HD13 - Report of the Virginia Board of Education in Response to Recommendations of the Joint Subcommittee Studying the Overrepresentation of African-American Students in Special Education Programs


Executive Summary:
House Joint Resolution 640, passed by the 2001 General Assembly, requests that the Virginia Board of Education review and consider certain recommendations made by the Joint Subcommittee Studying the Overrepresentation of African-American Students in Special Education Programs.

At the request of the joint subcommittee, the Board will undertake the following activities:

• Monitor and report annually to the Governor and the General Assembly information concerning the number of African-American and other minority students in special education; the number of school divisions identified as having a disproportionate enrollment of minority students in special education; and the number of students with disabilities, by race/ethnic designation who drop out of school

The Department of Education, with advice and consent of the Board of Education, will undertake the following activities:

• Disseminate information to parents concerning the right to withdraw consent for placement of their children in special education

• Encourage school divisions to provide training to teachers in the identification of students with disabilities as part of continuing professional development opportunities

• Provide cultural competency training to school division personnel

• Continue to provide programmatic and fiscal support for the development of building level instructional support teams

• Continue to provide programmatic and fiscal support for parent resource centers