the entire team.
Her hope is that over time, the adjustments will create a culture change.
“It’s all about making sure our kids are getting what they need,” Woodard said.
Mike Connors, 757-222-5217, michael.connors@pilotonline.com
