Skip to main content

Henrico County Public Schools

Special Education Review

Special Education: What’s Working? What’s Not? How Can Henrico Improve?

Updated August 2019

 

In September 2018 the School Board received a report about Henrico County Public Schools’ exceptional education program. You can read the entire report here. 

How Is Henrico Schools Addressing the Report’s Findings?

A committee of school division staff and community members was assembled to look at the report’s findings and make suggestions. The committee was divided into five subcommittees,
each of which is making presentations before the Henrico School Board. What the subcommittees have recommended so far:

On Aug. 8, 2019, the Board heard a presentation that reviewed parent engagement and special education in Henrico Schools.

The subcommittee work outlined in the presentation includes a focus on four major goals: providing comprehensive and effective services to maximize support for students with disabilities; aligning instruction for all students across a viable curriculum; reimagining and revitalizing the Virginia Randolph Education Center; and improving communication with families to make sure they are as engaged as possible.  

On March 28, 2019, the Board heard a presentation about family engagement.

The Subcommittee on Family Engagement recommended improving in three areas, along with steps the school division should consider. The recommendations were: work to improve communication and trust with families of students with disabilities; support and enhance to role of the HCPS Special Education Advisory Committee as a voice for families; and consider adding more peer support for families, such as support groups and staff members to act as special education liaisons. The subcommittee said that adding more peer support systems would enhance the abilities of the Family and Educator Resource Center, as well as school family advocates.

On March 14, 2019, the Board heard a presentation about programming priorities for the Virginia Randolph Education Center. 

VREC provides academic and behavioral education to students with disabilities.

The subcommittee recommended that the division pursue 12 priorities for VREC: a safe and secure environment; programming in social and behavioral skills; strong academic programs; extracurricular programs comparable to comprehensive schools; therapeutic support systems; preparation for life after graduation; staffing that supports the school’s priorities; staff training and certifications; extended-day options; year-round instruction; rebranding and communication that accurately reflects the school; and a curriculum that mirrors comprehensive schools, helps students reach their potential and prepares them for life after graduation.

At the Feb. 28, 2019, work session, the Board heard presentations on special education placement and identification, and on the division’s approach to discipline.

The Subcommittee on Placement and Identification recommended that, in the short term, HCPS: develop an inclusion task force; increase professional development; expand a holistic approach to exceptional education in elementary schools; and expand programming for students with autism at the high school level. Looking ahead, the subcommittee recommended that the school division create need-based specialty centers for students with disabilities, and expand programming for students with emotional disabilities.

The Subcommittee on Discipline said that the division should: require all staff members be trained in behavior-management techniques; collect, analyze and expand data on disciplinary matters; create a disciplinary plan that focuses on race and culture; track and analyze instructional days lost due to expulsions; connect with outside community agencies; increase collaboration among HCPS departments; expand specialized behavioral programs; and consider further amending the Code of Student Conduct to promote more alternatives to suspension and expulsion.

At the Jan. 24, 2019, work session, the Board heard a presentation on special education staffing.

The Subcommittee on Staffing recommended that HCPS: improve exceptional education leadership in schools; increase staff diversity; increase support for teachers; and add opportunities for professional development. The committee also suggested that HCPS improve recruitment; create a comprehensive exceptional education program and policy manual; expand staffing; and make the program more consistent across the school division. Finally, the committee recommended that HCPS convert temporary instructional assistants to full-time positions and create a program to develop more “homegrown” exceptional education teachers from within the division.