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Questions and Answers on Providing Services to Children with Disabilities During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak. March 2020 (PDF)

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Special Education Guidance for COVID-19 - Health Services & School Nursing (CA Dept of Education)

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US Department of Education

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OCR Short Webinar on Online Education and Website Accessibility

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OCR Short Webinar on Online Education and Website Accessibility

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OCR Short Webinar on Online Education and Website Accessibility

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FERPA and Coronavirus Frequently Asked Questions_0

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To Google Classroom

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How Students Complete Assignments

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Google Classroom: How Students Complete Assignments

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Google Classroom

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The NEW Google Classroom - Full Tutorial

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Ages 2-18

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A required part of this site couldn’t load. This may be due to a browser extension, network issues, or browser settings. Please check your connection, disable any ad blockers, or try using a different browser.

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Speech Recognition App

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Instructions: Click the microphone icon and begin speaking. Dictate about one sentence at a time. When the speech is recognized, it will appear in red.

If it's not right, click the "Alternatives" button to view other 'recognitions', edit the text, or just try dictating again. When the text is right, click the button with the arrow pointing down , and your text will be added to the box at the bottom.

Repeat this process until you're finished. When you're all done, click the "Copy" button and then paste the text into your document, email, blog, or tweet! (If the copy button doesn't work for you, remember that the shortcut for copying is Ctrl-C.)

Note that you can also dictate basic punctuation by saying things like "period", "question mark", "new paragraph", etc.

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TalkTyper - Speech Recognition in a Browser

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An easy to use web app that gives you free speech to text dictation in a browser.

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Google Toolkit

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A temporary hub of information and tools to help teachers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

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For teachers

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GetEducated | Review, Rate, Rank & Compare Online Colleges & Degrees | GetEducated

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Whether you're new to distance learning or an experienced online teacher, you can find free online training resources to fit your needs.

Are you a "face to face" classroom teacher considering shifting to online education?

Or are you an online teacher interested in the latest technology to make your online courses more effective?

For example, some online schools offer free training modules to help campus-based teachers learn how to transition to cyber-classrooms. Other organizations offer tips on designing online classes and teaching with technology.

10 Free Courses for Online Teachers

Michigan State University's Virtual University Design and Technology website offers text-based lessons in topics including pedagogy and best practices, online course content, enlivening techniques, course structure and design, and hybrid courses.

2) Learning to Teach Online Video & PDF LessonsThe Learning to Teach Online project has been developed by COFA Online, an academic unit at the College of Fine Arts, the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. It is designed to be practical and easy to access for time-poor teachers. The video- and PDF-based episodes each examine specific successful online teaching strategies froxm many different disciplines, offering tips, guidance and pointing out the potential pitfalls to both novice and experienced online teachers. Best of all, the more than 50 lessons can be accessed for free through ITunes.
3) Thinking About Putting Your Class Online?
This University of Pittsburgh videocast discusses online course planning and design, interaction, giving students feedback, assessment, getting feedback from students, and new technologies.
4) Promising Practices in Online Teaching
Originally developed for Texas Woman's University, this course includes modules showing how to design a course, along with explanations of best practices for distance education.
5) Visual Design for Online Course Content
Also from Texas Woman's University, this course gives tips to help you successfully create the navigation, layout, colors and design of your course content.
6) Teacher Training Videos
This step-by-step video resource shows teachers how to use technological tools such as Blackboard, wikis, online surveys, podcasting and more.
7) Effective Online Teaching - Faculty Quick Tips
Seven Pace University online instructors give their best advice about being an effective online educator. Go to iTunes U's Pace University page and select "Faculty Contributions" to access these videos.
8) MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching)
MERLOT provides a large, peer-reviewed collection of online curricula and other resources, as well as forums and publications aimed at online educators. Search the MERLOT database for "distance learning" to find links to material to help you plan and design effective online classes.
9) Free Textbooks for Online Courses - Community Colleges Online
The Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources (OER) is a great site that assists faculty who are developing online courses for community or junior colleges in finding and utilizing free online textbooks, learning modules, and creative commons resources for distance learning courses.
10) Sloan Consortium Effective Practices
The Sloan Consortium studies and funds online education. The consortium's Effective Practices site is a way for online educators to share techniques, strategies, and practices in online education that have worked for them. Practices are peer-reviewed before being put on the site.
Related Resources
GetEducated.com's Motivating & Retaining Adult Learners Online: A Journal of Research Articles and Practitioner's Tips
Guide to Finding Work as an Online College Instructor
Most Affordable Online Masters Degrees in Education and Library Science
Principles for Excellence in Online Teaching
Online Education and Online Instructor Jobs: Positions Available
Online Education and Online Instructor Jobs: Teachers Available Free Handbook for Online Teaching

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Top 10 Free Training Courses for Online Teachers | GetEducated

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Whether you're new to distance learning or an experienced online teacher, you can find free online training resources to fit your needs. Are you a "face to face" classroom teacher considering shifting to online education? Or are you an online teacher interested in the latest technology to make your online courses more effective?

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Resources for School Personnel, Families, Students, and Content Creators

DCMP provides a streaming library of accessible education videos, teaching tools, and professional development opportunities. We partner with educational content creators to provide high-quality captioning, audio description, and American Sign Language (ASL) translation.

Families and school personnel who have at least one early learner-Grade 12 child with a disability qualify for free DCMP membership. Educational professionals in training also qualify.

Professional development opportunities are available to members, and many eLearning resources are available to everyone.
Sign Up for Free Membership

Accessible Educational Videos and Teaching Tools

DCMP has thousands of educational videos with high-quality captions, audio description, and ASL that are aligned to state and Common Core standards. Teachers can create lessons, quizzes, and clips of DCMP videos and assign them to Student Accounts.

Create and Manage Student Accounts and Classes

K-12 students under 18 years of age are currently not eligible for their own DCMP membership. However, adult members can create Student Accounts for them.

Learn how

Create Clips, Lessons, and Quizzes

Clips and Lessons allow you to create clips from DCMP videos, and then use those clips as stand-alone videos or as part of a Lesson. A Lesson can include clips, full videos, quizzes, text, and user-submitted files.

Read the full guide

DCMP offers self-paced modules, online workshops, and facilitated QuickClasses. All are free of charge to members.

Professional Development and Continuing Education

Continuing Education Credits

Select trainings are approved for RID, CEUs, and ACVREP credit.

See All Courses

Courses for Professionals and Students

DCMP's professional courses offer training on use of accessible media in the classroom, educational interpreting, captioning and describing video, and other courses.

Courses for students include peer note taking, transition prep during high school, and learning the essentials about audio description.

We Make Content Accessible

We partner with top educational content creators to help make their productions accessible and available to children with disabilities. Learn how we can help with your educational and broadcast content.

Learn More About Partnering With DCMP

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The Described and Captioned Media Program

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DCMP provides accessible educational media to students with disabilities, for use in classrooms and remote learning, as well as training resources for families, educators, and support personnel.

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National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

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These resources were developed to help schools and districts provide supports for their students and community in the event of a health crisis.

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for Parents and Educators

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The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated feelings of isolation, stress, loss, and more among young people, adults, families, and communities. Social and emotional learning (SEL) offers a powerful means to support one another during these challenging times as our communities work to address the impact of the pandemic on students' learning and development.

Now, more than ever, we understand how important it is to demonstrate empathy and resilience, build relationships across distance, and call upon our collective resolve to strengthen our schools and our communities.

So, how can SEL support you and your work during this time? Find resources and guidance in Reunite, Renew, Thrive: SEL Roadmap for Reopening School (July 2020).

Our recommendations follow the four core focus areas for schoolwide SEL and districtwide SEL:

First, create a foundation for SEL.

Work with students, families, and communities to envision how education can more holistically support all learners.

Prioritize strong, two-way communication between families and schools.

Second, attend to well-being and mutual support among adults.

Pay close attention to our own social-emotional needs in order to be the community of adults who best serve our young people.

Foster supportive adult relationships to process emotions, share challenges, and offer support to one another.

Third, promote SEL for young people.

Provide consistency in daily routines to foster a sense of safety and predictability.

Listen to young people and support them in building or maintaining a sense of community and connection.

Incorporate social and emotional skill-building into learning (such as CASEL's SEL 3 Signature Practices).

Fourth, reflect on how things are going and adjust as you learn.

Listen to students, families, and your wider community of stakeholders as valuable sources of information about what is or isn't working.

Analyze results with a lens of equity to meet needs using our SEL Data Reflection Protocol

How is CASEL advancing this work?
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Guidance on School Transitions and Reopening

To aid in this time of continued transitions, CASEL collaborated with more than 40 partners to illuminate a way forward through Reunite, Renew, Thrive: SEL Roadmap for Reopening School (July 2020), centered on relationships and built on the existing strengths of a school community. As we prepared for Spring 2021, we offered three strategies adapted from the SEL Roadmap to re-examine efforts for a successful second semester: Refocus on the SEL Roadmap: Actions for a Successful Second Semester (January 2021).

CASEL CARES Webinar Series

In response to the pandemic, CASEL mobilized to provide social and emotional support to our communities and share best practices through an initiative called CASEL CARES. We offered weekly practical guidance and information on topics that were sourced from the field and relevant to the needs of today. Our CASEL CARES Webinars covered a wide range of SEL topics and attracted more than 100,000 people. View the on-demand series

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The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated feelings of isolation, stress, loss, and more among young people, adults, families, and communities. Social and

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For Students

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Virtual field trips are a game changer. Not only do they fill in for real field trips when budgets and other roadblocks prevent in-person options, but virtual field trips also open doors to educational experiences all over the country and the world, both past and present. No fundraising or permission slips required!

(Note: For anyone who needs it, YouTube offers a closed-captioning option. Just click the CC button in the bottom right-hand corner.)

Amazon Career Tours are free virtual field trips that inspire students to pursue careers of the future. Tour whenever, wherever on Kahoot! Each tour comes with a Teacher Toolkit that includes a facilitation guide and student worksheets.

2. The Zoo

There are so many amazing online options when it comes to zoos that we couldn't narrow it down to just one. Most zoos have live webcams in some of their most popular exhibits, such as the KC Zoo Polar Bear Cam and the Giant Panda Cam at Smithsonian's National Zoo. However, some zoos offer a more in-depth look. You'll definitely want to check out the San Diego Zoo as their site for kids includes behind-the-scenes videos and stories, as well as a variety of printable activities and online games. Check out our full list of virtual zoo goodness.

3. The Aquarium

It's a similar story with aquariums. You have your pick of live webcams, but our favorites are the Georgia Aquarium's Ocean Voyager webcam (wait for the whale shark!) and the "Jelly Cam" at Monterey Bay Aquarium (so soothing). The Seattle Aquarium even has a 30-minute video tour. Want more under-the-sea fun? Here's our ultimate list of virtual aquarium field trips.

4. The Farm

The classic preschool field trip goes online! You can have your pick of dairy farm field trips, but we like this one from the Dairy Alliance and this one from Stonyfield Organic. Farm Food 360 gives students the opportunity to immerse themselves in Canadian farm and food tours-from raising pigs to making milk and cheese. We're also loving these virtual egg farm field trips from the American Egg Board.

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5. An Art Museum

We found 20 art museums with virtual tours, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art's # MetKids and its awesome Where's Waldo? setup. And you can't miss the world-famous Louvre in Paris (no passport needed!). Check out the current virtual tours: Traveling Materials and Objects, the Advent of the Artist, the Body in Movement, and Founding Myths: From Hercules to Darth Vader!

6. A National Park

From webcams at Hawaii volcanoes to a virtual run along the rim of the Grand Canyon, you have tons of options here. Our top pick would have to be Yellowstone. The interactive maps are a great way to see the Mammoth Hot Springs and Mud Volcano, but we think kids will be psyched about the Old Faithful Geyser livestream and the opportunity to make their own predictions for its next eruption. Check out everything the National Park Service has to offer virtually.

7. A Planetarium

Through Stellarium Web, kids can explore over 60,000 stars, locate planets, and watch sunrises and solar eclipses. If you enter your location, you can see all the constellations that are visible in the night sky in your corner of the world.

Take your students on a virtual field trip of a recycling center and a modern landfill. Plus, there's a full-on curriculum that includes lesson plans, take-home handouts, and more.

Nickelodeon teamed up with two astronauts on the International Space Station to demonstrate how slime reacts to microgravity and had kids reproduce those same demonstrations back here on Earth. It makes for an amazing 15-minute virtual field trip.

The Nature Conservancy has a brand-new virtual field trip entitled "You're the Scientist! Citizen Science, Frogs & Cicadas." Check out their full library of videos on topics like climate change and water security.

