Things are changing at Marshall Road Center. With the retirement of the center's principal last year, Fairfax County Public Schools took the opportunity to make some administrative changes that will serve to erase the invisible barrier between the center and the Marshall Road Elementary School.
"From a historic point of view, the center and the school have always had separate principals," said Jennifer Duvall, assistant principal at Marshall Road. "The principal, after he retired, was replaced by an assistant principal and now the center and school share an administrative staff. We're trying to build a much more inclusive environment."
The school system has 23 special-education schools and centers across the county. Most of the centers are co-located in other schools, however, they have their own budgets.
Special-education services are provided to children with disabilities between the ages of 2 and 22 either at one of the centers, through home services or by referral to a private school when it is determined the school system can not meet the child's needs. The services are offered to children who have autism, developmental delay, emotional disabilities, hearing impairment, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, severe disability, traumatic brain injury and visual impairment.
MARSHALL ROAD, located in Vienna, is one of the few centers that shares a principal, in this case Judith Isaacson, with its sister school. The center does continue to receive a small budget, but Duvall said it has been merged with the elementary school's funds, which will now be used for the entire facility.
Despite the changes, the students who need a center environment, which includes smaller classes, a staff full-time psychologist and social worker and music and art therapists, can still receive the attention and support they need.
"We still have about 40 students for whom Marshall Road is not their base school," Duvall said. "We are still staffed to meet the students' needs."
Duvall said, however, instead of excluding the self-contained teachers who teach at the center, they have been added as team members at each grade level of the elementary school.
"We're just kind of making it one school," she said. "I think the parents and staff are excited about it. They feel much more a part of the regular-school environment."
In addition, a staff development partnership the center had with George Washington University that provided interns will continue throughout the entire school. The university provided interns to the center that were in the college's masters program, specializing in working with children with emotional disabilities. The interns will now also be able to get some experience interacting in a general-education setting as well as the center.
Duvall said the center will start with about 35 students, but that figure typically fluctuates throughout the year.
Marshall Road Elementary and Center will be holding a Back-to-School Night Thursday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m., for grades kindergarten through sixth.
CEDAR LANE CENTER, also in Vienna, by contrast is one of the few centers that does not share space with another school. The center caters to high-school students who have emotional disabilities, while a few of the children have multiple handicaps.
"The students have a high-average intelligence. They just have some problems that are different from other students," said Pam Hudgins, Cedar Lane's principal. "They have the same academic requirements as all other Fairfax County Public Schools high-school students."
Hudgins is expecting 90 students to begin the school year, but the center can swell to as many as 120 students at any given time. The enrollment fluctuates because, when possible, a student returns to his or her base school. In addition, some students miss several days at a time for medical reasons.
The center runs on a four-by-four block system, which means the students take four classes the first semester then four new classes the next semester.
"The scheduling allows some of our kids to make up their work quickly," Hudgins said.
Special-education centers traditionally have a high turnover rate when it comes to staff, so Hudgins encourages her faculty to "take a break" after a couple years, then return.
"Usually, out of a staff of 50, I have 5 percent to 10 percent turnover," Hudgins said. "When you work with a population like ours, it does benefit you to leave and come back."
This year is no different. There are seven new staff members including three new teachers.
The focus of the center has been to develop positive activities rather than focus on the negatives. Hudgins said this year's theme is "Promoting a Peaceful Place."
While Cedar Lane is not a traditional high school with extra-curricular activities for the students, the center did create a chess team last year, as well as a golf team. The students also play intramural basketball games. If that isn't enough, the students can take part in the activities offered at their base school. In addition, their diplomas and class rings come from their base schools.
"We may be small, but we've got spirit," Hudgins said. "We really get to know all the kids and the kids care for other people."
She said for example, the students created bumper stickers after the terrorist attacks and donated the money they raised to the county's K-9 unit.
Cedar Lane Center will be holding a Back-to-School Night Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m., for all grade levels.