Director of Special Education

Our outstanding teachers, support staff members and leaders are top-notch educators whom others seek to emulate, and quite simply – we would like for you to consider joining us.

This position directs the planning, design, delivery, monitoring, and program assessment of special education services for more than 8,800 students with disabilities throughout the school division. The Director performs work under federal and state regulations, federal and state guidance, division departmental policies, and established objectives, and interprets policy on its own initiative. This position works collaboratively, as decisions and actions impact the entire system;

contacts are regularly and frequently made at all organizational levels within and outside the school system to execute and explain programs and policies. The position directs and evaluates the work of highly technical or professional support staff.

• Guides the development and implementation of long-range and short-range plans for achieving special education goals and objectives in alignment with the school division’s strategic plan and incorporating results driven accountability for students with disabilities
• Directs special education services for all students with disabilities and ensures students access to the school division’s core curriculum by collaboratively working with the Department of Curriculum Development and Support and the Department of School Leadership
• Establishes and communicates a division-wide philosophy of least restrictive environment for students
• Directs and evaluates the effectiveness of existing special education programs and services; reviews and ensures compliance with existing federal and state legislation and school board, guidelines, regulations, policies, and procedures
• Facilitates research regarding trends and best practices to support appropriate recommendations for student success through rigorous, innovative, and technological programming
• Establishes and monitors the design and development of new and modified programs and delivery of programs, including digital and non-digital resource accessibility
• Collaborates with central and school administrators regarding the discipline of students to reduce exclusionary consequences
• Facilitates and/or participates in matters of dispute resolution with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and the Office for Civil Rights pertaining to students with disabilities; oversees the management of mediation and due process procedures
• Provides accurate and timely data to the VDOE’s State Performance Plan for evaluating outcomes for students
• Directs the implementation of federal and state grant applications and supervises the management of appropriate Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) grants with the department’s Grants Management Specialist
• Establishes staffing requirements with the Department of Human Resources and Department of Finance for all special education positions in accordance with state and local standards and student needs; assists with applicants as needed
• Maintains open lines of communication with all interested parties; responds to concerns of parents, teachers, building and central office administrators, and community members in a timely manner
• Monitors Standards of Learning (SOL) and alternate testing in collaboration with the assessment supervisors
• Communicates in a collaborative manner to serve and support schools and central staff in the service and support of students with disabilities
• Advises on the design, requirements, and equipment for special education classrooms and facilities and consults with facility leaders regarding Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility to school facilities
• Coordinates the implementation of professional development for school staff related to special education in collaboration with the Office of Professional Learning
• Serves as staff for the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) to refine and enhance programs and services for students with disabilities in collaboration with the Department of Curriculum Development and Support and the Department of…