Discovery Education hosts a variety of virtual events -each with a companion guide with hands-on learning activities. Current offerings include "Making a New Life: The Courage of a Refugee" and "The Future Is Now" (architectural and engineering innovations). Stay tuned for their upcoming civics virtual field trip, "The American Ideal."

This virtual field trip from Great Lakes Now has three components: coastal wetlands, algae, and lake sturgeon. Each video is a quick five minutes long.

Explore online exhibits and discover the history and evolution of play. Check out board games that changed play, sports video games that shaped digital play, and the making of Monopoly to name a few.

Kids can learn about the most recent Census and how census data is collected and used. This virtual field trip also features interviews with subject matter experts and an interactive challenge.

The "Museum of We the People," the Constitution Center serves as a "headquarters for civic education." Check out the Interactive Constitution section, and be sure to watch the virtual tour.

Houston, we have a virtual field trip. Three, actually. All with companion educator guides. The star of the show is the behind-the-scenes tour of the Johnson Space Center.

Boise State put together this fully interactive virtual field trip with text, photos, audio, and video about the history of music. The four featured music locations are: Vienna, Austria; New Orleans, Louisiana; Cleveland, Ohio; and Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia.

This living-history museum provides a look into life in an early American community. The website offers five different webcams featuring areas such as the tavern and the armory.

This virtual experience of George Washington's home is incredibly well done. Enter the different buildings-from the opulent mansion to the chilling slave quarters-and click on different items for video and text explanations.

This virtual tour comes with a real tour guide! Blaine Kortemeyer is the Assistant Chief of Interpretation and Education, who lends his expertise on the building of this national monument. The 3D Explorer is also an excellent tool.

Take a visit to the National WWII Museum for "a cross-country virtual expedition to discover the science, sites, and stories of the creation of the atomic bomb." Don't forget to download the classroom guide!

For a look inside the iconic building, check out the 360° tour of some of the most historic rooms of the People's House, from the Situation Room to the Oval Office. Examine each room and check out the contents up close.

The National Museum of Natural History's virtual experiences are self-guided, room-by-room tours of permanent, current, and past exhibits. Be sure to send kids to the second floor Bone Hall so they can take a look at all different kinds of skeletons.

A collaboration with over 1,200 leading museums and archives, Google Arts & Culture is an incredible storehouse of monumental works of art. We recommend the Street View and Play sections.

Boasting the world's largest collection of 360° image videos, 360 Cities provides kids with the opportunity to see stunning panoramas across the globe, including their video of the ice floe on the Vistula River in Poland.

It's the official residence of the Queen of England, and boy, is it opulent! Get a peek inside the gorgeous Grand Staircase, White Drawing Room, Throne Room, and Blue Drawing Room.

See one of the wonders of the world with this amazing, thousands-year-old fortification system known the world over. This virtual tour has four scenes available (you have to pay to get access to all 14). The bird's-eye view of Mutianyu pass is a highlight.

Most of us recognize the giant stone statues of Easter Island, but what's the story behind them? Nova's online adventure "Secrets of Easter Island" delves into the mystery with a virtual tour.

National Geographic lets you explore the world's largest cave, located in Vietnam. Use the interactive map to enjoy the fully immersive experience (sound on!).

You don't need a time machine! Discovering Ancient Egypt has a ton of free resources, but it's the interactive pyramid map and 3D temple reconstructions that really give it a field trip feel.

Virtually visit Turn Back the Clock, a museum exhibit that ran for two years at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. Through compelling personal stories, innovative interactive media, and pop culture artifacts, the exhibit takes guests through seven decades of history-from the dawn of the nuclear age to significant policy questions our leaders face today.

No, really! You can absolutely "go" to the red planet. With Access Mars, you can see the actual surface of Mars, recorded by NASA's Curiosity rover. Trust us-don't skip the intro. And if your kids liked that, check out this 4K tour of the moon. These may go down in history as some of the best virtual field trips your students get to experience.

Take a virtual tour of this historical battleship located on the Camden waterfront. This battleship has traveled more miles than any other!

No need to travel to Rome! Take in the amazing art and architecture located in the Vatican Museums with these 360-degree views.

Download the app and climb aboard the virtual tram line! Take a virtual walk through the Space Center Houston with informational stops along the way.

Virtually visit museum rooms in the famous Louvre located in Paris. Even check out The Louvre kids' site for student-friendly galleries and stories. You can't visit The Louvre without seeing the Mona Lisa, so check out their immersive Mona Lisa experience available in the app store.

This interactive tour of Ellis Island lets students explore places like the Baggage Room and the Stairs of Separation through short stories, historical photographs, videos, and audio clips. Students can also hear the stories of real kids who recently immigrated to the United States, explore colorful charts and graphs with immigration data, and watch a 30-minute movie that includes a Q&A with National Park Service Rangers who explain what coming to America was like for many immigrants.

38. Plimoth Patuxet Museums

Travel back to the 17th century with options for free, on-demand, digital resources or a live, 1-hour virtual school program led by a Plimoth Patuxet Contemporary Indigenous Museum Educator. Students explore Wampanoag daily life and history; discover the real history of Thanksgiving and the legend behind it; meet a 17th-century Pilgrim; get an interactive sneak peak into 17th-century wardrobes; and learn about simple machines and water power at the Plimoth Grist Mill. There are also options for virtual hands-on history workshops, including Wampanoag Pottery and Write Like a Pilgrim.

When you can't visit the museum in person, 3D virtual field trips to the Children's Museum Houston are the next best thing. All videos are produced and curated by museum educators and feature hands-on activities that can be done in the classroom. Topics include nutrition, math, states of matter, forces and properties of water, and more.

Beyond the Battle Field is a virtual field trip for grades 2-8 hosted by Lauren Tarshis, author of the I Survived historical-fiction series for kids. Students will meet a museum educator as well as the museum curator, and explore artifacts and documents from the American Revolution. Plus they'll hear the stories of teens who served during the war. There's also a Classroom Kit available with a vocabulary list and discussion questions by grade level.

If you liked this roundup of the best virtual field trips and want more resources like this, be sure to subscribe to our newsletters.

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40 Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips

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You can't always get there in person, but lots of places will let you "visit" online. These are the best virtual field trips out there!

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Trips

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Virtual field trips instantly connect students with learning opportunities they may not get to experience otherwise. And it can all happen from the comfort of a computer. You can take kids on a unique adventure to Mount Rushmore or the Louvre in just a few clicks with these top virtual field trips for kids of all ages.

The White House

Every student should have a chance to visit the White House. Get even more up close to this magnificent building than in-person tourists with a virtual tour of the White House. See a 360-degree view of more than a dozen rooms (that are not on the official tour).

The Pyramids

You can take a trip to Egypt without even needing a passport. There are many ways to tour the pyramids of Egypt online. All give you the chance to teach students about Egypt's rich and interesting history.

Buckingham Palace

Hop across the pond to take a panoramic virtual tour of Buckingham Palace. From the grand staircase to the art room, the visuals are give you a great perspective of the grandeur of the majestic residence.

Mount Rushmore

If you can't load up the school bus or the family car to see Mount Rushmore in person, take them on a 360-degree panoramic tour of Mount Rushmore. This famous U.S. landmark is one every student should learn about and see for themselves from a historical perspective and a geographical one as well.

The Liberty Bell

As children learn the concept of patriotism, representation of it is the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. when you send them on a virtual field trip to the Liberty Bell. Look at photos, learn facts and see a 360-degree panoramic view of the Liberty Bell from all angles.

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Over 30 million visitors walk through the doors of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History each year. If you and your students can't be one of them, take a virtual field trip through the halls to see this beautiful museum and some of its massive exhibits.

Empire State Building

Climb this enormous New York skyscraper -- virtually. The virtual tour of the Empire State Building takes you right to the top, the 102nd story, for a spectacular panoramic view.

Teaching the kids French? Oui! Let's go to France. The Louvre is world famous for its architecture and the invaluable art it houses in more than 650,000 square feet of space. Tour the Louvre's many corridors. Navigate this site's many virtual tours of the Louvre to explore the museum's exhibition rooms and galleries.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Pisa, Italy, is the home of the Torre Pendente Di Pisa, better known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This wonder is 185 feet of historical lessons while defying gravity. Tour the Leaning Tower of Pisa with a 360-degree panoramic view of the tower and many other historically-rich Italian buildings.

The Grand Ole Opry

If you don't live in Nashville or the surrounding areas, you may not even think about what a great learning experience a trip to the Grand Ole Opry can be for kids. Visit the Grand Ole Opry online to learn about the home of country music, its history and contribution to the music scene.

Zoos Around the Country

Learn about wildlife all over the country with virtual field trips that put students directly into the exhibits with the animals. Watch the Panda Cam at the San Diego Zoo, the Penguin Cam at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Giraffe Cam at the Houston Zoo, the Beaver Cam at the Minnesota Zoo or hit your favorite search engine to find a zoo cam of many other animals to observe from your computer.

The Great Wall of China

If you can't walk The Great Wall of China with your students, explore it online. The Great Wall of China virtual tour shows you a 360-degree view as if you were standing on the wall yourself.

The Grand Canyon

The next three virtual field trips are perfect tie-ins to when you're learning about Mother Nature. View one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Tour the 277 miles of the Grand Canyon through the National Park Service's website.

Mount St. Helens

Most teachers wouldn't load up the bus to take their students to tour a volcano. But you can take kids there virtually. The Mount St. Helens volcano cam shows this active stratovolcano 24 hours a day.

Mount Everest

Climb Mount Everest from your classroom. View the Mount Everest webcam to teach your students about the world's highest mountain.

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15 Virtual Field Trip Ideas for Kids of All Ages

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Virtual field trips instantly connect students with learning opportunities they may not get to experience otherwise. And it can all happen from the comfort of a computer. You can take kids on a unique adventure to Mount Rushmore or the Louvre in just a few clicks with these top virtual field trips for kids of all ages.

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Education

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TED-Ed celebrates the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Discover hundreds of animated lessons, create customized lessons, and share your big ideas.

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Live Cameras

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The Monterey Bay Aquarium Sea Otter Program has played an important role in the continued recovery of the southern sea otter population with our research, rescue, rehabilitation, and surrogacy work.

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With ten live cams to choose from, you can experience the wonder of the ocean no matter where you are. Be delighted by the antics of our sea otters or mellow out to the hypnotic drifting of our jellies. Tune in to one of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's web cams.

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Stories For Everyone

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© Copyright 1997 - 2023 Audible, Inc Conditions of Use…

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DeVos Weighs Waivers for Special Education. Parents Are Worried.

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The $2 trillion coronavirus law could give the education secretary the power to waive special education rules as school districts struggle to teach all their students online.

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As schools remain closed due to COVID-19, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is weighing whether they should be temporarily freed of some of their special education obligations.

DeVos must decide in the coming weeks whether to recommend that Congress allow portions of special education law to be waived in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

As part of the stimulus bill passed in late March, DeVos was given 30 days to issue a report to Congress with recommendations for any waivers she believes are necessary under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to "provide limited flexibility" to states and school districts during the emergency.

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DeVos is not authorized under the law to issues waivers - that would require further action from federal lawmakers - but the report could be a first step toward that end.

Disability advocates are resoundingly opposed to opening up any waiver authority, which they say would be unprecedented.

"NO ADDITIONAL waivers are necessary under either the IDEA or the Rehabilitation Act," reads a letter signed by over 70 advocacy groups that was sent this month to DeVos and Acting Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Mark Schultz.

"It is clear that during this rapidly evolving crisis, flexibility, patience and innovation will be needed," the groups wrote. "Given that IDEA offers flexibility by design and states, districts, communities and families are working together to find solutions to the problems they face in the next several months, we firmly believe that this is not the time to roll back civil rights protections for students with disabilities."

The Education Department has indicated that schools remain obligated to provide students with disabilities a free appropriate public education, or FAPE, though how that's achieved may look different than it did before the pandemic. The agency has said that it will offer schools flexibility where it can.

Given the extraordinary circumstances, however, Sasha Pudelski, advocacy director at AASA, The School Superintendents Association, says that's not enough. With many school staff stretched thin while caring for their own children and limited access to technology and materials, "meeting all the requirements in IDEA is impossible," she said.

"We support narrow, time-limited, practical flexibility for meeting a few of the over 600 federal requirements in IDEA," said Pudelski, who was clear that her group is not seeking any changes to FAPE. "Educators and administrators are doing everything possible to meet the needs of students with disabilities during this crisis, but the inability to complete evaluations that cannot be conducted virtually and to fulfill statutorily designated timelines in this crisis requires temporary flexibility for districts."

