The provision of special education and related services to incarcerated handicapped youth of Virginia

• Main Author: Fernandez, Linda A.
• Other Authors: Administration and Supervision of Special Education
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 2017
• Subjects: LD5655.V856 1982.F476; Juvenile delinquents > Education > Virginia; Children with disabilities > Education > Virginia
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/80296

Public Law 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, mandates that all handicapped children, including those housed in correctional facilities, receive special education and related services as required by the law. Literature has suggested that services are not being provided as mandated. Factors inherent in correctional education and/or unclear, absent or conflicting policies of multiple agencies sharing responsibilities for incarcerated handicapped youth may inhibit delivery of special education and related services as required by federal and state regulations. Through interviews with personnel of the Virginia Rehabilitative School Authority (RSA) and examination of policies of the RSA, the Virginia Department of Education Office of Special and Compensatory Education (SEA), and the Virginia Department of Corrections, three questions were addressed: (1) What are the processes used by the RSA to implement SEA regulations governing the education of handicapped children? (2) What are the factors which affect the implementation of delivery of special education and related services as perceived by RSA personnel? (3) Are absent, unclear or conflicting policies of agencies (SEA, DOC, RSA) related to the provision of mandated services to incarcerated handicapped youth? It was found that state regulations were not fully addressed by RSA processes and that processes being implemented did not comply totally with state regulations. Factors found to inhibit the development and implementation of processes within state regulations included the precedence of DOC custody and treatment considerations over educational concerns, inadequate numbers of special education personnel, paucity of placement options within youth school programs and outside of the correctional setting, and inadequate training of DOC and RSA personnel in preparation for special education responsibilities. Absence of SEA policy relating to assignment of surrogate parents and absence of local and state agencies' policies addressing transfer of student information restrained development and conduct of required procedures. Conflict between policy foci of the DOC and RSA was a primary contributor to special education procedural and programmatic limitations. === Ed. D.