FCPS searching for special education community liaison

Oct. 7—Four months after a long-awaited hire ended an eight-month vacancy, Frederick County Public Schools' special education department is again working to hire a community liaison.

Whoever fills the role — which the state requires in each county school system and partially funds — will report to the district's special education directors. They will assist parents of children with disabilities in navigating the complex world of special education, plan community events, organize workshops and more.

Linda Chambers and Troy Keller, FCPS' special education directors, said an important function of the position was to make caregivers feel comfortable seeking help or clarification from the district.

"Obviously, with our circumstances, that is key," Keller said in an interview Wednesday. "People may not feel comfortable reaching out to Linda and I, and we understand that."

In December 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it had investigated and subsequently settled with FCPS over the district's misuse of seclusion and restraint against students with disabilities.

In the months since then, the school board and some members of the community have called for an increased focus on FCPS' special education programs.

The community liaison position is a "critical" piece of the district's response, Chambers said.

"We want to connect with families," she said. "We want to support them."

Cara Phillips, one of the leaders on the school board's Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee, held the position for four years before she vacated it in October 2021.

The district spent months searching for Phillips' replacement — a process that included raising the compensation for the position more than once — and hired Katie McCormick in June.

McCormick left the position in late September, citing personal reasons.

The position has been a challenge to fill partially because of salary constraints, Chambers said. The state only provides so much money for the role, and if that doesn't prove to be enough, the district has to come up with additional funding on its own.

According to a recent job posting, FCPS is currently offering between $21.78 and $23.11 per hour for the role.

It's a 12-month position, meaning the liaison wouldn't have the summers off.

That presents a separate challenge, Chambers and Keller said, given that their ideal candidate is a parent of a child with special needs.

Keller said a similar position has existed in other districts he's worked in, and those also saw regular turnover.

Ideally, the directors said, FCPS could have a team of people help with the work of the liaison.

"Certainly, we know that the work of helping to support families of students with disabilities is not a one-person job," Chambers said. "However, it is a one-person job as allocated through the state."

The Blue Ribbon Task Force, formed in the wake of the DOJ investigation, recently recommended the school board establish an "advocacy center" to aid special education families in each of the district's 10 feeder patterns.

"We'd love for that to be the case," Chambers said Wednesday. "But at this one point, we want to fill this one vacancy."

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