We have successfully implemented best practices and recommendations for addressing the risks it presents for special needs programming. Please click here to download our school reentry plan and Covid-19 risk mitigation plan. Indeed, we have been at the vanguard of operating in-person special needs services for challenged children who could not access the medically necessary therapies they needed remotely to remain safe and healthy.
Simultaneously, our team built the most robust and heavily supported remote learning education schedule of any special needs school in our region and implemented it for those children for whom remote learning remained a viable option. We offered our remote curriculum for those children classified as medically fragile who could not receive services in-person until more recently. For these reasons, we offer the best chance for our population to maintain their programming and progress.
Wading into the contentious debate over reopening schools, an influential committee of scientists and educators recommended that, wherever possible, younger children and those with special needs should attend school in person.
Every child and adolescent with a disability is entitled to a free and appropriate education and is entitled to special education services based on their individualized education program (IEP). Students receiving special education services may be more negatively affected by distance-learning and may be disproportionately impacted by interruptions in regular education. It may not be feasible, depending on the needs of the individual child and adolescent, to adhere both to distancing guidelines and the criteria outlined in a specific IEP. Attempts to meet physical distancing guidelines should meet the needs of the individual child and may require creative solutions, often on a case-by-case basis.