Angela Morabito, a spokeswoman for the Education Department, did not answer questions about what types of waiver authority DeVos may be pondering.

"Congress requested the department provide recommendations on any waivers it believes necessary to respond to the pandemic. We are reviewing that request and will respond as appropriate," Morabito said. "Secretary DeVos has been clear from the beginning that she is committed to ensuring all students, including students with disabilities, can continue their educations during this national emergency."

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DeVos Could Recommend Waiving IDEA Protections

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As schools remain closed due to COVID-19, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is weighing whether they should be temporarily freed of some of their special education obligations. DeVos must decide in the coming weeks whether to recommend that Congress allow portions of special education law to be waived in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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subscribe to Coronavirus Daily podcast

Dennis Johnson fell victim last week to a new form of harassment known as "Zoombombing," in which intruders hijack video calls and post hate speech and offensive images such as pornography. It's a phenomenon so alarming that the FBI has issued a warning about using Zoom.

Like many people these days, Johnson is doing a lot of things over the Internet that he would normally do in person. Last week, he defended his doctoral dissertation in a Zoom videoconference.

He had a big audience - he estimated it was about 40 people, including "my closest friends, family and my classmates and my dissertation committee" at California State University, Long Beach, he said.

Johnson is the first member of his family to graduate from college, let alone get a doctorate. He wanted to share the moment with them.

He said he was in the middle of presenting when someone started drawing male genitalia on the screen. At first, Johnson said, he was not sure what was happening.

"I'm like, 'Whoa!' And then I freeze, and everyone who's watching the screen freezes," he said.

It got worse. The attacker scrawled a racial slur that everyone on the Zoom call could see.

Johnson was horrified. The organizers blocked everyone's screen until they could remove the intruder from the meeting. But, Johnson said, they were not able to identify that person.

Although he was shaken, Johnson managed to finish his presentation. But what should have been a triumphant celebration was ruined.

"The moment they [told] me, 'Congratulations, Dr. Dennis Johnson,' and it's all over and I leave the Zoom meeting, everything sets in," he said. "I couldn't even, like, communicate. I had to just walk out [of] my house. ... I didn't want to talk or see anybody."

Zoombombers have disrupted an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in New York, Sunday school in Texas, online classes at the University of Southern California and a city meeting in Kalamazoo, Mich.

With schools closed and millions of people working from home, Zoom has become wildly popular. The company said 200 million people used the app on a daily basis in March, up from just 10 million in December. But that newfound popularity is bringing new scrutiny.

The FBI is warning schools, in particular, to be careful.

"The FBI has received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language," the bureau's Boston office said this week.

As concerns have arisen, Zoom has worked to address them. It published a guide last month on how users can protect meetings. It also changed settings for accounts used by schools and universities to make their meetings more private by default.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has sent a letter to Zoom asking about its security and privacy protections.

"Things you just would like to have in a chat and video application - strong encryption, strong privacy controls, strong security - just seem to be completely missing," said Patrick Wardle, a security researcher who previously worked at the National Security Agency.

He and other researchers have turned up flaws in Zoom's software that could let hackers spy through a computer's webcam or microphone. Zoom says it released fixes for these issues on Wednesday.

The website Motherboard found that Zoom was sharing data with Facebook, even data on people who are not Facebook users.

Zoom says that was a mistake and that it stopped sharing that data in March, but it's now facing a class action lawsuit.

Wardle says Zoom may be easy to use, but he is wary of its track record.

"This product was designed to prioritize things other than privacy and security," he said.

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan said in a blog post Wednesday that the company is freezing work on new features to focus on fixing its privacy and security problems.

"We recognize that we have fallen short of the community's - and our own - privacy and security expectations," he wrote. "For that, I am deeply sorry, and I want to share what we are doing about it."
Editor's note: Zoom is among NPR's sponsors.

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A Must For Millions, Zoom Has A Dark Side - And An FBI Warning

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subscribe to Coronavirus Daily podcast Dennis Johnson fell victim last week to a new form of harassment known as "Zoombombing," in which intruders hijack video calls and post hate speech and offensive images such as pornography. It's a phenomenon so alarming that the FBI has issued a warning about using Zoom.

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FERPA - Distance Learning Recommendations

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FERPA - Distance Learning Recommendations

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Good resource for guidelines on group instruction/services

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Webinar recording for "FERPA and Virtual Learning during the COVID-19" presentation. This webinar is intended to provide information on privacy best practices and insight into helpful resources available to the education community during this critical time of national emergency.

We will address commonly asked questions related to the challenges of complying with student privacy laws like FERPA during this time and present a series of scenarios which highlight privacy best practices and considerations when adopting distance learning approaches.

Early Childhood Educators

Postsecondary School Officials

Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA)

The purpose of this guidance is to answer questions that school officials may have had concerning the disclosure of personally identifiable information from students' education records to outside entities when addressing the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

For a spanish language version, please click here

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is working with Census to share updates on the 2020 Census.

(Spanish language version) El Departamento de Educación de EE.UU. (Departamento) publica estas Preguntas frecuentes sobre la Ley de Derechos Educativos y Privacidad Familiar (FERPA) y la enfermedad de coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) y más comúnmente conocida como "coronavirus".

Webinar recording for "FERPA and Virtual Learning during the COVID-19" presentation. This webinar is intended to provide information on privacy be

Webinar slides for "FERPA and Virtual Learning during the COVID-19" presentation. This webinar is intended to provide information on privacy best practices and insight into helpful resources available to the education community during this critical time of national emergency.

We will address commonly asked questions related to the challenges of complying with student privacy laws like FERPA during this time and present a series of scenarios which highlight privacy best practices and considerations when adopting distance learning approaches.

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FERPA and Virtual Learning during COVID-19 (Webinar Recording)

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Webinar recording for "FERPA and Virtual Learning during the COVID-19" presentation. This webinar is intended to provide information on privacy best practices and insight into helpful resources available to the education community during this critical time of national emergency.

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We are actively monitoring the spread of COVID-19, particularly in the areas where we operate, to help minimize the risk to our teammates and your school community. As of today, there are no known confirmed positive tests within our organization or our partner schools. However, this is a dynamic situation. We need your support and communication as we continue to monitor and manage this situation.

We ask you to contact us by clicking here if:

there is a potential or confirmed case of COVID-19 in your school community, or

you have any school closures due to COVID-19 concerns.

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We are actively monitoring the spread of COVID-19, particularly in the areas where we operate, to help minimize the risk to our teammates and your school community. As of today, there are no known confirmed positive tests within our organization or our partner schools. However, this is a dynamic situation.

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In this time of unprecedented school closures and fast-moving updates about COVID-19, CSBA will be sending a daily roundup of education news to keep our members informed. This list is a sampling and not comprehensive. (Please note: Included in this email are articles on news sites that have limited access for nonsubscribers.)

California school districts are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to delay scheduled increases to their pension payments and to divert money from a variety of relief funds to help them get through the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus outbreak.Schools started closing in mid-March around the state, and they will remain closed for the rest of the school year. Learning has gone online, creating logistical challenges including the need for digital devices for all students."The ramp up for distance learning is not cheap," said Kevin Gordon, whose lobbying firm represents California school districts. "It's really expensive." The nation's leading special education administrator groups are pressing leaders in Congress to give schools flexibility on federal requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the nation's primary special education law. As remote learning ramps up and more states announce that school closures will last through the end of the academic year, a new teacher survey suggests many students are still missing from their virtual classrooms during the coronavirus pandemic. By now, more than half of all states have recommended or ordered schools closed through the academic year. Faced with the new reality that they won't see students in classrooms again this year, many districts are having to make the same choice as Northern Lehigh: Should they reinforce the learning that students have already done this year, continuing to provide optional enrichment and review? Or should they try to forge ahead through the curriculum, continuing to cover new standards and content?

The Sacramento Bee: California schools ask for pension relief, more funding to cope with coronavirus costs

The superintendents of five major school districts, including Sacramento City Unified, outlined the requests in

The state is protecting funding for schools' regular staffing costs and providing an additional $100 million in emergency money, according to the letter. Federal coronavirus aid will provide an $1.6 billion in short-term emergency money for California schools, the letter says. But the money won't be enough to ensure access to online learning, provide meals to children and adults and to provide "overtime, stipends and differential pay to maintain a minimum level of staffing," the letter states.
The superintendents ask the state to direct more money from general relief funds - both state and federal - to schools. Education Week: Special ed. administrators press Congress for IDEA waivers during pandemic

The Council of Administrators of Special Education and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education are seeking waivers for timelines that govern when schools must review students' Individualized Education Programs, evaluate students for special education services, and respond to legal complaints.
The groups also want temporary reprieves from state monitoring and enforcement and the requirements that schools spend a "proportionate share" of their IDEA funding on services for private school students and provide services to students who need academic and behavioral support, but are not currently identified as needing special education services.
The requests put the groups in direct conflict with disability rights advocates who fear waivers will put students at risk of falling behind their educational goals. About 7 million children nationwide are served under IDEA. LA School Report: More than half of students are not tuning in to online classes, informal teacher survey shows Distance learning
Fifty-five percent of teachers said more than half of their students have not been tuning in to remote classes in the informal survey conducted by the social media app Fishbowl.
From April 6 through April 9, the app asked teachers "How many of your students are attending your remote classes?" Educators could choose from four responses: 0-25 percent, 26-50 percent, 51-75 percent, or more than 75 percent.
Of the 5,659 who responded, 35 percent said the attendance rate was 25 percent or less, while just 17 percent reported at least 75 percent of students were attending class. The survey is not scientific and not much information is available about where the teachers work. Fishbowl said nearly 97 percent of the self-selecting respondents teach in district schools. Education Week: Teach new content or review familiar material? A tough call during coronavirus closures
The Fishbowl team created the poll after seeing that educators using the app were discussing obstacles related to student engagement, including lack of technology and the hurdles faced by working parents, spokesperson Becky Graham said.
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos weighed in on the question earlier this month, saying that learning should continue for all students. "We would hope that it would be an aspirational goal ... that the students would not only maintain their current level of learning, but continue to expand," she said.
But states have issued conflicting guidance. A report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Teaching Systems Lab found that this decision - enrichment versus progressing through the curriculum - was one of the most common areas of policy divergence in states' distance learning plans.
The decision often hinges on questions of equity. If students don't have internet access, devices, or a quiet place to work at home, they might fall behind as teachers cover new concepts.
The coronavirus stimulus bill President Donald Trump signed into law in late March gives U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos 30 days to tell Congress if she needs authority to waive parts of IDEA - and the administrator groups say schools need help as they navigate ways to provide services during the unprecedented school closures and disruption caused by the coronavirus crisis.

Special education

Thousands of teacher candidates in California, preparing to graduate this year in the midst the coronavirus pandemic, may not have to complete all their student-teaching hours or take all required tests before teaching in their own classrooms next year. It's a conundrum all schools are facing during the coronavirus closures: How do you hold students accountable for academic work while also ensuring they aren't punished on their report cards for circumstances beyond their control? Although campuses are closed, school districts throughout the state have taken on a critical role during the coronavirus crisis: feeding children shut in at home and paying for it with money from the federal school-lunch program. Morning drop-off lanes have been transformed into food pickup drive-throughs; school buses in rural areas leave food boxes at familiar bus stops; families stand clustered outside campuses in walk-up lines, spaced six feet apart by cones, to receive "grab and go" bags. Lodi Unified School District will hold alternative recognition celebrations for its graduating seniors by the end of May while also leaving open the possibility of in-person commencement ceremonies later this summer.

EdSource: Unable to complete student teaching requirements, prospective teachers may soon get reprieve

This Thursday the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing is expected to vote on whether to temporarily reduce the required 600 hours of student teaching, known as "clinical practice" in the field, for this year's graduating class of would-be teachers.
According to the commission, about 26,000 of the 80,000 educators enrolled in credentialing programs across the state are in their final year of preparation. Most of them are studying to become teachers, and are usually referred to as teacher candidates.
Extensive student teaching is required to earn most teaching credentials, and it is generally regarded as an essential part of a teacher's training before getting his or her own classroom. But because schools are shut down across the state, opportunities to satisfy this aspect of a teacher's preparation no longer exist.
The commission also will consider a raft of other recommendations that would allow teacher candidates to become classroom teachers, even though they are unable to complete requirements because of the coronavirus pandemic.

