Justin is a proud parent of a special needs son. Justin is also active in the Northern Virginia autism community and is the school board representative to the regional special education advisory board. Before coming on the board, Justin worked as a co-teacher and spent many of his years co-teaching with a special needs teacher in his 8th-grade social studies classroom. 

During Justin’s term, the Prince William County School Board undertook a comprehensive review of the current special education services. As a result of this audit, Justin and the Prince William County School Board have improved special education in the following areas:

–      An increased focus on instructional best practices for students with disabilities;

–      Additional materials that support the instructional needs of students with disabilities

–      Additional parent training provided through the Parent Resource Center;

–      Additional resources for dyslexia and self-advocacy for parents and staff, including Orton-Gillingham training; 

–      Critically needed additional staff has been added such as school psychologists and an assistive technology coordinator. While additional supervisor and coordinator positions were also recommended, the first focus was on these critical staff members who work directly with students;

–      Increasing the hourly wage for teaching assistants in 2019;

Many constituents regularly seek out Justin for advice as they navigate the IEP process in Prince William County Schools. Although Justin cannot legally participate in IEP meetings or overturn division decisions, his goal is to strengthen the parent and staff relationships through increased partnership and feedback opportunities.

Justin vehemently supported returning our special needs students to in-person learning during the fall of 2020. Although his initial vote to return ALL students in the fall to a hybrid option failed on a 4-4 vote (7/15/2020), Justin played a critical role in ensuring that our moderate to severe students received in-person learning and support.