Dear Virginia Department of Education,

As parents of three GT children, we adamantly oppose the proposed Virginia Gifted Students Education Services regulations changes [8 VAC 20-40].  Our summarized reasons for opposing the regulations changes follow:

First, just as other special needs children receive protected funds for their educational programs, so should GT students.  Their unique educational needs are just as important as the educational needs of those with disabilities.

Second, it is clear by actions and comments by local school board members that some are groundlessly hostile toward GT programs.  Thus, to ensure GT education services plans and decisions are made by qualified and unbiased experts, it is imperative that GT plans continue to be reviewed, approved, and monitored by the DoE and its subject matter experts.  Further, moving from five-year to one-year plan reviews hardly allows enough time for plans to take affect and increases the administrative requirements to submit the plans.

Third, reducing GT qualification assessment timelines increases the risk of unjustly denying children who deserve the special education simply because of rushed assessments.

Fourth, parents need more time than ten days to appeal initial GT qualification decisions, particularly if additional testing is required.

Finally, our objections to these changes are also based on the fact they there is no explanation why these changes were proposed and how they will benefit Virginia's GT children other than "the proposed revisions will allow the Virginia Board of Education to review contemporary research and best practices in the field that have occurred in the last decade and to ensure that Virginia's regulations are consistent with that information."   It hardly seems that the proposed changes will further facilitate or are currently preventing the Board of Education from performing these duties.

Respectfully,

Giovanni and Elizabeth Kotoriy