San Francisco Chronicle: Is failure an option? Bay Area school districts debate student grading during coronavirus closures District practices
District officials across the Bay Area and state have responded to that concern with a range of grading systems, with many opting for pass/fail or credit/no credit.
Teachers want to reward students who continue to work hard.
Yet the idea of failing any student this semester raises legal and ethical questions, officials say. What if a student is homeless or has other issues restricting access to schoolwork? How can they flunk if they couldn't go to online classes or complete assignments? Los Angeles Times: 27,525 pounds of carrots a day: How L.A. schools are feeding the masses
They can't, Los Angeles Unified officials decided, opting to retain letter grades for middle and high school students, but eliminating the possibility of an F, or failing grade. The lowest grade for this semester will be a D. In San Francisco, the school board took that idea further, proposing to give all students straight A's. A final vote on that is pending.
But the largest, perhaps most generous and financially risky school system effort in the state, if not the country, is underway at 63 campuses in the Los Angeles Unified School District, which is giving away meals not only to students, but for anyone who shows up - no questions asked, except: How many do you need?
"This is a community in crisis," said L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner. "Anyone who arrives looking for food - we're assuming needs the food - and we're going to provide it."
Since March 18, the nation's second-largest school district has emerged as a mammoth food distribution operation, serving about 9.8 million meals so far at campuses strategically located through the school system's broad expanse and partnering with the Red Cross and the regional food bank. The Stockton Record: 'You deserve to be recognized': Lodi Unified announces alternative grad celebrations amid pandemic
Other districts, including Fremont Unified, still haven't decided.
The decision to move forward with an in-person graduation ceremony will be made by June 30 and be based on the health and safety guidelines in effect at that time.
A message from Lodi Unified Superintendent Cathy Nichols-Washer was sent Thursday evening to district seniors, parents and guardians of seniors and staff saying that, despite the unprecedented situation caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, graduation celebrations would happen in one form or another.
"We understand that this is supposed to be an exciting time in your educational career full of activities, events, and ceremonies to celebrate your accomplishments and future endeavors," Nichols-Washer said in a district Facebook post. "You deserve to be recognized and honored."
Each high school in the district will plan and hold a virtual recognition of its graduates before May 30, while also planning live, in-person ceremonies to be held sometime between May 30 and Aug. 7 in the event that the crisis caused by COVID-19 improves.
"Everyone is looking for a solution that meets everyone's needs, which is hard to do," said Todd Whitmire, principal of Pittsburg High School, which adopted a credit/no credit policy. "The students are still expected to participate and attempt to complete their assignments."

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In this time of unprecedented school closures and fast-moving updates about COVID-19, CSBA will be sending a daily roundup of education news to keep our members informed. This list is a sampling and not comprehensive. (Please note: Included in this email are articles on news sites that have limited access for nonsubscribers.)

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At the end of March, our team at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, along with our colleagues at the Collaborative for Social Emotional and Academic Learning, known as CASEL, launched a survey to unpack the emotional lives of teachers during the COVID-19 crisis.

In the span of just three days, over 5,000 U.S. teachers responded to the survey. We asked them to describe, in their own words, the three most frequent emotions they felt each day.

The five most-mentioned feelings among all teachers were: anxious, fearful, worried, overwhelmed and sad. Anxiety, by far, was the most frequently mentioned emotion.

The reasons educators gave for these stress-related feelings could be divided into two buckets. The first is mostly personal, including a general fear that they or someone in their family would contract COVID-19, the new coronavirus. The second pertains to their stress around managing their own and their families' needs while simultaneously working full-time from home and adapting to new technologies for teaching.

Once distance learning had gone into effect, we heard from one educator who shared:

Given the unexpected new demands our educators are facing, we might assume that how teachers are feeling now is entirely different from the emotions they were experiencing before the pandemic. But is it?

In 2017, our center conducted a similar survey on teachers' emotions. A national sample of over 5,000 educators answered the same questions about how they were feeling.

Back then, the top five emotions were: frustrated, overwhelmed, stressed, tired and happy. The primary source of their frustration and stress pertained to not feeling supported by their administration around challenges related to meeting all of their students' learning needs, high-stakes testing, an ever-changing curriculum and work/life balance.

Our research findings are echoed across a growing body of research on teachers' stress and burnout.

In one study, 85 percent of teachers reported that work-life imbalance was affecting their ability to teach. Other research has shown that at least 30 percent of teachers leave the profession within their first five years of teaching. Like our research, these studies found that the general causes of teacher stress and burnout are related to a lack of strong leadership and a negative climate, as well as increased job demands, especially around testing, addressing challenging student behaviors, a lack of autonomy and decision-making power, and limited-to-no training in social and emotional learning (SEL) to support educators' and students' emotional needs.

So, before the pandemic, America's teachers were already burning out. Add in new expectations of becoming distance learning experts to support uninterrupted learning for all their students and caring for the ever-evolving demands of their families, and it's no surprise that 95 percent of the feelings they reported recently are rooted in anxiety.

We can't control what is happening to us and around us, but we can control how we respond to it.

Emotions Matter

An anonymous teacher who filled out our most recent survey described the balancing act like this:

At the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, we study how emotions drive effective teaching and learning, the decisions educators make, classroom and school climate, and educator well-being. We assert that educators' emotions matter for five primary reasons:

Emotions matter for attention, memory and learning. Positive emotions like joy and curiosity harness attention and promote greater engagement. Emotions like anxiety and fear, especially when prolonged, disrupt concentration and interfere with thinking. Chronic stress, especially when poorly managed, can result in the persistent activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the release of stress hormones like cortisol. Prolonged release of this and other neurochemicals impacts brain structures associated with executive functioning and memory, diminishing our ability to be effective educators and undermining student learning.

Emotions matter for decision-making. When we're overwhelmed and feeling scared and stressed, the areas of our brains responsible for wise decision-making also can become "hijacked." In contrast, the experience of more positive states like joy and interest tend to help people evaluate individuals, places and events more favorably compared to people experiencing more unpleasant emotions. Pleasant emotions also have been shown to enhance mental flexibility and creativity, which are key to navigating the novel and evolving demands of living through a pandemic.

Emotions matter for relationships. How we feel and how we interpret the feelings of others sends signals for other people to either approach or avoid us. Teachers who express anxiety or frustration (e.g. in their facial expressions, body language, vocal tone or behavior) are likely to alienate students, which can impact students' sense of safety in the classroom-and likely at home in a virtual learning environment-thereby having a negative influence on learning. Further, dysregulated emotions can undermine healthy relationships between teachers and parents. For most students, a successful distance learning experience will require a solid partnership between teachers and families.

Emotions matter for health and well-being. How we feel influences our bodies, including physical and mental health. Stress is associated with increased levels of cortisol, which has been shown to lead to both physical and mental health challenges, including depression and weight gain. Both the ability to regulate unpleasant emotions and the experience of more pleasant emotions have been shown to have health benefits, including fostering greater resilience during and after traumatic events.

Emotions matter for performance. Chronic stress among teachers is linked to decreases in teacher motivation and engagement, both of which lead to burnout. Teachers who are burnt out have poorer relationships with students and are also less likely to be positive role models for healthy self-regulation-for their students and their families. It's no surprise that teachers who are burnt out are more likely to leave the profession, which impacts student learning and puts a huge drain on schools.

You get the picture: When educators answer the question about how they feel at school-or, in our most recent study, as an at-home educator-we learn they spend a big part of their workday in a pretty dark place.

Research we and others have conducted has shown two possible protective factors for teachers' emotional well-being. First, teachers with more developed emotion skills tend to report less burnout and greater job satisfaction. These skills include the ability to recognize emotions accurately, understand their causes and consequences, label them precisely, express them comfortably and regulate them effectively. But the challenge is that most teachers have not received a formal education in emotion skills.

Second, teachers who work in a school with an administrator with more developed emotion skills tend to experience fewer negative emotions and more positive emotions. These teachers also are likely to have better-quality relationships with their students. When students have stronger connections with their teachers, they, in turn, are more engaged and committed to learning; they're also more willing to take risks and persist in the face of difficulty.

We need a greater focus on teachers' health and well-being now, so they can thrive through this pandemic and be psychologically ready to return to school after this has passed.

Supporting Educators' Well-Being

We know how anxious teachers (and, really, everyone else) are feeling right now. But have we thought about how we want to feel?

Previously, we asked teachers how they want to feel at school, and they've answered loud and clear. A few of the top hoped-for emotions were: happy, inspired, valued, supported, effective and respected.

The more sensitive we can be to our educators' emotional needs today, the better we'll be able to support them now and when schools reopen. The space between how we feel and how we want to feel presents an opportunity to work together to improve the emotional climate of our homes and schools. The emotional climate is the feelings and emotions a learning space evokes; that space includes both the physical one and the learning climate that is evoked through the interactions between and among educators and students. This can be applied to traditional school settings and to a virtual one.

We need to understand how our teachers want to feel, again, and then support them with what they'll need to experience these feelings.

In the same survey we conducted at the end of March, we asked teachers to share some reflections about what they need to have greater emotional balance. Responses included time to adjust to the new normal of online learning and ways to make virtual learning fun and engaging. Teachers also expressed a strong need for honesty, respect, kindness, flexibility and patience from their school administrators. Further, they requested more realistic expectations, including boundaries around working around the clock. Among the top requests were strategies to support their own and their students' wellness and resilience.

Building a Charter

Putting our emotional needs in writing has a way of making them real for everyone. It acts as a reminder for those times when we might feel anxious or frustrated or any other uncomfortable feeling. It also serves as a contract between ourselves and our colleagues (and even students and families) to help during moments when we are anything but calm and considerate.

As part of RULER, our center's approach to SEL, thousands of schools across the nation have gone through the process of creating an "Emotional Intelligence Charter" with their faculty and staff with positive results.

The process of building a charter or agreement requires us to be vulnerable, and that can be hard, especially in times like these. And some educators are somewhat self-conscious and apprehensive about the process of asking colleagues how they want to feel. It can be scary. Often, how we want to feel is an indicator of what hasn't been working at our schools. But we've found that when schools have the courage to ask, the benefits outweigh the risks.

Specifically, a charter reflects the agreed-upon feelings and behaviors of the members of a learning community. Here, we describe the process of building a faculty and staff charter. The same process can be applied to the classroom or home environment.

It starts with a deceptively simple question: How do we want to feel as a faculty/staff? A principal or group of teachers can pose the question to the faculty and staff at their school. Once everyone shares their top three or four hoped-for feelings, the goal is to narrow them all down to a "top five" list reflective of the entire faculty.

The second question is: What do we need to do for everyone to feel this way? Here, faculty and staff share specific ideas that would support them in experiencing each of the feelings. The goal is to come up with two or three observable behaviors that are realistic and attainable for each feeling. For example, in order for teachers to feel supported around distance learning, what exactly will everyone agree to do differently so everyone feels supported? If teachers want to feel more valued, what are the specific things schools can do? Perhaps everyone can agree to respond to virtual inquiries in a timely manner.

Once the five feelings and related behaviors are compiled, the charter can be created and distributed to each member of the faculty and staff. In this virtual world of education, be creative about ways to disseminate it to everyone. If your school or district uses a learning management system, perhaps the charter can be "public" there.

Importantly, the charter should be a living document-it will evolve as your learning community does throughout the pandemic. Consider weekly reflections and opportunities for teachers to share ideas based on their hoped-for feelings. For example, if teachers want to feel more engaged, perhaps create opportunities for them to share their best virtual lesson of the week and why it worked so well. Even weekly quotations that remind everyone about the desired feelings can help to sustain a positive climate. And when we are all finally able to return to our schools, it will be important to revisit the charter. How we want to feel and what we need to support our health and well-being is fluid.

We are living through a pandemic that most of us could never have imagined. And, as we've shared, our educators are not in the best emotional shape. Today's teachers, counselors and school leaders are experiencing greater anxiety, stress and burnout than ever before. If we just hope for the best, more and more educators will fall by the wayside. Fortunately, an increasing number of schools are seeing the benefits of SEL, not just for students, but for educators' own skill development.

The time has come for all schools to address the missing link in what will help educators' thrive-a greater focus on all adults' health and well-being. If we want our educators to be successful-both personally and professionally-schools must be places that bring out the best in them.
Marc Brackett, Ph.D., (@marcbrackett) is the Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and a professor in the Child Study Center at Yale University. He's also on the board of directors for CASEL and the author of the new book,"Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive." Christina Cipriano, Ph.D., Ed.M., (@drchriscip) is the Director of Research at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and a research scientist at the Child Study Center at Yale University.

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Teachers Are Anxious and Overwhelmed. They Need SEL Now More Than Ever. - EdSurge News

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At the end of March, our team at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, along with our colleagues at the Collaborative for Social Emotional and Academic Learning, known as CASEL, launched a survey to unpack the emotional lives of teachers during the COVID-19 crisis. In the span of just three days, over 5,000 U.S.

