Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here-I'm shocked they still haven't reimbursed everyone. They sent an apology email almost a year ago to parents (I think it was last Sept or Oct), addressing delaying reimbursements. Have they really had a staff of temps processing reimbursements full time for a year and a half and they still aren't done? The work all happened at the IEP meetings--we were told the Gatehouse portion was just checking receipts and cutting checks-no analysis or research or second-guessing or anything like that.

We had to rush rush rush like a five alarm fire in a few weeks to cram all these meetings in on top of all our regular job duties ("its legally required!")--meetings which were the most difficult part of the process-- and they can't even send these families the payments they are legally entitled to receive for over a year?

According to Adama Cahuantzi, the administrator in charge of COVID reimbursements, 97% of reimbursements have been delivered as of July 26. If you have an issue, contact him. Here's the text from the website that includes his email address:

Can an outside provider be reimbursed directly by FCPS?
The parent can contact the school team to reconvene and consider the parent's request to pursue an outside provider to deliver compensatory services. This information must be documented in the IEP or 504 document and through a prior written notice. The parent’s desired provider and parent must agree to provide FCPS consent to exchange information and the provider must fill out a W9 Tax Form. More information about this option is available by contacting the Special Administrator for Compensatory Education, Adam Cahuantzi, at agcahuantzi@fcps.edu or points of contact for staff including the FCPS Office of Special Education Procedural Support.

Where did you read that?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here-I'm shocked they still haven't reimbursed everyone. They sent an apology email almost a year ago to parents (I think it was last Sept or Oct), addressing delaying reimbursements. Have they really had a staff of temps processing reimbursements full time for a year and a half and they still aren't done? The work all happened at the IEP meetings--we were told the Gatehouse portion was just checking receipts and cutting checks-no analysis or research or second-guessing or anything like that.

We had to rush rush rush like a five alarm fire in a few weeks to cram all these meetings in on top of all our regular job duties ("its legally required!")--meetings which were the most difficult part of the process-- and they can't even send these families the payments they are legally entitled to receive for over a year?

According to Adama Cahuantzi, the administrator in charge of COVID reimbursements, 97% of reimbursements have been delivered as of July 26. If you have an issue, contact him. Here's the text from the website that includes his email address:

Can an outside provider be reimbursed directly by FCPS?
The parent can contact the school team to reconvene and consider the parent's request to pursue an outside provider to deliver compensatory services. This information must be documented in the IEP or 504 document and through a prior written notice. The parent’s desired provider and parent must agree to provide FCPS consent to exchange information and the provider must fill out a W9 Tax Form. More information about this option is available by contacting the Special Administrator for Compensatory Education, Adam Cahuantzi, at agcahuantzi@fcps.edu or points of contact for staff including the FCPS Office of Special Education Procedural Support.

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here-I'm shocked they still haven't reimbursed everyone. They sent an apology email almost a year ago to parents (I think it was last Sept or Oct), addressing delaying reimbursements. Have they really had a staff of temps processing reimbursements full time for a year and a half and they still aren't done? The work all happened at the IEP meetings--we were told the Gatehouse portion was just checking receipts and cutting checks-no analysis or research or second-guessing or anything like that.

We had to rush rush rush like a five alarm fire in a few weeks to cram all these meetings in on top of all our regular job duties ("its legally required!")--meetings which were the most difficult part of the process-- and they can't even send these families the payments they are legally entitled to receive for over a year?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe you might have an incorrect contact name. FCPS hasn't outsourced this reimbursement as far as I know.

NP- We are still waiting on reimbursement and I received an email from "Jane Pryne (Non-Employee)". Her email signature says she is a PHD. So they are definitely using hourly employees or temps for some things. A PHD temp is weird right?

It could be someone who’s retired and working a few hours a week.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe you might have an incorrect contact name. FCPS hasn't outsourced this reimbursement as far as I know.

NP- We are still waiting on reimbursement and I received an email from "Jane Pryne (Non-Employee)". Her email signature says she is a PHD. So they are definitely using hourly employees or temps for some things. A PHD temp is weird right?

Anonymous wrote:I believe you might have an incorrect contact name. FCPS hasn't outsourced this reimbursement as far as I know.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone else still waiting for reimbursement? Our point of contact is a person with "non fcps" in their email address, so it seems they hired contractors specificallg to deal with this...so why is it taking so long?

Go to the Willow Oaks Administrative Center and check on the status

Anonymous wrote:Anyone else still waiting for reimbursement? Our point of contact is a person with "non fcps" in their email address, so it seems they hired contractors specificallg to deal with this...so why is it taking so long?

Anonymous wrote:My child's FCPS speech therapist moved to another state and took another full time private job while simultaneously staying employed by FCPS. She showed up for one "virtual" speech meeting all year.

Our school's case manager offered every student from our school who was assigned to that speech therapist four additional 30 minute speech sessions as compensatory services. We turned it down b/c our child is now in MS and we didn't want him to lose instructional time.

Regardless, I don't see how any family that agreed to such a small compensatory offer is "taking advantage" of FCPS. If a family had sought out private speech therapy to make up for this FCPS therapist who should have been fired, they should be reimbursed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are still waiting for reimbursement. My child has a complex IEP, could not access any form of virtual school and we are only asking for a few thousand for speech therapy and tutoring. Our health insurance paid for OT and PT and I’m not asking for the copays.

Have emailed and they said that it should be processed. No time window given.

The school board has started their budget deliberations for next year. No plans for the OCR funding.

I would not be shocked if FCPS never cuts checks to anyone who is still waiting. Hopefully I’m wrong.

This has been a cruel process for both teachers and families. My child’s case manager asked me a few weeks ago if we had been paid yet and she seemed so sad when I told her we had not.

If its not in the budget, where is the settlement money/reimbursements coming from?