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Special Education

Upcoming Events


 

Mission Statement

Montgomery County Public Schools' Special Education mission is to engage, encourage, and empower students with disabilities by providing, in the least restrictive environment, the supports and services needed to graduate and live, learn, work and participate in communities of their choice with maximum independence.

Core Values

Special Education is an integral part of the total collaborative education system where diversity is valued and all students are encouraged towards independence.

Academic behavioral instruction should be authentic with high expectations, promoting active engagement for all students.

Staff will be empowered to meet the educational needs of all students through shared responsibility.

Parent involvement is an integral and valued part of the special education process.

Parent Resource Center

PARENT RESOURCE Center Website

Contact Information

Jessica Cumbow
Parent Resource Center Coordinator
jessicacumbow@mcps.org

Address: 208 College Street, Christiansburg, Virginia  24073

Operations Center, Middle Building, Door 21

Phone:  (540) 381-6100
Fax: (540) 382-6185

2023 Parent Involvement Survey

All parents of school-aged children and youth with disabilities who receive special education services in Virginia are encouraged to complete the Virginia Department of Education's (VDOE's) annual Parent Involvement Survey. The survey will remain open through December 15, 2023.

If you have questions regarding this survey, please contact Chiquita Seaborne, Family Engagement Specialist/Special Projects Coordinator, via telephone at (804) 225-3898 or via email, at Chiquita.Seaborne@doe.virginia.gov.

Special Education Advisory Committee

The Montgomery County Special Education Advisory Committee was formed in 1972. We recruit members who are persons with disabilities, parents of persons with disabilities, representatives from civic organizations, business or industry or any public agency concerned with the care of persons with disabilities.

The purpose of the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) is to:

  1. Advise the local school division of needs in the education of children with disabilities;
  2. Participate in the development of priorities and strategies for meeting the identified needs of children with disabilities;
  3. Submit periodic reports and recommendations regarding the education of children with disabilities to the division superintendent for transmission to the local school board;
  4. Assist the local school division in interpreting plans to the community for meeting the special needs of children with disabilities for educational services;
  5. Review the policies and procedures for the provision of special education and related services prior to submission to the local school board; and
  6. Participate in the review of the local school division's annual plan.

SEAC Meeting Dates 2023 - 2024

September 18, 5:30 pm

November 13, 5:30 pm

January 22, 5:30 pm

March 25, 5:30 pm

April 29, 5:30 pm

 

Virginia Department of Education

Services for Students Identified as Hearing or Visually Impaired

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) provides information on services for students with hearing and vision impairments at its website. The following links to information and resources are excerpted from the VDOE’s website: Special Education-Specific Disabilities-Sensory Disabilities.

Guidance Documents

Statewide Resources

  • The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind (VSDB) - The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind is located in Staunton, Virginia and provides a day program and outreach services, as well as a residential setting exclusively to students who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, or deaf-blind. The VSDB Outreach Services assist early intervention providers, local school divisions, and families in meeting the needs of children in the Commonwealth. The VSDB’s admissions policy is available at the above Website.
  • The Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) - The Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing provides standards for educational interpreting services and other services to reduce the communication barriers between persons who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families and the professionals who serve them.
  • The Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI) - The Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired primarily assists Virginians who are blind in achieving quality employment outcomes. Vocational evaluation, job training, job development, placement, follow-up, and other services are provided to assist consumers in obtaining jobs in the public and private sectors. The DBVI’s education services program provides services to early intervention providers, school personnel, and families to help children to be successful in school and the community, and to prepare for the future. The Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Vision Impaired offers training in the skills of blindness to blind and vision-impaired Virginians and encourages people to develop positive attitudes about blindness. The Library and Resource Center provides services to local school divisions to support the education of children who are blind or visually impaired. Library services are also offered to persons who are print disabled.
  • The Virginia Project for Children and Young Adults With Deaf-Blindness - The Virginia Project for Children and Young Adults With Deaf-Blindness provides technical assistance, training, distance education and networking information to families, service providers, and individuals who are deaf-blind/dual sensory impaired.
  • The Technical Assistance Center for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and VNOC – The Technical Assistance Center for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing provides training and technical assistance in the areas of deafness and hardness of hearing. Assistance is available to local public school divisions as well as early intervention and preschool programs through the Virginia Network of Consultants for Professionals Working with Children Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (VNOC).
  • The Accessible Instructional Materials Center-Virginia (AIM-VA) - The Accessible Instructional Materials Center-Virginia’s extensive library has developed an alternative system of providing accessible educational media under standards set by federal law (NIMAS) to students who meet the federal requirements for print disabilities and who are eligible for accessing educational media under an Individualized Education Program (IEP) as required under Part B of IDEA. The AIM-VA, in conjunction with partnering agencies, provides required accessible educational materials to students with an IEP and training for staff, at no cost to Local Educational Agencies.