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Paraprofessional Training

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Due to COVID-19, many schools are wondering how to provide their staff with relevant professional learning opportunities while also prioritizing their emotional well-being during this challenging time. Whether you are an administrator, teacher, paraprofessional, or teaching assistants, you may be wondering what skills will be needed in your school post-pandemic for Recovery and Return. Or, how can your school be responsive now to the SEL needs of all students via e-learning?

We are here to help! Not only is this an opportunity to explore trauma-informed practices, mindfulness, and well-being, it is also a window to build a supportive community to combat the loneliness of isolation and increased screen time.

Who Should Register? Paraprofessionals, Assistants, Educators and School Staff - So, all adults in a school are equipped to handle students' social-emotional needs when schools reopen. Empower All adults to support kids, not just the classroom teachers!

Participants will receive

Effective tools to authentically connect with students of all backgrounds

Knowledge on HOW to implement SEL and mindfulness and the WHY behind these critical skills

Time for reflection, self-care and community building with peers from across the country

PD credits/Clock hours/CPDUs are available per state requirements

SEL Certification Overview

10-day training: Cohorts begin on April 13th, or May 4th or June 8th. Classes are recorded, with the ability to view any missed sessions when convenient.

Participants complete 30 hours of the class time to receive a Certificate of Training from Mindful Practices, plus a 6 hour time block to create an SEL project to assist the Recovery and Return process once schools are back in session.

Sample coursework includes Q & A with licensed trauma-therapist, interesting articles, topical webinars, livestream mindfulness sessions, movement and breathing techniques, online discussions.

Pricing Information

$275 per person (reg $1,275), available to certified, non-certified and hourly staff. (Optional tracking of hours is available and provided to school administrators weekly).

Includes access to additional remote professional development programming through Mindful Practices' Remote SEL Support Program, including livestream mindfulness and yoga classes and engaging webinars.

Option to receive credit toward a Master's Degree for an additional fee to our accreditation partner Roosevelt University, Chicago.

What are participants saying

"This has definitely been helpful for me in framing some ideas and rethinking some of my reactions to certain students. I hope that it will make a difference and give me some useful tools to be more helpful to some of the students that I struggle with reaching sometimes and with building a more inclusive classroom environment."

- Cohort 1 participant

"I really enjoy the self care techniques and practices. I have been feeling really burned out and stressed with all this remote learning and extra screen time. The self care stuff helps!"

- Cohort 1 participant

SEL Certification Registration
Sign up now next cohort starts May 4th Download this info as One-Pager (PDF)

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Online SEL Certification | Social-Emotional Learning | Mindfulness

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Due to COVID-19, many schools are wondering how to provide their staff with relevant professional learning opportunities while also prioritizing their emotional well-being during this challenging time. Whether you are an administrator, teacher, paraprofessional, or teaching assistants, you may be wondering what skills will be needed in your school post-pandemic for Recovery and Return.

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Main Web Page

Providing In-Person Specialized Supports and Services to Students with Disabilities

New Guidance (Posted 30-Sept-2020)
Is a Local Educational Agency (LEA) permitted to offer in-person supports and services to small groups of students with disabilities? Does the CDPH guidance related to cohorts apply to students age 18-22 participating in post-secondary programs that are provided through the K-12 school setting?
Yes. LEAs may serve small cohorts of students with disabilities ages 18-22 consistent with the CDPH guidance.
Does an LEA need to have received an elementary school waiver through the local public health office before offering in-person supports and services to small groups, consistent with the CDPH guidance related to cohorts?
No. The August 25, 2020 CDPH FAQ states "[t]he Cohorting Guidance applies to schools that cannot reopen for in-person instruction pursuant to the July 17 Framework, including elementary schools in those jurisdictions that have not received an elementary school waiver through the local public health office. Under these circumstances, school officials should develop and implement plans in collaboration with local health officials and school-based staff (including, if applicable, organized labor), but are not required to receive express approval from the local health department. They are, however, required to adhere to any applicable, more restrictive local public health directive. "

Distance Learning
Are there new requirements related to Individualized Education Programs (IEP) and distance learning?
Yes. On June 29, 2020, Governor Newsom signed the 2020 Budget Act and accompanying budget-implementing legislation, including Senate Bill (SB) 98 (Chapter 24, Statutes of 2020). SB 98 included notable changes related to special education and distance learning. The CDE posted related guidance on the CDE website at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/lr/om071520.asp.

SB 98, Section 66, amended Section 56345 of the Education Code ( EC) to require that Individualized Education Programs (IEP) include a description of the means by which the IEP will be provided under emergency conditions, in which instruction or services, or both, cannot be provided to the pupil either at the school or in person for more than 10 school days. This description must be included in the development of each initial IEP or addressed during the regularly scheduled revision of an IEP (e.g., annual IEP), and must take public health orders into account.
Where can I find more information about the requirements for distance learning and instructional time?
The CDE has established a webpage dedicated to providing guidance and resources for teachers and families in K-12 schools regarding high quality distance learning. The CDE's distance learning webpage can be accessed on the CDE's website at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/dl/index.asp

In addition, the CDE has developed a frequently asked questions (FAQ) webpage addressing principal apportionment, instructional time, attendance accounting, attendance reporting and the Form J-13A for fiscal year (FY) 2020-21. The FAQ can be accessed on the CDE website at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/pa/pafaqs.asp.
Do the requirements for distance learning and instructional minutes in the FY 2020-21 school year impact Specialized Academic Instruction on a student's IEP?
Specialized Academic Instruction (SAI) in a student's IEP (including minutes), like all aspects of the IEP, is determined by the IEP team. SAI is an instructional service and individualized based on student need. LEAs are required to implement IEPs.

Description of How the IEP Will be Provided Under Emergency Conditions
What are considered "emergency conditions"?
EC 46392 outlines what constitutes "emergency conditions" and includes: fire, flood, impassable roads, epidemic, earthquake, the imminence of a major safety hazard as determined by the local law enforcement agency, a strike involving transportation services to pupils provided by a non-school entity, and an order provided for in EC 41422.
Is the emergency conditions description part of the IEP or a separate document?
The description of the means by which the IEP will be provided under emergency conditions must be part of the IEP. SB 98 amended section 56345 of California Education Code, and added the requirement that an IEP include a description of the means by which the IEP will be provided under emergency conditions, effective July 1, 2020. It applies to the development of an initial IEP or the next regularly scheduled revision of the IEP (i.e. annual IEP) ( EC Section 56345(a)(9)(B)). Because all students must have an annual IEP, pursuant 34 C.F.R. 300.324(b)(1), all IEPs in the state should include this description by June 30, 2021.
Must the parent or student consent to the description required by EC 56345(a)(9)?
Yes. As a required component of the IEP, the description of the means by which the IEP will be provided under emergency conditions must be adopted by the IEP team at an IEP team meeting or through an amendment to the IEP. Parents/students are required members of the IEP team and thus will be involved in the development of this description through the IEP process. The LEA must obtain consent to the IEP consistent with applicable state and federal law.
How does the IEP requirement for a description of the means by which the IEP will be provided under emergency conditions impact the offer of a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)?
The description of the means by which an IEP will be provided under emergency conditions is an element of the overall offer of FAPE, and should help an LEA to plan for how to address the needs of an individual student in an emergency.
What if the description of the means by which an IEP will be provided under emergency conditions inadequately addresses or anticipates the needs of the student in the event of an emergency?
IEP teams are required to meet when a student demonstrates a lack of expected progress (34 C.F.R. 300.324 (b)(1)(ii)). Additionally, the parent or the teacher may request an IEP meeting at any time ( EC 56343) to discuss and address any concerns with student access including a lack of resources, or ineffectiveness of the means by which the IEP is being provided under emergency conditions.

Teachers and parents are encouraged to work together to ensure that a student is able to access instruction and that the delivery of instruction is effective. The student's IEP can be changed or amended at any time with agreement from both the parents and the LEA.
Does an LEA need to wait 10 days before implementing the description of how the IEP will be implemented under emergency conditions IEP?
No. If the LEA has good reason to believe that, due to emergency conditions as described in EC 46392, instruction or services, or both, cannot be provided to the pupil either at the school or in person for more than 10 school days, the LEA may implement the provisions outlined in the description before 10 school days have elapsed.
Should the description of the means by which the IEP will be provided under emergency conditions required by EC 56345(a)(9) include provisions for how the LEA will deliver feedback and information to parents regarding a student's learning progress during the emergency closure?
While EC 56345(a)(9) does not specifically require including plans for delivering feedback and information regarding a student's progress, communication and collaboration between the local educational agency (LEA) and parent are vital to ensure educational progress. In addition, EC Section 43504(g) requires that, during the 20-21 school year, each school shall regularly communicate with parents and guardians regarding a pupil's academic progress.

Special Education Assessments
Must LEAs continue to conduct special education assessments while providing distance learning?
Yes. The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) has not waived the requirement for LEAs to conduct a full and individual initial evaluation for a student suspected of having a disability, nor has the USDOE waived requirements relating to triennial assessments. Additionally, 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.101(b) and 300.124(b) are still in effect and require that an IEP or individual family service plan (IFSP) is developed by the third birthday of a child participating in Part C programs and who will participate in Part B preschool-age programs. The USDOE has encouraged LEAs to work with parents to reach mutually agreeable extensions of time, as appropriate, if the LEA or parent feels additional time is needed.
Can special education assessments be conducted in-person at this time?
Yes. Current guidance from the California Department of Public Health and the CDE does not expressly prohibit in-person assessments. Further, the CDPH's "Cohort" Guidance of August 25, 2020 permits in-person instruction and services, including assessments, if done in compliance with the Guidance, or if an elementary school has received a waiver of the school closure mandate from its local public health officer in accordance with the July 17, 2020 Framework for re-opening schools.

As stated in the CDE's April 9 2020 updated special education guidance ( https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/hn/specialedcovid19guidance.asp), any in-person services or supports should "seek to comply with federal, state, and local health official's guidance related to physical distancing, with the goal of keeping students, teachers and service providers safe and healthy as the primary consideration". Each LEA will need to monitor current health conditions and determine appropriate measures regarding in-person assessments. Some assessments, or components of assessments, may be conducted virtually, and, in some cases, existing data may be used. As with all assessments, the LEA can work together with parents to determine which assessments are necessary and appropriate in order to evaluate eligibility for special education services.
Are the special education timeline waiver provisions included in Section 8 of Senate Bill 117 (Chapter 3, Statutes of 2020) still in place?
No. On September 18, 2020, the Governor approved Senate Bill (SB) 820 (Chapter 110, Statutes of 2020). Section 56 of SB 820 rendered SB 117, Section 8 inoperative on July 1, 2020. LEAs must adhere to all state and federal special education timelines, including those related to assessments and access to educational records.

Supporting Social-Emotional Wellness
If students are unable to meaningfully engage in distance learning due to social-emotional and/or mental health needs, what support should the LEA provide? What are the state and federal mandates?
Students with disabilities are required to have educational programs that are designed to meet their specific individual needs. IEP teams are required to monitor students for educational progress and revise the IEP for any lack of expected progress toward the student's annual goals and in the general education curriculum (34 C.F.R 300.324 (b)(1)(ii)). Additionally, the IEP team for a student with disabilities whose behavior impedes learning is required to consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports (34 C.F.R 300.324 (a)(2)(i)).

In addition, EC 43503 (b) requires that distance learning include several components, including:

(3) Academic and other supports designed to address the needs of pupils who are not performing at grade level, or need support in other areas, such as . . . pupils with exceptional needs . . .

(4) Special education, related services, and any other services required by a pupil's individualized education program pursuant to Section 56341, including the requirements of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (9) of subdivision (a) of Section 56345, with accommodations necessary to ensure that individualized education program can be executed in a distance learning environment.

Further, an LEA's learning continuity and attendance plan required for the 20-21 school year must outline what additional supports will be provided for pupils with exceptional needs served across the full continuum of placements during the period in which distance learning is provided (EC 43509(a)(1)(A), (e), (f)(1)(B)(vi)).
What is the LEA's responsibility to provide educationally related mental health services (ERMHS) services in the IEP while the LEA is providing distance learning?
Supporting social-emotional and mental health needs of students is critical during this time. EC 43503 (b)(4) requires that distance learning include "special education, related services, and any other services required by a pupil's individualized education program pursuant to Section 56341, including the requirements of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (9) of subdivision (a) of Section 56345, with accommodations necessary to ensure that individualized education program can be executed in a distance learning environment." Therefore, the LEA should ensure that the IEP, including ERMHS when required by the IEP, can be executed in a distance learning environment. With that said, LEA's may not be able to provide all services in the same manner that they are typically provided during this COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the United States Department of Education (USDOE) Office of Special Education Program's (OSEP) March 21, 2020 guidance, "[T]hese exceptional circumstances may affect how all educational and related services and supports are provided . . . the provision of [free and appropriate public education (FAPE)] may include, as appropriate, special education and related services provided through distance instruction provided virtually, online, or telephonically . . . schools may not be able to provide all services in the same manner that they are typically provided . . . federal disability law allows for flexibility in determining how to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities. The determination of how FAPE is to be provided may need to be different in this time of unprecedented national emergency." To review OSEP's March 21, 2020 guidance titled " Supplemental Fact Sheet Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Preschool, Elementary and Secondary Schools While Serving Children with Disabilities", visit the USDOE website at https://bit.ly/2VdoJn6.

