Dear Williamston Community Schools Families,

On April 2, 2020, Gretchen Whitmore announced that schools would be closed for the remainder of the school year. With this announcement, MDE determined that districts could begin to plan for distance learning to support our students.

Beginning on April 3, 2020, WCS staff began planning for the first phase of a continuity of learning (distance/remote learning) system so that all students can begin to have structured school experiences. Monday, April 13 will be the first day our teachers will be back at work to develop a plan for our students with IEP’s and 504 plans to participate in the continuity of learning. They are excited and eager to reconnect with their students.

We know that families of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) have many questions. Throughout the last few weeks, the Office of Special Education, the Michigan Department of Education, and the Ingham Intermediate School District have been collaborating with local and state education agencies to determine a thoughtful, measured approach to implement the continuity of learning. As the instructional environment shifts from in-person to online, students with accommodations and modifications will be serviced by both their general education teacher and their case manager to help them navigate this new model of learning.

Beginning Wednesday, April 15th, teachers and case managers will be reaching out to students and families to reconnect and provide an update on the new learning experiences that will begin the week of April 20th. For students with IEPs or Section 504 Plans, we will work with families to maximize their individualized specially designed instruction or to implement their Section 504 accommodations to the fullest extent possible.

It is important for you to know that at this time, evaluation, referral and IEP distribution timelines for all students in the referral process have been frozen and will resume when school reopens. The same freeze applies to all student re-evaluations. Case managers will reach out to families to offer the annual review IEP to be held virtually if possible. It will be left up to the family if they would like to move forward with this process at that time, or if they would prefer to wait until the new school year begins. As additional information and guidance is provided by the federal, state and local educational and health departments, we will keep you informed.

We hope all of our families stay safe and healthy during this challenging time. If you have any questions or need clarification, please feel free to email me or call me.

Best Regards,

Michele Cook

Director of Curriculum and Special Education