Special Education COVID-19 Q&A From the U.S. Department of Education

States and districts are facing new and unexpected challenges in providing meaningful instruction to children, including children with disabilities, for the 2020-2021 school year.

On September 28, 2020, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services’ Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) released a Q & A document in response to questions about the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B provision of services in the current COVID-19 environment.

The 7-page Q & A  is meant to aid districts, schools, and parents in identifying steps they can take to ensure that as the 2020-2021 school year continues, children with disabilities are well- positioned with an educational program that meets each child’s unique needs.

The Q & A covers:

• IDEA Part B service provision
• Initial evaluation
• Initial and annual IEP team meetings
• Reevaluation

Read or download the Q & A.

To review other Q & A documents that the department of Special Education has provided related to COVID-19, please visit https://sites.ed.gov/idea/topic-areas/#COVID-19. Information specific to the COVID-19 pandemic may be found online at https://www.ed.gov/coronavirus. Additional OSEP K-12 resources, strategies and support materials are available at https://ncsi.wested.org/.

Source: United States Department of Education, OSEP | OSEP COVID-19 Q&A: Implementation of IDEA Part B Provision of Services in the Current COVID-19 Environment, https://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/qa-provision-of-services-idea-part-b-09-28-2020.pdf | public domain