Updated Resources
Has the USDOE issued additional guidance since April 2020? Are there updated resources to support parents, students, families, and LEAs during this time?

Highlighting and sharing best practices from LEAs and educators across the state

Discussing critical parent partnerships and outlining resources for parents of students with disabilities

Addressing critical transitions in special education via distance learning: preschool to K-12 and post-secondary transition

Addressing the behavioral and mental health needs of students

Highlighting strategies to serve students with disabilities that have unique, extensive support needs

The CDE has also been working with Special Education Local Plan Area leads within the state System of Support to develop targeted resources for distance learning. Those resources can be accessed on the following websites:

Earlier Guidance

09-Apr-2020

The United States is currently experiencing a pandemic emergency due to the threat of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). On March 13, 2020, Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-26-20 requiring the California Department of Education (CDE) to issue guidance on several topics, including ensuring students with disabilities (SWD) receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) consistent with their individualized education program (IEP) and meeting other procedural requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and California law. Initial guidance on services to students with disabilities was provided on March 20, 2020.

The following guidance provides additional information based on questions received by the CDE in recent weeks. We will continue to update the guidance on this web page as necessary in response to any guidance from the U.S. Department of Education or waivers of any laws or regulations pertaining to special education services.

1. Must all Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) be amended to reflect the change to distance learning?

No, not all IEPs will need to be amended. In response to the Governor's Executive Order, schools are physically closed, and local educational agencies (LEAs) are to provide educational services through alternative options such as distance learning. Under this unique circumstance, in the CDE's view it is not necessary for an LEA to convene an IEP team meeting, or propose an IEP amendment without a team meeting, for every student, solely for the purpose of discussing the need to provide services away from school, because that change must necessarily occur due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, in the CDE's view, it is not necessary for an LEA to obtain the parent's written consent to provide previously agreed-upon services, away from school. The IEP that was in effect at the time of physical school closure remains in effect, and LEAs should, to the greatest extent possible, continue to provide the services called for in those IEPs in alternative ways.

According to the United States Department of Education (USDOE) Office of Special Education Program's (OSEP) March 21, 2020 guidance, "[T]hese exceptional circumstances may affect how all educational and related services and supports are provided . . . the provision of [free and appropriate public education (FAPE)] may include, as appropriate, special education and related services provided through distance instruction provided virtually, online, or telephonically . . . schools may not be able to provide all services in the same manner that they are typically provided . . . federal disability law allows for flexibility in determining how to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities. The determination of how FAPE is to be provided may need to be different in this time of unprecedented national emergency." To review OSEP's March 21, 2020 guidance titled " Supplemental Fact Sheet Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Preschool, Elementary and Secondary Schools While Serving Children with Disabilities", visit the USDOE website at https://bit.ly/2VdoJn6.

However, there may be instances when amending the IEP to reflect the change to distance learning might be necessary and/or appropriate. LEAs may convene an IEP team meeting, or propose an IEP amendment without a team meeting, particularly where it is deemed necessary to address unique circumstances related to alternative service delivery. ( See 20 USC 1414 (d)(4)(A); 20 USC 1414 (d)(3)(D); 34 C.F.R. § 300.324.) Parents too may request an IEP meeting or propose an IEP amendment, pursuant to Education Code § 56343, subdivision (c). Some LEAs and parents have agreed to amend the IEP by incorporating a distance learning plan outlining the special education and related services being provided to the student during the temporary, emergency situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At this time, LEAs should necessarily be focused on serving each and every student. OSEP's March 21, 2020 guidance clarifies that "ensuring compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act . . . should not prevent any school from offering educational programs through distance instruction." The CDE recognizes that due to the emergency situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic, it will take time for LEAs to determine their continuum of services during school site closures and provide information to parents and students about the services being offered. As such, communication and collaboration are vital. It is recommended that LEAs maintain regular communication with parents of students with disabilities about their efforts to transition to distance learning, plans to ensure access for all students, and to identify and address any immediate support needs when feasible.

2. Is an LEA precluded from providing services to students with disabilities in-person or in the home for the purpose of supporting the student in accessing the alternative options for learning being offered?

No. In some exceptional situations, LEAs may need to provide certain supports and services to individual students in-person in order to maintain students' mental/physical health and safety for the purpose of supporting the student in accessing the alternative options for learning being offered (e.g. distance learning). With that said, alternative service delivery options should seek to comply with federal, state, and local health official's guidance related to physical distancing, with the goal of keeping students, teachers and service providers safe and healthy as the primary consideration.

In such cases, service providers may be considered "Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers" under Executive Order N-33-20. To review the list of "Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers", see the California Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response website at https://covid19.ca.gov/img/EssentialCriticalInfrastructureWorkers.pdf.

For example, the list of essential workers in the healthcare/public health sector includes:

3. I'm a parent of a student with a disability and I have questions about my child's IEP. Where can I go for information and support?

Questions about your student's IEP and educational program in light of school site closures and the COVID-19 pandemic should be discussed with your school or district. Schools across the state are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in different ways, specific to the school's regional context. The CDE encourages parents to reach out to their school or district office to have a conversation about the impact of the pandemic on their student's education and collaborative ways to support the student during this time.

Parents of students with disabilities may also reach out to California's parent organizations offering support and resources to families of students with disabilities. Information on parent organizations can be accessed on the CDE website at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/qa/caprntorg.asp.

In addition, the Understood.org website is an example of numerous state and national organizations offering practical advice and strategies for parents and caregivers during this crisis. A link to COVID-19 resources for parents and families developed by Understood can be accessed on the Understood.org website at https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/coronavirus-latest-updates.

4. What should an LEA do if it has closed school sites due to COVID-19 and is unable to meet the obligation to have an IEP or an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) in effect for a child transitioning from Part C to Part B no later than the child's third birthday?

34 C.F.R. §§ 300.101(b) and 300.124(b) require that an IEP or IFSP is developed and is being implemented by the third birthday of a child participating in Part C programs and who will participate in Part B preschool programs. The U.S. Department of Education has not waived or exempted this requirement. Either an IEP or IFSP must be developed and implemented by the child's third birthday. To meet this obligation, teams may conduct meetings virtually via telephone, videoconference, or other means.

5. If IEP teams meet virtually while school sites are closed due to COVID-19, how should parent consent be obtained? Is verbal consent sufficient?

34 C.F.R. § 300.9(b) states that "consent" means in part ". . .the parent understands and agrees in writing. . .". Thus, verbal consent alone is not sufficient. However, the IDEA does not specify how written consent must be obtained. Therefore, LEAs that wish to utilize electronic or digital signatures for consent may do so if they choose. Options for electronic signatures or digital signatures could include but are not limited to use of applications such as HelloSign, DocuSign, Adobe Sign, as well as scanned copies or photographs of signed signature pages. For record keeping purposes, it is recommended that LEAs maintain documentation as proof of consent, including printed or mailed copies of signed documents.
For more information on general electronic signature requirements for public agencies in California, please refer to Government Code § 16.5, and Title 2 of the California Code of Regulations, §§ 22000 et seq.

March 20, 2020

The United States is currently experiencing a pandemic emergency due to the threat of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). On March 13, 2020, Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-26-20 ensuring State funding for Local Educational Agencies (LEA) in the event of physical closure due to the threat of COVID-19. The Executive Order requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to issue guidance on several topics, including ensuring students with disabilities (SWD) receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) consistent with their individualized education program (IEP) and meeting other procedural requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and California law.

At this time, the federal government has not waived the federal requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). To review guidance from the USDOE titled " Questions and Answers on Providing Services to Children with Disabilities During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak," visit the USDOE website at https://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/qa-covid-19-03-12-2020.pdf. The CDE and the California State Board of Education (SBE) are working with the United States Department of Education (USDOE) to determine what flexibilities or waivers may be issued in light of the extraordinary circumstances. Until and unless USDOE ultimately provides flexibilities under federal law, LEAs should do their best in adhering to IDEA requirements, including federally mandated timelines, to the maximum extent possible. LEAs are encouraged to consider ways to use distance technology to meet these obligations. However, the CDE acknowledges the complex, unprecedented challenges LEAs are experiencing from the threat of COVID-19. As such, the CDE is committed to a reasonable approach to compliance monitoring that accounts for the exceptional circumstances facing the state.

The CDE appreciates the difficult decisions that LEAs and families are faced with as we grapple with this unprecedented crisis. The CDE has formed a workgroup of special education practitioners and other experts to help brainstorm best practices that we plan to share in the coming weeks. In addition, resources for addressing the needs of students with disabilities are provided in this guidance and in the CDE's guidance on distance learning at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/hn/guidance.asp. We will update this guidance as necessary in response to any guidance from the U.S. Department of Education or waivers of any laws or regulations pertaining to special education services.

The following answers to frequently asked questions received by the CDE provides guidance on topics relevant to serving students with disabilities.

1. If an LEA offers distance learning for instructional delivery in lieu of regular classroom instruction during a school site closure for students, what is the obligation to implement the IEP for students with disabilities?

As a result of Governor Newsom's Executive Order N-26-20, schools will receive funding to continue delivering educational opportunities to students to the extent feasible through, among other options, distance learning and/or independent study. When an LEA continues to provide educational opportunities to the general student population during physical school site closures, the LEA must ensure that students with disabilities have equitable access to comparable opportunities, appropriately tailored to the individualized need of a student to ensure meaningful access, as determined through the IEP process to the extent feasible.

If the LEA can continue providing special education and related services as outlined in the IEP, or an agreed upon amendment to the existing IEP, through a distance learning model, they should do so. The LEA can also consider alternative service delivery options such as in-home service delivery, meeting with individual students at school sites, or other appropriate locations to deliver services. Further, LEAs are encouraged to work collaboratively with Nonpublic Schools and Agencies (NPS/As) to ensure continuity of services, including moving to virtual platforms for service delivery to the extent feasible and appropriate.

These alternative delivery options should seek to comply with federal, state, and local health official's guidance related to social distancing, with the goal of keeping students, teachers and service providers safe and healthy. Teachers and specialists should work collaboratively to ensure instruction is accessible for the student based on the student's individualized needs. Given the unprecedented situation created by the threat of COVID-19, exceptional circumstances may affect how a particular service is provided under a student's IEP. In such a situation, the IEP team will need to make individualized decisions regarding whether compensatory services are required when the regular provision of services resumes.

Further guidance on distance learning, including considerations for students with disabilities, can be accessed on the CDE website athttps://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/hn/guidance.asp.

2. What is considered equitable access for students with disabilities?

When an LEA provides services to students during a school site closure, the LEA must provide equitable access to those services for students with disabilities, with services appropriately tailored to the individualized needs of students, to the greatest extent possible. When LEAs are providing instruction through a distance learning model to replace what would have been provided in the classroom, LEAs must create access to the instruction for students with disabilities, including planning for appropriate modifications or accommodations based on the individualized needs of each student and the differences created by the change in modality (e.g. virtual vs. classroom-based). Educational and support services provided should be commensurate with those identified in the IEP for each student to ensure educational benefit.

For example, LEAs may consider the use of accessible distance technology, instructional phone calls, and other curriculum-based activities that have been scaffolded based on student need. More information on accessibility and distance learning can be accessed on the CDE website at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/hn/appendix2.asp.

In some cases, it may be appropriate for LEAs to consider providing classroom-based instruction to small groups of students with disabilities that have extensive support needs, despite the fact that the school site has closed, consistent with federal, state, and local health directives related to COVID-19. Alternative service delivery options should seek to comply with federal, state, and local health official's guidance related to social distancing, with the goal of keeping students, teachers and service providers safe and healthy. There is no single service delivery method that will meet the needs of every student. Therefore, LEAs should consider employing a variety of service delivery options. The CDE has convened a work group of special educators to develop more specific guidance for operationalizing such strategies, including examples from California LEAs.

