With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to keep our children
out of schools, there are a few KEYthings to know about what should be happening with children on IEPs. Every child on an IEP should have a “point of contact” person from their school that is familiar with the child. This point of contact person is the person you connect with to ask any questions and to keep you up to date with regards to your child’s education. As of now, the Department of Education (DOE) and Department of Education and Secondary Education (DESE) have stated that ALL children should be receiving work from their schools. The amount of daily work should be about ½ the amount of work that students receive during a regular school day. That does not equate to an entire school day, just the work portion of a school day. The work a child receives has to follow their IEP modifications and accommodations. You should utilize consult time listed on Grid A of the IEP with the contact person. If you are unsure how to interpret information on Grid A of the IEP, ask your advocate, contact person or contact one of the resources listed at the end of this blog. As for other services (speech, OT, PT, ABA, etc.) schools families are being asked to integrate these services as best as possible. For example, if your child has OT and is working on aspects of writing, integrate this with another writing assignment they are working on. As a parent, if it is a struggle for your child to work independently due to content of material, discuss this with your contact person.
To the best of their ability, schools should be trying to
follow IEPs as closely as possible. It will not be possible for students toreceive their direct services as dictated by the IEP, however simply because those service providers are unable to deliver services at this time. Parents should document areas of concern and regression as they occur to report back to teachers and their team when schools reopen. If there are students with sever behavior disorders, they may be able to receive some services at home. There are some cases where service providers for such children are deemed essential due to safety purposes.
New information is coming out daily from the DOE and DESE. As always, reach out with any questions.
Below are some important links with important information.
Stay safe and be well,
Cara Cohen
https://cec.sped.org/COVID19forAdministrators
http://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/
https://spanmass.org/covid-19.html