Welcome to Special Education 20-21!

Students must receive all services documented in their Individual Education Program (IEP) through on-campus instruction, remote instruction, or a combination of both. Family engagement will be a critical factor of success for students with disabilities; we look forward to communicating and partnering with families to ensure that students have what they need to be successful, whether learning on-campus or remotely. School staff should reach out to families soon so that families understand their child’s special education learning plan. For school year 2020-21, DESE guidance provides that special education instruction and services must include the following components:

• A regular and consistent schedule of classes, interventions, services, and therapies as required by the student’s IEP, offered synchronously or asynchronously and made transparent and available to parents and families through their student schedules;

• Structured instructional time (as defined by DESE above) designed so that the student can access state standards; and

• Frequent interactions with teachers and other staff members to ensure their participation in the student’s learning.

The consistent schedule of classes, interventions, services, and therapies must include time students spend interacting directly with teachers and related service providers on a regular basis, as well as some independent work time, as appropriate, and opportunities for interacting with classmates. Synchronous remote lessons or tele-therapy sessions can be provided via telephone or video conferencing. Students might also benefit from asynchronous pre-recorded videos of lessons to follow at home. For students receiving the majority of their daily instruction through special education, teachers and therapists should assign supplemental work (beyond lessons taught synchronously or asynchronously) during the school day that can be accomplished independently with guidance from and accountability to the teacher or therapist. Over the coming weeks, the Office of Special Education will ensure that practices, systems, instructional materials and content are accessible to students with disabilities and that staff members provide accommodations for students where necessary, including with regard to school bus transportation. We will leverage DESE’s guidance as an anchor, alongside the input and feedback from our Reopening Task Force.