3. If distance learning is provided in some capacity but does not mirror the offer of FAPE in the IEP, will compensatory services be required once an LEA resumes the regular school session?

Once the regular school session resumes, LEAs should plan to make individualized determinations, in collaboration with the IEP team, regarding whether or not compensatory education and services may be needed for a student. Educational need can be measured by assessing whether or not the student continued making progress in the general education curriculum, or alternative course of study specified in their IEP, or toward meeting their individualized IEP goals and/or if any regression occurred during the period of school site closure.

4. Is the CDE encouraging continued utilization of and payment to Nonpublic Schools and Agencies (NPS/As)?

Yes. California NPS/As provide critical programs and related services to students with disabilities. LEAs should work collaboratively with NPS/As to ensure continuity of services, including moving to virtual platforms for service delivery to the extent feasible and appropriate. In an effort to ensure that the full continuum of placements and service delivery options remains available to students and LEAs subsequent to these unprecedented school site closures, CDE encourages LEAs to continue to use the services of NPS/As during school site closures, including distance learning options made available by NPS/As, so that NPS/As may continue to receive payment in accordance with pupils IEPs and the Master Contracts/Individual Service Agreements between LEAs and NPS/As.

5. When school sites are closed and no services or instruction are being provided for a period of time, can LEAs consider providing some special education services to some students? How should LEAs determine what services can or should be provided?

Yes. To be clear, CDE is not recommending this as an option. Consistent with Executive Order N-26-20, LEAs are continuing to receive ADA funding during school site closures so they will continue to provide services to all students, including students with disabilities. Should services be discontinued for a period of time, LEAs and IEP teams would be required to make an individualized determination as to whether compensatory services are needed once services resume.

At this uncertain time, it is imperative to keep the safety of students as the primary consideration for every decision made. As LEAs strive for equitable supports and services for students, in some exceptional situations, LEAs may need to provide certain supports and services to individual students with extensive support needs in order to maintain their mental/physical health and safety. The LEA may provide such services, even if the services are not available to all students with disabilities during a school site closure. As such, LEAs should make individualized determinations about the need to provide services to ensure the mental/physical health and safety of a student with a disability, even during a school site closure, if those services are able to be provided consistent with federal, state, and local health directives.

6. How will state and federal grants be impacted by school site closures (e.g. Alternative Dispute Resolution, Workability, Supporting Inclusive Practices, etc.)?

Federal and state grants already funded should continue with their program deliverables. In cases where grant deliverables cannot be provided, grantees should work with their CDE program and fiscal contact to determine next steps. If grants have scheduled in-person conferences, institutes, training, or workshops they should be rescheduled or delivered virtually. Any grant amendments or change in due date for expenditure reports will need to be done on a case by case basis due to the specific requirements of funding sources.

7. What is the impact of school site closures on special education monitoring timelines and processes?

At this time, the federal government has not waived the federal requirements under the IDEA. However, giventhe complex, unprecedented challenges LEAs are experiencing from the threat of COVID-19,the CDE is committed to a reasonable approach to compliance monitoring that accounts for the exceptional circumstances facing the state. If an LEA is having difficulty meeting timelines or has questions related to timelines, please contact your regional Intensive Monitoring Consultant. A list of regional consultants is available at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/qa/fmtacncnt.asp.

8. What is the impact of school site closures on state complaints and due process hearings under the IDEA?

Regarding the state complaint process, in light of widespread school site closures and the inability of LEAs to meaningfully respond to complaint investigations, the CDE will be extending current complaint investigation timelines for good cause by the length of any school site closure during the stated emergency. It is anticipated that once LEAs reopen and are available to participate in the investigation process, the 60-day timeline will recommence and both the complainant and LEA will be notified. The CDE will continue to receive complaints that allege violations of the IDEA and complainants will be notified of any delay that may impact the investigation.

Currently, California's system for due process hearings and mediation through the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) remains operational, although some processes and/or timelines may be impacted by widespread school site closures and in order to maintain compliance with federal, state, and local health directives related to COVID-19. Updated information on the impact of COVID-19 on special education due process hearings can be accessed on the OAH's website athttps://www.dgs.ca.gov/OAH/Case-Types/Special-Education/Resources/SE-Coronavirus-Update/#@ViewBag.JumpTo.

9. What is the impact on services to students with disabilities served by Part C of the IDEA?

For information related to the impact of the COVID-19 response on services to students with disabilities, ages 0 to 3, served under Part C of the IDEA, please visit the California Department of Developmental Services website athttps://www.dds.ca.gov/corona-virus-information-and-resources/

In addition, IDEA Part C and COVID-19 are addressed in guidance from the USDOE's Office of Special Education Programs, which can be accessed on the USDOE website at https://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/qa-covid-19-03-12-2020.pdf.

10. Where can I find more guidance and resources related to serving students with disabilities, distance learning, and online accessibility?

Questions: California Department of Education | 916-319-0800

Last Reviewed: Tuesday, March 29, 2022

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This page contains information pertaining to school closures and services to students with disabilities.

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Overview

With constantly evolving developments and growing uncertainties over the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), public agencies are reviewing their options to protect their workforce and constituencies, and to limit exposure and transmission. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and various California state agencies are increasingly developing and publishing resources and guidance to assist school districts, community college districts, post-secondary educational institutions, cities, counties, other municipalities, and the public in general. Among these resources and guidance are those intended to assist in addressing workforce, student body, and community care concerns. In our continued effort to equip public agencies with useful insights, following are links to several resource and guidance documents and webpages available from the federal and state governments regarding COVID-19.

Quick Links

Client News Briefs State Government Federal Government County Governments Associations

Client News Briefs

Lozano Smith Client News Briefs

California State Government

California Community Colleges

California Department of Education (CDE)

California Department of Education (CDE) and California Health and Human Services Agency (HHS)

California Department of Industrial Relations

California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH)

California Department of Finance

California Department of Pesticide Regulation

California Department of Public Health (CDPH)

California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC)

California Governor's Office

California Labor & Workforce Development Agency

California Labor Commissioner

California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS)

California State Legislature - Newly Enacted State Legislation

California State Teachers Retirement System (CALSTRS)

State of California

Federal Government

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Office of the President - The White House

United States Congress - Newly Enacted Federal Legislation

United States Department of Education

Supplemental Fact Sheet Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Preschool, Elementary and Secondary Schools While Serving Children with Disabilities

COVID-19 Information and Resources for Schools and School Personnel, containing resources on, including but not limited to:

Supplemental Fact Sheet Addressing Serving Children with Disabilities during COVID-19 national emergency (March 21, 2020)

Broad flexibilities provided to states to bypass ESSA mandated testing for the 2019-2020 school year due to COVID-19 national emergency. States education leaders can find the waiver application here (March 20, 2020)

Fact Sheet: Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Schools While Protecting the Civil Rights of Students (March 16, 2020)

OCR Short Webinar on Online Education and Website Accessibility Webinar (March 16, 2020)

CDC guidance on Considerations for School Closures (March 13, 2020)

Protecting Student Privacy: FERPA and the Coronavirus (March 12, 2020)

Questions and Answers on Providing Services to Children with Disabilities During the COVID-19 Outbreak (March 12, 2020)

Fact Sheet: Impact of COVID-19 on Assessments and Accountability under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (March 12, 2020)

CDC Interim Guidance for Administrators of US K-12 Schools and Childcare Programs: Plan, Prepare, and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (updated March 12, 2020)

The Readiness Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center website, has useful information, resources, trainings, and tools for addressing infectious diseases, related topics, and protecting the school community

USDA New information on flexibilities that will allow students to access meal service during school closures.

The Office for Civil Rights issued a Letter to Education Leaders on Preventing and Addressing potential discrimination associated with COVID-19

Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection Recommendations: Interim Recommendations for US Community Facilities with Suspected/Confirmed Coronavirus Disease

Readout of the U.S. Department of Education's COVID-19 Conference Call with K-12 Stakeholders (March 20, 2020)

United States Department of Labor

United States Department of Labor - Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

County Governments

County Public Health Orders

Associations

Association of California School Adminsitrators

California County Superintendents Educational Services Association

California School Boards Association

League of California Cities

National School Boards Association

Disclaimer: Apart from Lozano Smith Client News Briefs, these sources are not authored or approved as to content by Lozano Smith. These sources and links are subject to frequent updates as these issues are rapidly evolving. These materials and all discussions of these materials are for instructional purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. If you need legal advice, you should contact your local counsel or an attorney at Lozano Smith.

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Overview With constantly evolving developments and growing uncertainties over the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), public agencies are reviewing their options to protect their workforce and constituencies, and to limit exposure and transmission.

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Legal Updates You May Have Missed: Lozano Smith Client News Briefs

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Copyright © 2020 Lozano Smith, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list As information contained in Client News Briefs is necessarily general, its application to a particular set of facts and circumstances may vary.

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Innovations - Distance Learning & Special Ed

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Innovations - Distance Learning & Special Ed

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Distance Learning: Innovations in Special Education, April 16

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While we take action to lessen the immediate impacts of COVID-19 on our communities and our health care systems, it is also important to minimize the secondary health effects of this pandemic. Widespread stress and anxiety regarding COVID-19, compounded by the economic distress due to lost wages, employment and financial assets; mass school closures; and necessary physical distancing measures can result in an increase of stress-related health conditions.
The California Surgeon General has a simple guidewith things you can do every day, at home, to help support your mental and physical health, utilizing six key strategies:

Supportive relationships: Maintain supportive relationshipswherever you can, including virtually.

Exercise: Engage in 60 minutes of physical activity every day, if you can. It doesn't have to be all at one time.

Sleep: Get sufficient, high-quality sleep. This may be particularly hard right now, but going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day can help.

Nutrition: Ensure you are getting proper nutrition to help combat stress.

Mental health support: Resources available here.

Mindfulness: Practice mindfulness in whatever way works best for you. This could be things like meditation, yoga, or prayer for 20 minutes, two times a day.

Learn more in the California Surgeon General's Playbook: Stress Relief during COVID-19. (PDF)

Navigating Stress Management with Kids

Even for adults, it can be tough to recognize that what we feel as irritability, difficulty focusing, insomnia or changes in appetite can actually be signs that our bodies are feeling the effects of stress. For kids, no matter the age, their brains and bodies are even more vulnerable to the harmful effects of stress than adults, and most often, they aren't able recognize or verbalize it. Stress in kids may show up differently than stress in adults does. The stress relief playbook can help you understand what to look out for and what you can do to protect your family's health. Included in this guide:

Keeping an eye out for stress in kids.

Planning tools to reduce stress for kids.

Strategies for stress reduction.

Learn more in the California Surgeon General's Playbook: Stress Relief for Caregivers and Kids during COVID-19. (PDF)

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While we take action to lessen the immediate impacts of COVID-19 on our communities and our health care systems, it is also important to minimize the secondary health effects of this pandemic. Widespread stress and anxiety regarding COVID-19, compounded by the economic distress due to lost wages, employment and financial assets; mass school closures; and [...]

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Educators' stress is skyrocketing during pandemic

Stress isn't new to teachers, but what they're experiencing now makes their typical stress seem like a picnic. Driven by a pandemic to the front lines of an unprecedented rush to distance-learning, the nation's teachers are scrambling to manage an armful of new challenges. And they're exhausted.

That exhaustion emerges from a tangle of dynamics. Teachers are grappling with unfamiliar technologies. They have to retrofit-or reinvent-their lessons and find new ways to do familiar things, like grading homework. They're inundated with emails, texts, and calls from principals, parents, and students. They're trying to "be there" for students and their families. And many are also juggling the needs of their own children or other loved ones while managing their own coronavirus fears.

Amy Pollington, a kindergarten teacher at Saint George School, a private K-8 in Seattle, didn't mince words when she described her first week of distance-teaching.

"By the fourth day, I started to have a panic attack," she said. "I hadn't slept. I was feeling like the walls were coming in on me."

Sitting there in a living room chair, her $6 Amazon classroom-backdrop poster taped up behind her, Pollington had to shut down her laptop and her phone to regain her composure. She was trying so hard to "give 150 percent, to be there every moment of the day and night" for her families. But she had to stop. Just for a few minutes.

She isn't alone. In interviews with Education Week, teachers described staying up until 2 or 3 a.m., answering emails, trouble-shooting technology or planning lessons. They can't seem to shut it off. Papers are strewn across their living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms. And on top of the stress and exhaustion, they're grieving.

"I'm sorry I'm crying, but just to be with them, their little faces, every day, in person, I miss that so much," said Angie Shaw, who teaches 1st grade at Longfellow Elementary in Scottsbluff, Neb.

