Virginia Regulatory Town Hall View Comments

Department of Education

State Board of Education

Regulations Governing Special Education Programs for Children With Disabilities in Virginia [8 VAC 20 ‑ 80]

Action	Revisions to comply with the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004” and its federal implementing regulations.
Stage	Proposed
Comment Period	Ended on 6/30/2008

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6/30/08 4:03 pm

Commenter: Katherine Williams, parent

Severe Disabilities definition removed

VDOE has completely removed the definition of severe disabilities from the proposed regulations even though there is still a reference to severe disabilities under 8 VAC 20-81-320.

The current VA regulations definition for severe disabilities reads as follows:

"Severe disability" means a primary disability that:

1. Severely impairs cognitive abilities, adaptive skills, and life functioning;

2. May have associated severe behavior problems;

3. Has the high probability of additional physical or sensory disabilities; and

4. Requires significantly more educational resources than are provided for the children with mild and

moderate disabilities in special education programs.

I highlighted #4 in red because I believe that this is the reason the severe disabilities definition is being removed.

CommentID: 1737