

DESE Issues Guidance Instructing School Districts to Prioritize Students with Disabilities
The beginning of the new school year will mark changes in how school districts must provide services to special education students during COVID-related school closures. The Department of Elementary and Special Education’s (“DESE”) most recent guidance related to students with special needs and the COVID-19 pandemic instructs school districts to prioritize providing in-person services during the 2020-21 school year to students with disabilities – particularly preschool age students and students with significant and complex needs. The rationale behind this guidance is that these students have a more difficult time accessing remote instruction than other students. In its guidance, DESE defines “students with complex and significant needs” as: Students already identified as “high needs” through the IEP process on the IEP form entitled “Primary Disability/Level of Need-PL3.” Such students must meet at least two of these criteria: Services provided outside of the general education classroom Service providers are special education teachers and related service providers; Special education services constitute more than 75% of the student’s school day; Students who cannot engage in remote learning due to their disability-related needs; Students who primarily use aided and augmentative communication; Students who are homeless; Students in foster care or congregate care; and/or Students dually identified as English Learners. DESE emphasizes that school districts must first attempt to provide full-time in-person instruction for these students, even if the rest of the school has entered into a hybrid or remote model of instruction. In the event that this level of service is not possible, DESE stresses that school districts should provide as many in-person services to these students as possible in school on a part-time basis, and, where possible, provide the remainder of the services in-person in the home or community setting. DESE also clarifies that during the 2020-21 school year school districts must provide students with all services documented in their IEPs – whether through in-person instruction, remote instruction, or a combination of both, with a strong emphasis on providing in-person instruction to the greatest extent possible, while abiding by the current necessary health and safety requirements. Additionally, while DESE had advised school districts in the Spring of 2020 that they could satisfy the requirement to provide a free and appropriate public education (“FAPE”) during remote learning through a Resources and Supports model (i.e. sending packets and assignments home coupled with frequent communication with parents), DESE has revised its position for the 2020-2021 school year. DESE now instructs school districts that they must be prepared to provide remote learning to students with special needs through the “Instruction and Services” model (i.e. structured learning time, teletherapy and video conferencing). The “Resources and Supports” delivery model can only be used on a temporary basis for no more than two weeks upon return to school. DESE’s guidance can be found here: http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/ If you have any questions about information contained in the guidance, or other concerns related to the provision of special education services during this pandemic, please give us a call. We, like you, are in new
Read MoreCOVID-19 Update: Supplemental Guidance from the U. States Department of Education
Since our blog post last week, the United States Department of Education (DOE) has published updated guidance for school districts and families nationwide relating to providing meaningful educational opportunities to all students, with and without disabilities. DOE issued this updated guidance in an effort to clarify “a serious misunderstanding” in the educational community that school districts should not provide any distance instruction during COVID-19 closures. This misunderstanding seems to stem from fear of being unable to meet the federal requirement of providing all students, with and without disabilities, with access to distance learning. Instead, DOE emphasizes that federal disability laws “should not prevent any school from offering educational programs through distance instruction.” It highlights that school districts are allowed flexibility when determining how to meet the needs of students with disabilities. While federal disability laws require equal access to offered instruction, it does not require that instruction to be provided to disabled and non-disabled students via one specific methodology. Rather, if students with disabilities are unable to access distance instruction via the methodology offered to students without disabilities, school districts may satisfy federal disability laws by providing access to instruction via alternative methodologies. Examples of alternative methodologies include teletherapy, tele-intervention, instructional packets, projects, and written assignments, to name a few. The DOE also emphasizes the importance of school districts and families working collaboratively around IDEA timelines during this unprecedented time, including but not limited to timelines for eligibility determinations, due process hearings, annual review meetings and reevaluations. If you have any questions relating to DOE’s most recent guidance or other special education issues, please reach out. Stay healthy and safe.
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