Disability board seeks feedback on recommendations, flags special-education corrective action and plans onboarding

The Prince George's County Disability Issues Advisory Board used its Sept. 9 meeting to finalize plans to present its recommendations to district leaders and to press for clarity on special-education compliance and member onboarding.

Vice Chair Theresa Smith told members the executive board will meet with interim Superintendent Dr. Joseph to review DIAB's recommendations and that the group expects Board of Education feedback by the board's October meeting. Smith said the DIAB had asked for a seat at legislative day but was not invited this year; she said she will attend legislative-day events as a Parent and Community Advisory Council representative and will share relevant items for DIAB.

DIAB members reviewed the district's top legislative priorities that the Board of Education already voted to adopt: (1) special-education funding, including expanded multi-tiered systems of support and incentives to attract and retain special educators and related-service providers; (2) construction and facilities funding with annual inflation adjustments for new construction costs; (3) supports for multilingual learners; and (4) additional grant funding for safety and security measures such as vape detectors and cameras. Members noted they had requested Board feedback on DIAB recommendations by Aug. 31 and were told the board is actively working and will prepare responses by October.

On special education, Miss Bowman reported that PGCPS is under corrective action from the Maryland State Department of Education for two primary concerns: systemwide special-education vacancies and an uptick in state complaints. Bowman said a recent presentation to the Board of Education detailed data points the state reviewed, including vacancies and complaints that related to the inability to implement IEP services because of staffing shortages.

Members also discussed an onboarding process for new DIAB members. Suggestions included formal training on the Maryland Open Meetings Act and Robert's Rules of Order, a one-page orientation guide to key documents and tools, staggered appointment timing for new members, and a peer “buddy” system pairing new members with experienced members. Staff noted that collaborative drafting by the full committee could trigger quorum rules and recommended using subcommittees or small designated drafting teams (fewer than a quorum) for document preparation.

Ending: DIAB will receive Board of Education feedback by October; members asked for that feedback as soon as available and pledged to continue committee-level work where possible in the meantime.