Parents, advocates and teachers praise restoration of elementary special education department chairs
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Summary
Multiple parents, teachers and disability advocates at the Feb. 10 hearing thanked the school administration for restoring full funding for elementary special education department chairs and urged the board to keep the positions to ensure equitable, timely services for students with disabilities.
Several parents, special education teachers and advocates told the Fairfax County School Board on Feb. 10 that restoring funding for elementary special education department chairs is essential to maintaining timely, compliant services for students with disabilities.
Jenna Smith, representing Every Child Advocacy Foundation and speaking as a licensed special education teacher and a parent of three children with individualized education programs, said department chairs provide leadership, consistency and institutional knowledge that help new teachers and families navigate IEP processes. "Special education department chairs were not optional supports. They are essential infrastructure," she said.
Michelle Keats, president of Fairfax County SEPTA, thanked the board for restoring those positions and warned that federal changes to the U.S. Department of Education and the Office for Civil Rights heighten the need for robust local special education leadership. Parents including Lily Sada, Emily Suchdev and others described how department chairs support IEP timelines, mentor teachers, and fill gaps when staff leave midyear.
Speakers said cuts to these positions shift work onto already overextended staff, create delays, and increase compliance risk. Several urged the board to maintain the restored funding through final budget action so students with disabilities continue to receive consistent services.
The public hearing included a range of personal accounts underscoring the practical role department chairs in daily school operations; the board will vote on the FY2027 proposed budget on Feb. 26.
