Information for Families of Students with Disabilities

Virginia Department of Education sent this bulletin at 05/11/2023 08:19 AM EDT

Virginia Department of Education: Engage Your Family

Information for Families of Students with Disabilities - May 11, 2023

Special Education Parent Involvement Survey for the 2022-2023 School Year

All parents of school-aged children and youth with disabilities who receive special education services in Virginia are requested to complete the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) annual Parent Involvement Survey.

This survey will remain open through December 15, 2023. Please complete one survey for each of your children who is currently receiving special education services during the 2022-2023 school year.

If you have any questions regarding this survey, please contact Chiquita Seaborne, Family Engagement Specialist/Special Projects Coordinator via email at Chiquita.Seaborne@doe.virginia.gov, or via telephone at (804) 225-3898.

Parent Registration for K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants Now Open

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is now accepting applications from parents for tutoring microgrants for their children through Governor Glenn Youngkin's K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants program. Youngkin created the program to help Virginia families address the impact of the pandemic on student learning.

The $30 million dollar program provides $1,500 grants to parents of school-age children for tutoring in English, mathematics, science, and history, as well as foreign languages required to meet diploma requirements. Children from homes with family incomes at 300% or less of the federal poverty level may qualify for $3,000 grants. Grants may also be used for support services such as speech language pathology and reading interventions.

The grant program is open to parents of any public, private, parochial, or home-school student in grades K-12 residing in Virginia. The first step in the process is to visit K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants page, where you can create an application and receive more information.

New Resource for Families of Students with Disabilities

A Facilitated Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting is a voluntary process that may be requested when the IEP Team agrees that the presence of a neutral third party would assist in facilitating communication and problem-solving.

The VDOE's Facilitated IEP Resource Document provides you with valuable information about this process and includes a link to download a request form for this service.

Training Opportunities Provided by the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) and VDOE

Early Childhood Academy (May 10, 2023 - June 23, 2023)

This is a free, five-week virtual learning program that will provide tips and ideas to parents and caregivers to use for supporting their child's development, as well as resources to guide the transition from early intervention to school. Participants who complete the training will receive a certificate of completion for nine contact hours.

Latino-Hispanic Summit (June 2, 2023, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

This in-person summit will be presented in Spanish. The summit will bring families and professionals together to provide a better understanding of special education and available resources to help support the needs of Latino-Hispanic families.

IEP University (June 5, 2023 - June 25, 2023)

This is a free, self-paced online training developed to help provide families and professionals with accurate and useful information around IEP development and meetings. A certificate of completion for six hours will be provided to participants who complete the training.

This service is provided to you at no charge by the&nbspVirginia Department of Education Office of Facilities and Family Engagement. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit Subscriber Help.