COVID-19 School Closure Updates for Families in Special Education

PLEASE SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM FOR LINKS TO RESOURCES FROM THE TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

For supports for students with disabilities from special education related programs across the state, CLICK HERE.

If you are looking for links to educational resources you can use at home, CLICK HERE.

During these unusual times, we wanted to keep families informed about information the Tennessee Department of Education has put out about COVID-19 school closures and how it will impact students with disabilities and IEPs.

It's important to remember that all students and teachers are being asked to do things in suddenly new ways. We will all have to work together to be creative and flexible to make sure all students continue to have a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). There are special things that need to be done for our students with IEPs who may have supports, modifications, and accommodations in place to access their education program when they are in school. The Tennessee Department of Education has put out some guidance throughout this constantly evolving situation. Links are provided below to more information. Here is an outlined summary:

• If a school closes for COVID-19 and does not provide educational opportunities for general education students, then they do not have to provide services to students with IEPs during that time. 
• If the closed school DOES provide educational opportunities (remote/virtual learning, video conferencing, educational resources/packets, etc.), they must ensure that students with disabilities can have equal access to the same opportunities.
•         The State Department of Education recognizes that there may be challenges in meeting special education deadlines during these times of school closures. This chart shows the regular requirement along with the flexibility that schools have during this time: 

•          If your school is closed but provides educational opportunities to general education students that your child with an IEP is not able to access, your child may be entitled to compensatory services once school starts again. Compensatory services can include making up missed hours of the services that would have been provided through the IEP and should take into account any regression (loss of skill/ability) that may have occurred during the time off.
•          If your child is missing services, schools are being directed to track the number of hours missed to help document for make up sessions. It might be smart to document that information yourself as well.

Updates added March 27, 2020: 

https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/education/health-&-safety/SPED%20Guidance%20COVID_TN%20Final.pdf

• If the only change to a student with a disability’s educational services is that they will be provided virtually rather than in person (but the type and amount of services otherwise remain unchanged), an IEP team meeting is not required, and no changes need to be made to the IEP. 
• If, however, the type or amount of services listed in the IEP or 504 plan must change because they can only be provided face-to-face and not virtually, the IEP team should convene to discuss the type and amount of services to be provided. The team must document any services missed and assess the need for compensatory education.
• Parents still have a right to request dispute resolution even during these school closures. For more information, please click the updated link above and scroll to page 5. 
• Frequently Asked Questions about services to students with disabilities can be found at the link above. Scroll to page 7.

Questions that you should consider if online virtual learning is offered to students:

•         Will my child be able access the online delivery of learning and instruction?

•          Does my child require adult support to access curriculum online? Who will provide this support and how? (Reminder, students of an appropriate age may be home during the day while their parent is at work or home with an older sibling who is also trying to complete their schoolwork.)

•          Are there accommodations that can be provided through electronic resources such as the accessibility setting for text-to-speech or screen reader, bookmarked links on a single document, speech-to-text software or apps, etc.?

•          If your school is considering an online program available through a vendor, be sure to ask them what accommodations, accessibility features, or differentiated instruction is available for your child. What is missing but needed in order for your child to have equal access? 
  

• Who will create the alternate activities for those students who require significantly modified assignments or who cannot access the activity in the virtual format?

Please closely monitor your school district’s social media pages for further announcements as things may change. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out directly to your special education teacher or director, or you can email me at japrea@thearctn.org.

Resources:

Tennessee Department of Education COVID-19 Resources (updated often):

https://www.tn.gov/education/health-and-safety/update-on-coronavirus.html

Tennessee Department of Education COVID-19 Resource specific to Special Education:

https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/education/health-&-safety/Services%20to%20Students%20with%20Disabilities%20COVID-19%20Guidance.pdf
UPDATED MARCH 27TH: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/education/health-&-safety/SPED%20Guidance%20COVID_TN%20Final.pdf

US Department of Education Guidance on COVID-19:

https://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/qa-covid-19-03-12-2020.pdf

Supplemental Guidance from US Department of Education (added March 22, 2020):
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/frontpage/faq/rr/policyguidance/Supple%20Fact%20Sheet%203.21.20%20FINAL.pdf?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=

Great Family-Friendly Resources in English and Spanish from Family Network on Disabilities in Florida based off US Department of Education guidance:
https://fndusa.org/esedownload/providing-services-children-disabilities-covid19/