COVID-19 School Closures and Special Education: Shifting Instructional Practices to a Digital Environment With COVID-19 moving much of traditional K-12 instruction online, educators across the United States are quickly building their capacity to provide equitable services in a new way. They are researching distance learning, setting-up class websites, reaching out to their students and parents, and becoming familiar with the available free digital tools to help them connect with their students. Television stations in many communities are partnering with school districts to conduct media campaigns to raise community awareness, set expectations, and inform students and their parents on what they need to do to get started with distance learning. The sudden shift presents unprecedented challenges for all teachers, especially for those serving students with disabilities. [More]
Delivering Related Services Remotely During the COVID-19 Crisis The COVID-19 emergency has prompted school districts across the United States to rethink how they provide related services to students with disabilities, many of whom are presently receiving limited educational supports and no services at home. According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA), related services include speech and language therapy; occupational therapy; physical therapy; and counseling services. One way to deliver related services remotely is known as telepractice. Under telepractice, related services are delivered remotely using a web conferencing tool, web camera, laptop, tablet, or smartphone to deliver services. [More]
Conducting IEP Meetings During COVID-19 By Matthew Korobkin, Senior AdvisorOver the next several weeks, school districts and families of students with disabilities may be concerned about how IEP meetings will be convened and how timelines will be met. During a time of “social-distancing” because of COVID-19, school districts should consider hosting remote IEP meetings in order to meet the timeline requirements set forth by their state education agency. [More]