Governance committee sends students-with-disabilities policy back to staff for updated legal references and ACST review

The governance committee returned the updated Policy 2670 on students with disabilities to staff for further work, requesting updated legal cross references, confirmation of Advisory Council for Special Education (ACST) review, and modernization of certain terms.

Doctor Reed said the policy had been updated in its entirety with a new philosophy section and modified headings. Ms. Sizemore Heizer said she had previously requested ACST comment and asked staff to confirm whether ACST had reviewed the draft; she said she had sent several follow‑up emails over the previous year. Committee members also flagged outdated references in the cross‑references and legal-reference sections and asked staff to include additional relevant FCPS manuals and handbooks (for example, the transition manual, twice-exceptional handbook and special-education handbook).

Members raised a drafting detail: the draft still listed the “modified standard diploma,” which some said is no longer issued to new graduates; staff were asked to replace that phrasing with a reference that covers IEP‑based diplomas (for example, “applied studies or similar IEP diploma”) so the policy will not become obsolete if state diploma names change.

The committee voted to send the draft back to staff with explicit direction to confirm ACST review, update cross references and legal citations, and adjust terminology related to diplomas and parental/caregiver language before returning the draft to the committee.