Local school divisions are required by the Code of Virginia to form local Special Education Advisory Committees (SEACs) made up of parents of individuals with disabilities and community volunteers appointed by local School Boards.

The primary purpose of the local SEACs is to:

• identify unmet needs relating to the education of students with disabilities within a local school division;
• advise the local school division of these needs; and
• assist the local school division in developing priorities, plans and strategies for meeting these needs.

Local SEACs play an important role in identifying the unmet needs of students with disabilities, advising school divisions about those needs, and making recommendations about how those needs can be met. Well-formed SEACs have members who represent diverse community stakeholders and help parents and the school division personnel improve student services and outcomes. Through careful consideration and clear, consistent communication local SEACs are able to bring about positive change in services and outcomes for students with disabilities.

In 2004, the Virginia Department of Education and the Partnership for People with Disabilities gathered information from local SEACs in Virginia about their needs and, based on these needs, organized SEAC effectiveness orientation and leadership trainings around the state. Information about the needs gathered and evaluations of initial training sessions can be found on a link to the left.

The website is designed to provide local SEAC members and school division administrators with practical suggestions and sample tools for organizing and carrying out the work of local Special Education Advisory Committees (SEACs) in Virginia. Training for local SEACs can be found on this web site.

To insure that information and materials for local SEACs arrive to the people who need them, the Center for Family Involvement tries to maintain a database of current contact information for local SEAC Chairpersons. Local SEAC Chairpersons and Directors of Special Education can provide up-to-date information for your Local SEAC by clicking on the SEAC Chairperson Update link to the left.

This SEAC website is supported jointly by the Virginia Department of Education and the Center for Family Involvement at the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University.