Special Education

Frequently Asked Questions

Using External Contractors to Provide Special Education Related Services

1. Why does MCPS use contractors?

The Office of Special Education, Montgomery County Public Schools, uses contractors to provide services to students receiving special education and related services where MCPS either does not hire staff or has been unable to fill vacancies.

2. What kinds of contractors does the Office of Special Education use?

• Contractors are hired for the following areas:
• Private Duty Nurses (PDN)
• Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialists
• Speech/Language Pathologists
• Occupational Therapists
• Physical Therapists

The primary areas where contractors are used are for PDNs, O&M specialists, and speech/language pathologists.

• PDNs are hired to support specific short- or long-term medical needs of students. These are not MCPS employee positions.
• There are very few O&M specialists in the State of Maryland, and many school systems contract for these services through the Maryland School for the Blind for students with visual impairments.
• For speech/language pathologists, there is a national critical shortage of speech pathologists in kindergarten–12 education.

3. Does MCPS use contractor paraeducators or teachers?

During the 2023–2024 school year, MCPS staffed some vacant positions with paraeducators and with certified special education teachers who were contractors. MCPS is not using contractor paraeducators and teachers in the 2024–2025 school year.

4. Why doesn’t MCPS hire more staff instead of using contractors?

MCPS continues to recruit staff to fill all vacancies. There is currently a shortage of students graduating from colleges and universities who are obtaining degrees, certification, and licenses in these critical areas. For more information, see the following articles:

• A dwindling number of new U.S. college graduates have a degree in education.
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: Supply and Demand Resource List for Speech-Language Pathologists.

5. How long will MCPS use contractors?

Because the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires students to receive all of the special education and related services on students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), MCPS will use contractors on an ongoing basis to ensure that students receive the required services.

6. Why does my school have a contractor speech/language pathologist?

There is an unfilled position at the school.

7. What is the Office of Special Education doing to fill speech/language pathologist vacancies?

The Office of Special Education allocates staff to schools; this means the Office of Special Education provides funding to pay for the position. Principals interview and hire speech/language pathologists for their schools. This allows principals the ability to find staff that is a good match for the specific needs of their schools and students. The Office of Special Education consults with principals to assist in this process, when necessary. If a principal cannot fill a speech/language pathologist position, the Office of Special Education is responsible for identifying and placing a contractor in the position.

8. How does the Office of Special Education decide which contractors are assigned to which schools?

The supervisor of Speech and Language Services monitors staffing of all speech/language pathologists in MCPS, as well as vacancies, and works with principals if there is a vacancy to hire a contractor with the preference for in-person services.

9. What is the difference between virtual and in-person speech/language services?

Virtual speech/language services are conducted through a virtual platform, such as Zoom. The speech/language pathologist is virtual and there is a live, in-person speech facilitator at the physical school site to help the student receiving speech/language services login with the speech/language pathologist and to participate actively in the sessions.

10. Are virtual speech/language pathologists licensed/certified?

Yes. The State of Maryland requires all virtual speech/language pathologists to have appropriate licensure to provide speech/language services to students attending schools in Maryland even if the speech/language pathologist is providing virtual services from outside of the State of Maryland.

11. Why does my child have a virtual speech therapist?

When a contractor is hired, the Office of Special Education first requests that staffing agencies assign an in-person speech/language pathologist contractor. If no agency can provide an in-person speech/language pathologist, a virtual speech/language pathologist is requested.

12. Who employs the virtual speech therapist?

External staffing agencies.

13. Who determines which schools have in-person versus virtual speech and language services contractors?

The supervisor of speech services, within the Office of Special Education, reviews all vacancies in MCPS as well as the groups of students served in specific schools to determine which schools will require an in-person speech therapist. For example, schools with students who have significant cognitive, language, and medical needs may have a greater need for an in-person speech/language pathologist who provides speech and language services as well as support with assistive technology and augmentative and alternative communication.

14. What if I disagree with the use of a virtual speech therapist for my child?

Request an IEP meeting to discuss your concerns. The IEP team also should be able to explain how services are provided virtually for your child.