Planning To Reopen - Our Schools, DESE Family Fact Sheet, Part 1 of 3

9/25/2020 (Permalink)

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) continues to publish guidance for schools and districts. The following highlights the guidance for schools administrators and districts to use as they work with families to help students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) recover as much as possible from the school disruptions that occurred because of COVID-19. To view the documentation in full You can find the guidance here: Mass DESE COVID-19 Resources.

This Fact Sheet summarizes the main points in DESE’s guidance for families. DESE encourages families to keep in touch with your child’s educators and administrators, and to talk about what the new guidance means for you and your child. If you belong to your local Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC), you can also collaborate with your school and district to plan and put in place policies and practices that will help all students with IEPs, in addition to your own child.

Please note supplemental information can be found on the Department's website at DESE COVID-19 Information and Resources.

NOTE: COVID-19 is highly transmissible. Individuals should follow these universal precautions regardless of the extent of mitigation needed:

1. Follow healthy hygiene practices
2. Stay at home when sick
3. Practice social distancing 
4. Use a cloth face covering (with some exceptions) in community settings when physical distancing cannot be maintained.

The current state of the COVID-19 pandemic is continually evolving. What is true today may not be tomorrow. At this time, the evidence suggests schools have not played a significant role in COVID-19 transmission and that children, particularly younger children, are less likely than adults to be infected with COVID-19.

As always, work with your local health officials to determine a set of strategies appropriate for your community’s situation.

(See our Planning to Reopen series of blogs for more information regarding CDC, EPA, FDA, Mass EEA, Mass DESE, and OSHA safety requirements). To review the administration's reopening guidance from the state click here. To view Governor Baker's full report click here).

Your Child’s Right To Implementation Of Their IEP And A Free And Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)

It is important for you to know that special education laws provide that every student with an IEP must have a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). The U.S. Department of Education has made clear that students with IEPs must receive FAPE even during the pandemic. However, FAPE may look different because of COVID-19. For example, to protect the health and safety of students and their educators, when schools were closed in the spring your child probably received special education instruction and services by using a computer or phone, instead of being in a classroom.

Definitions

In its guidance to schools and districts, DESE defined three kinds of services to help students with IEPs recover from school disruptions caused by the pandemic when the Governor ordered that in-person education was stopped, beginning in March 2020:

General Education Recovery Support

This is support that schools and districts may give to all students, including students with IEPs, to help them regain the skills and knowledge they lost when in-person instruction was suspended in the spring because of the pandemic, and to help them be well emotionally and socially.

COVID-19 Compensatory Services

These are special education instruction and services provided in addition to your child’s ongoing IEP services. If your child regressed or did not make effective progress in meeting their IEP goals because of the pandemic, these services will specifically address the effects of delayed, interrupted, suspended, or inaccessible IEP services.

New IEP Services

Your child may need additional special education services to address new areas of disability-related need. If so, these are called “New IEP Services” and your child’s IEP Team will discuss and include these new services in your child’s IEP.

Prioritizing students

While all students’ education was affected by the sudden shift to remote instruction and service delivery, some students with IEPs experienced more significant challenges than others. DESE is asking schools and districts to prioritize specific students when determining the need for these services. These specific groups of students are:

1. Students with complex and significant needs:
   1. students already identified as “high needs” through the IEP process on the form entitled “Primary Disability/Level of Need-PL 3.”What a student’s level of need is depends on (1) where the student receives services (in or out of the general education classroom); (2) whether services are provided by general educators, special educators, paraprofessionals, or related service providers; and (3) the percent of time during the school day that the student receives special education services.
   2. students who could not engage in remote learning due to their disability-related needs or lack of technology;
   3. students who primarily use aided and augmentative communication (AAC);
   4. students who are homeless;
   5. students in foster care or congregate care; and
   6. students dually identified as English Learners;
2. Preschool-aged children whose eligibility evaluations or start of preschool special education services have been delayed or interrupted; and
3. Students who turned 22 during the suspension of in-person education or who will turn 22 during the first three months of the 2020-21 school year, and whose transition programs were interrupted or suspended before they aged out.

The Department has recommended that parents and the IEP Team work together to make decisions about COVID-19 Compensatory Services for students in these high priority groups by December 15, 2020.

For students who are not in the high priority groups, school staff will take some time to observe your child to see how they are adjusting to the new educational environment this fall. They will also review data and communicate with you about your child’s learning and emotional needs.Schools and districts will work with you to make sure your child has the services and supports they need.

Included in Part 2 - Starting Data, Deciding Appropriate Support Level, How To Meet During COVID-19, and Supporting Documentation

While the administration continues to work with communities to implement best practices and protocols for reopening our schools we will continue to share with you guidance from the CDC, EPA, FDA, Mass EEA, Mass EEC, Mass DESE, and OSHA and the Governor's office to follow as we prepare for the new school year.

Also, we at SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley know that not every community has access to the resources necessary to meet the strict cleaning guidelines to ensure a safe environment for our children. For those communities, we are here to help!

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned

The Disaster Remediation Teams at SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley are specialists in cleaning services and we adhere to the highest cleaning and sanitation standards. We are prepared to clean and disinfect your schools, according to protocols set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We have years of experience in dealing with biological contaminants, and we will go beyond the scope of work of "normal daily cleaning". Call SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley today for a free consultation - (617) 332-9000.

All of us here at SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley want you and your loved ones to stay safe and know that we will make it through this together! Rest assured, we will continue to do our best to keep you up-to-date and informed!