She aches for the familiar routines and rituals of her brick-and-mortar school day and how she knew every loose tooth, every hurt feeling, in her students' lives. Shaw holds a weekly evening circle time on Zoom, but she can't get the kind of connection she's used to with each student.

A New Level of Multitasking

One of Rana El Yousef's recent days illustrates the complexities that teachers are now managing. El Yousef, a high school chemistry teacher in Glendora, Calif., multitasked during her morning dog-walk, using it as her twin 9-year-old sons' "recess" and as a quick tutorial in writing and fractions so they could get started on their teacher's assignments.

Home again, she made the boys breakfast and got them logged onto their Chromebooks. Then El Yousef tackled a brimming inbox, scanning each email's demands: There's a science department Zoom meeting at 2 p.m., as well as her sons' 3rd grade Zoom meeting. There's another Zoom meeting at 3 p.m. for honors and Advanced Placement teachers.

It's hours before she can get to her own students, and the emails were flooding in. El Yousef had posted YouTube videos with lessons and worksheets, and a do-at-home science experiment and a Google quiz. Students were asking: How do I answer this lab question? How do I submit my answers? Between emails, she graded her AP students' practice quizzes and surveyed her students about their online access. And there's the small matter of planning new lessons, too.

"I've been staring at a computer for eight solid hours, my eyes are strained, my shoulders are tense, and I have to keep reminding myself, all this is new, and we are all learning, and it will get easier, I hope," El Yousef said.

Teachers also feel caught between their students and families, who are overflowing with questions, and their principals who often can't provide answers yet.

"Families are asking, what is grading going to look like? What are they going to base promotion on? And we don't know yet," said Theresa Bruce, who teaches 8th grade social studies at the KIPP-Harmony School in Baltimore. "We're used to being able to quickly get answers for our parents. But not being able to answer, it plagues your mind."

Haunted by the No-Shows

Bruce and her students are more comfortable than many with technology-based instruction, since their school is a blended-learning environment, with 1-to-1 computing. Even still, teaching from home is a massive and difficult change, she said. Among other things, she's lost the cues that she can pick up only from seeing her students in person, she said.

"When I'm with them, I can see what's really going on with them," she said. "But digitally, they can hide it: their joy. Their depression. Anybody can put their game face on for an hour on Zoom."

Bruce is haunted by the ones who aren't signing on for virtual sessions. In the past, she wouldn't hesitate to call home if a child missed class. But now, with parents losing jobs, or maybe caring for ill relatives, Bruce isn't sure if a call is too intrusive. She agonizes: "Should I reach out? Is that too much?"

Teachers report that simple things take much longer as they get used to working with online tools. Ayako Anderson, who teaches Japanese to high school students at three schools in the Boston suburbs, said that just noting an incorrect verb conjugation on a student's paper recently required a laborious process of zooming in and out on her iPad, switching cursors and forming one word with a scratchy red scrawl.

In a brick-and-mortar world, she'd be able to make more extensive comments quickly, with a pen on paper. But she recognizes that adapting paper practices to computer can itself be inefficient. One of the schools where she teaches is 100 percent virtual, and its systems and processes are designed for online learning, so they work better, she said.

Teaching from home comes with another risk: too little physical activity. Teachers said they're worn out from sitting still in front of a computer so much. "My body aches from sitting for hours on end," said Shaw. Anderson said that since she doesn't need to "walk from classroom to classroom anymore, or walk to lunch," she finds herself sitting endlessly, working until the hours blur and it's 3 a.m.

Trying to Go From Zero to 60

Experts in online learning, and in grief and stress, say none of what teachers are experiencing is surprising. Susan Patrick, the CEO of the Aurora Institute, a nonprofit that supports districts with virtual learning, said it's impossible to do full-scale distance-learning instantly.

"There's a reason districts and schools take one to two years planning time," she said. "You can't go from zero to 60 in 24 hours if you don't have the processes and structures in place."

Michael Barbour, who focuses on virtual learning as an associate professor of education at Touro University California, said research shows that preparing lessons for distance-learning can be more time-consuming than for brick-and-mortar settings. Plans for live-or synchronous-sessions can take up to three times as long, he said, and plans for asynchronous lessons can take as much as five to eight times longer.

Experts said teachers and those around them shouldn't discount the emotional toll that the sudden shift to home teaching is taking on them.

"Being asked to suddenly do something you're not skilled in, coping with the worry about coronavirus in their own lives, feeling they're not doing enough for kids and parents, plus their fears about next fall, and how their students and families could really be suffering mentally and financially then, all of that piles up into an amazing amount of stress," said Kathleen Minke, the executive director of the National Association of School Psychologists.

Teachers' experience of grief is going unacknowledged, too, as exhaustion and stress take a higher profile, experts said. That can produce a phenomenon known as "disenfranchised grief"-a grief that's tougher because it's not acknowledged and accepted, said Kenneth Doka, a psychologist who specializes in grief.

"It could be hard for teachers to feel they can complain about the loss of not seeing their students, when they know people out there are dying," Doka said. "But that lack of recognition leads to [a] more complicated [form of] grief."

The combination of stress and grief can produce brain changes that make the already-stressful job of teaching even tougher, said Patricia A. Jennings, a professor of education at the University of Virginia and an expert in teacher stress. The sudden shift to the new demands of home teaching, laced with fears about coronavirus, blend into a kind of trauma that can shift the brain from higher-order thinking skills into survival mode.

"We might shut down a bit, space out, dissociate, or check out because we can't cope very well," Jennings said. "We might also get into a kind of hypervigilance, where we're constantly checking emails or news developments, and it's hard to concentrate."

Little by little, though, teachers are finding ways to adapt. Anderson, in Massachusetts, now sketches her daily schedule out in Google Calendar, to help her build clearer beginnings and endings into her work hours. With her district's blessing, Pollington, in Seattle, now sends home lesson plans every other day, instead of daily.

In her first home-teaching days, Pollington woke up anxious and disorganized. Should she check email first or feed the dogs? She rushed to answer every email right away. Now, each morning she turns on her computer, feeds the dogs and makes coffee. Then she responds to students' work on the video app Flipgrid. She gives herself 24 hours to respond to emails. She still forgets to eat lunch, but she's working on that. She tries to stop working at 4 p.m. And she tries not to feel guilty about it.

Bruce encourages teachers to "give themselves the grace they need" to set realistic goals and take care of themselves. Try actually scheduling time in each day for something that brings you joy, she said.

"Like anything, the first year is tough, but over time, you learn and adapt," Bruce said. "You're gonna regroup. You're gonna recover."

Published in Print: April 29, 2020, as Remote Teaching: 'I Started to Have a Panic Attack'

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Exhausted and Grieving: Teaching During the Coronavirus Crisis

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Stress isn't new to teachers, but what they're experiencing now makes their typical stress seem like a picnic. Driven by a pandemic to the front lines of an unprecedented rush to distance-learning, the nation's teachers are scrambling to manage an armful of new challenges. And they're exhausted.

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Access free AFIRM online modules and resources for each of the 27 evidence-based practices

identified by the National Professional Development Center
on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Sign up now.

Free COVID-19 Toolkit:

Free resources for supporting children and youth with ASD during uncertain times such as COVID-19 social narratives, hand washing task analysis, and calming strategies.

Earn a free professional development certificate

for completing each EBP module

Learn with AFIRM

through engaging case examples, videos, and interactive assessments

Download resources and materials

that support your use of EBPs with children and youth with ASD

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Access free AFIRM online modules and resources for each of the 27 evidence-based practices identified by the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Sign up now. Free COVID-19 Toolkit: Free resources for supporting children and youth with ASD during uncertain times such as COVID-19 social narratives, hand washing task analysis, and calming strategies.

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Please email us for our 2019-2020 Professional Development Offerings Menu

After your training, please take a moment to help us improve by providing your Feedback.

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Professional Development - Shasta County Office of Education

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Please email us for our 2019-2020 Professional Development Offerings Menu After your training, please take a moment to help us improve by providing your Feedback. If you would like to receive our newsletter, please sign up here: Newsletter Sign Up.

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Resources on this page are provided by educators and families from around the world. We are collaborating to support the needs of students with significant disabilities during the COVID 19 pandemic. These materials are open source and may be adapted to fit your child or student's need. They may not be used for purchase.

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Distance Learning for Special Education - Online Resources

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Resources on this page are provided by educators and families from around the world. We are collaborating to support the needs of students with significant disabilities during the COVID 19 pandemic. These materials are open source and may be adapted to fit your child or student's need.

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Teachers can share ideas online for serving students with disabilities during the pandemic

Alison Yin/EdSource

Alison Yin/EdSource

To help teachers better serve special education students during the school closures, a coalition of more than 30 disability and education groups has created a digital one-stop shop of teaching resources.

EducatingAllLearners.org includes specific guidance on how teachers can deliver lessons online to students in special education, which has been a challenge as schools transition to online learning during the coronavirus pandemic. Special education students include those with physical disabilities, emotional challenges and dyslexia.

"There are so many resource lists out there. Teachers are overwhelmed. Parents are overwhelmed. It's link after link after link," said Lindsay Jones, president of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., one of the groups that created the website. "So we gathered experts to research relevant, evidence-based, useful tips and resources," she said. "Basically, our criterion was, does it work?"

Launched Wednesday, the site is free and available to anyone, although it's aimed at special education teachers and general education teachers who have students with special needs in their classes. It includes brief, vetted lists of online teaching tools, like videos and lesson plans from NASA and National Geographic; advice in multiple languages on how to support students with autism; tips on how to provide speech therapy online; and first-person accounts from teachers on how they solved specific problems.

But among the most important offerings, Jones said, is guidance for conducting online meetings with parents to discuss a student's Individualized Education Program, or IEP, the federally required education roadmap for each student enrolled in special education. These meetings had been a challenge for some teachers because the shift to online learning has meant that IEPs must be updated, and parents need to agree to the changes. Also, not all parents have computers at home.

Another critical resource, Jones said, is a list of tips for general education teachers, who might have overlooked steps to help special education students, such as using large fonts and high-contrast lighting during online classes and turning on closed captions when showing videos.

That's important because 60 percent of special education students spend 80 percent of their time in general education classes, Jones said.

The site will be updated regularly, and teachers can contribute their own ideas, Jones said, describing it as "the ultimate crowd-sourcing activity. We want to share what's working, in real time."

A resource like EducatingAllLearners.org is sorely needed, said Kathleen Mortier, an assistant professor in San Francisco State University's Department of Special Education.

"This will be a great resource," she said. "Special education teachers have been amazing at developing new materials and at finding ways to give their students access to learning every day, and they'll be very happy that there is a way to share materials on this website."

The site should also help bring some level of equity to special education during the school closures, she said. While school districts are hammering out online learning systems for all students, special education teachers face unique challenges connecting virtually with students who have highly individual needs.

"It will be wonderful that those teachers will be able to benefit from the distance learning materials and ideas that have already been developed by other teachers," Mortier said.

Many students in special education already lag behind their peers academically, an achievement gap that is expected to widen during the school closures, Jones said.

"That's our biggest fear," she said. "That's why it's so important we keep engaging, keep pushing forward, keep trying."

Among the groups who are supporting the website are WestEd, a nonprofit education research firm; Digital Promise, a technology education initiative launched by President Obama; the Council of Chief State School Officers and the Autism Society.

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New website offers tips for teachers about virtual special education

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Alison Yin/EdSource Alison Yin/EdSource To help teachers better serve special education students during the school closures, a coalition of more than 30 disability and education groups has created a digital one-stop shop of teaching resources.

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Resource Library for Special Education Teachers

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Resource Library for Special Education Teachers

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EDUCATING ALL LEARNERS DURING THE COVID-19 DISASTER

An alliance dedicated to equity for complex learners

The Educating All Learners Alliance is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability. This site was created rapidly to respond to the immediate needs of educators during the COVID-19 crisis, and we are in the process of redesigning certain elements to fully meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0, Level AA) published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

We are committed to continuous improvement. Our full accessibility statement is available on the menu button in the upper right-hand corner. If you have any challenges accessing this site, please contact and we will work with you to identify an alternative way to share the site's content.

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EDUCATING ALL LEARNERS DURING THE COVID-19 DISASTER An alliance dedicated to equity for complex learners The Educating All Learners Alliance is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

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how to make a microsoft teams meeting for students - Google Search

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Sending information to students and other participants before a meeting. Click the Join Using Microsoft Teams link below to enter your virtual classroom. Mute your microphone and keep your video turned off when joining. Select the Join button to join the meeting. To open the chat side panel, click the Chat icon.

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how to create a google hangout meeting for kids - Google Search

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A video meeting for education · Pin, mute, or remove Google ...