School district outlines VDOE monitoring findings and corrective-action plan for special education
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Summary
The division reported results from a Virginia Department of Education cyclical monitoring review, identified areas of noncompliance in several student records and procedures, and described essential corrective actions and training planned to address the findings.
Prince George County Public Schools staff reviewed findings from Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) cyclical monitoring and presented a corrective-action plan to the school board, describing targeted steps to address compliance gaps and strengthen special education practices.
The VDOE review, part of a periodic monitoring process, examined district compliance with IDEA (Part B) requirements and included file reviews, on-site visits and staff interviews. The district acknowledged both strengths and areas of noncompliance. As the district recorded, the noncompliance findings included a small number of student-record issues (for example, missing screening documentation for some transfer students and missing documentation of evaluation report receipt), timelines for referrals and the need for clearer documentation of Extended School Year (ESY) service goals.
Assistant superintendent and special education staff outlined essential corrective tasks: continued recruitment and retention of licensed special-education staff; targeted staff training and technical assistance on timelines and documentation; updates to procedures and forms; and regular audits of files. “We started this school year with a licensed special educator for all of our positions that were needed,” a district leader said, noting recent staffing improvements.
Why it matters: Special-education compliance affects students’ access to evaluations, services and legally required procedural safeguards. The district’s corrective plan is required by VDOE and will be monitored over a multi‑year timeline.
Implementation: The district described a two-year implementation timeline for corrective actions, ongoing file audits, staff training (including a special-education teacher academy and targeted refreshers), and enhancements to its IEP system to reduce common notice and documentation errors. District staff said some corrections have already been completed; others require continued training and periodic auditing. The division also cited its Results Driven Accountability designation and explained that graduation rates for students with disabilities were below the state target in federal fiscal year 2023 data.
Board action and next steps: SEAC (Special Education Advisory Committee) recommended that the superintendent develop a plan to implement its recommendations; the board voted to authorize the superintendent to begin developing that plan. Staff will continue reporting corrective-action progress to the board and to VDOE.
