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Education is being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic leaving families scrambling to ensure their children with disabilities do not get left behind. The following resources should help clarify the current situation.
DREDF put together this detailed resource which explains the current landscape and offers resources and suggestions for what we can do to improve things. We have excerpted it below, but please do follow the link to read it in full:
“The scale and scope of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is clearly unprecedented. Parents are wondering how will shutdowns impact required timeline evaluations and meetings? At this early date, a great deal of confusion about what federal education and disability laws require remains, amplified by practical concerns about 1. what schools can actually provide, and 2. what families can actually access while students and staff stay at home.
Further complicating matters are reports that different school districts and even schools within the same district are answering these questions and responding to the challenges in delivering services differently. Concerns vary greatly – from the availability of quality internet connections, to needed equipment, training, translation and essential support remain unresolved as educators navigate this crisis.
One thing is clear: IF schools are operating and offering or requiring education, all students should be able to access it. How that gets done is a work in progress, and one that may take some time to sort out. What is important is the needs of ALL students, including students with disabilities who represent 14% of all students in our public schools, are part of the conversation and help devise workable solutions from the start…. (Read More)”
From the Department of Education:
Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Preschool, Elementary and Secondary Schools While Serving Children with Disabilities
From EdSource:
Despite assurances of flexibility, educators fear liability in online instruction of special ed students