VIRGINIA BEACH
Virginia Beach teachers and assistants need more training in special education, and there must be greater collaboration between parents and educators to identify services for students.
Those were among the many written concerns submitted by dozens of parents and others Wednesday night at an open house on the division's special-education programs.
The event was held as part of an independent audit of the Beach's efforts to address the needs of the nearly 10,000 special-education students enrolled in its schools.
"Special education has changed through time, and we need to stop and take inventory," said Robert Mitchell, director of the division's Office of Programs for Exceptional Children.
The School Board identified improving special education as one of its top priorities last summer.
The division hired MGT of America Inc., a national management and research consulting firm, to conduct a comprehensive review of its services at a cost of $130,325.
The audit will examine all of the Beach's programs, including transportation, staffing and student outcomes.
The evaluation will also look at how the division's expenses compare to other similar-sized school divisions in the state and nation.
At Wednesday's open house at the Laskin Road Annex, parents, special-education advocates and others rotated through 15 stations where they shared suggestions and concerns through written comments.
Heather Meyers, whose two sons have dyslexia, said she worries that children's needs are not identified early enough and that there is too much focus on mainstreaming students into regular classrooms.
"Inclusion is good, but children can be teased and bullied," she said.
Cheryl Poe, who founded Advocating 4 Kids, said she often hears from parents who are concerned that individualized education programs are not properly developed.
The plans identify services and establish goals for the school year and should be jointly prepared by parents, educators and students where appropriate. But parents often feel left out of the process, Poe said.
School leaders recognize that the division may not receive high marks from everyone, Mitchell said.
"But that's why we're evaluating - to see where to go from here," he said. "That's how we improve."
The audit is expected to be completed by May.
Susan E. White, (757) 222-5114, susan.white@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
it isn't the teachers who need more training....
I am happy to hear it isn't costing as much as some of us feared.
Teachers in Va Beach are highly qualifed, many probably most teachers of students with Special Needs have masters degrees...
Nope, it is the penny pinching upper administration that does not give a care about its most needy kids that needs fixing.
Last night at the open house I met 3 different sets of parents who have had their kids run off by Va Beach Schools. Poor parents have little recourse. We can't hire the Wright's Lawyer with his $25,000 retainer... we can't pay the $5,000 fee for a due process hearing.
SOmeone should be advocating for the students with special needs in Va Beach. It is the worst of any place I have ever lived. It is not most of the teachers fault. Sure, most of the TAs could use a lot more training, as they tend to have little in the needs or condition of students they care for, but it is time and time again usually the clustor coordinators who mess over students with special needs.
Does Va Beach not realize that by treating student this way and limiting their indepdence this way, they are creating thousands of Va Beach residents who are going to cost more to deal with as
A Parents Perspective
When parents of children with special needs feel that school personnel so called leadership, is rude, aggressive, uncooperative, and uncaring everyone loses. This is one of the main problems in the city of Virginia Beach as it relates to special education services. Often special education teachers are caught in the middle of supporting the child and parent but forced school administration, to make choices that they know will cause harm to children, and break down the working relationship they have established, with parents. The issue with VBCPS special education department and site level special education personnel is leadership and until their attitudes changes, VBCPS will continue to be known as the most difficult and “anti-parent” districts in the Hampton Roads area.
Yup
My wife is a special ed teacher in the beach. One of the main problems is the staffing has been really stripped over the years. She used to belong to a large group of teachers but now her area has almost no teachers in it. Too much moving around of staff that now not many are left to help the special ed students.....