"Big 8" Letter Requests Special Education Waivers; Children Put Behind 8 Ball
"Our goal is to reduce the administrative burden on special education staff . . . "
~Big 8 Letter
In a letter provided by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) through a FOIA request—titled “Lane Special Ed Letter”—Virginia’s eight largest school divisions—known as the “Big 8”—outlined their requests for relief related to special education requirements. These divisions collectively serve around 600,000 students across Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Hampton Roads.
According to Johnna Cossaboon, of Advantus Strategies, the "Big 8" hire contractors or have someone in-house who lobbies on their behalf. While she represents Chesapeake, Loudoun County, and Norfolk Public Schools, she said Bev Lammay reps Henrico, and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has Mike Molloy on staff, who has been there "forever". She thought, perhaps, 25 years.
The letter itself lists one waiver after another related to special education, as divisions "try to navigate the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic."
Rather than advocating for more resources to support students with disabilities and educators working to meet their needs, the letter states:
"Our goal is to reduce the administrative burden on special education staff . . . "
Interestingly, Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) provided a version of the same “Big 8” letter—this one on Advantus Strategies letterhead, listing all eight superintendents and authored (per document metadata) by Cossaboon herself. She had also emailed it to then-VDOE Superintendent James Lane with an attachment to a document titled “FINALBig8NorthamLetter040620”.