District of Columbia Advisory Committee

Accessing Services for Students with Disabilities

in D.C. Public Schools

The District of Columbia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (Commission) is studying access to special education and related transportation services for students with disabilities in D.C. public schools. The Committee will examine if policies, practices, and procedures limit access to these services on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or in the administration of justice.

Background information on the topic, relevant federal, state, or local laws, and methodology for the investigation can be found in the Committee’s Project Proposal. The Project Proposal also highlights key questions that the Committee seeks to address in its investigation, which informs potential speakers as to what information they should be presenting.

The Committee is hosting a series of online panel briefings to hear testimony from various stakeholders, including researchers, academics, advocates, government officials, and impacted individuals.

The collection of testimony will conclude 30 days after the Committee’s final briefing on the topic. The Committee will then distill findings and recommendations from the collected testimony. These findings and recommendations will be included in a report to the Commission on the Committee’s chosen topic.

Panelists

Kaitlin Banner | Deputy Legal Director, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban

Affairs

Kathy Zeisel | Director of Special Legal Projects, Children’s Law Center

Patrick Wolf | Distinguished Professor of Education Policy and the 21st Century Endowed Chair in

School Choice in the Department of Education Reform, University of Arkansas College of Education and

Health Professions

Amy Warden | Principal, St. Coletta of Greater Washington

Catherine Decker | Director of Student Services, St. Coletta of Greater Washington

Agenda

Welcoming Remarks

Panelist Remarks

Committee Q&A

Public Comment

Adjournment

The duration of each briefing may vary depending on the number of attendees. It may conclude before the allocated two-hour time slot if there are fewer members of the public wishing to offer comments. Closed captioning is provided through Zoom and available by selecting "CC" in the meeting platform. Individuals requiring accommodations may contact [email protected] at least 10 business days prior to the meeting.

There will be a public comment period near the end of the briefing. Members of the public may make comments for up to five minutes on the topic. Please note that the Committee is advisory in nature only and has no enforcement authority. The Committee, therefore, cannot investigate or resolve individual civil rights complaints.

Written comment will also be accepted—members of the public may submit written comments to [email protected] within 30 days of the meeting to be included in the meeting records.

Meeting records are available publicly on the FACA database.

Each briefing is recorded and transcribed for the public record. To learn more about each briefing, please follow the button below:

For questions, please contact:

Sarah Villanueva, Support Specialist

[email protected]

For those interested in following the Commission's work, please click on the "Stay Connected" button below.