06/24/2020
John Eisenberg
NASDSE is pleased to announce the release of a new issue brief entitled "A Successful Launch of the 2020-2021 School Year for Students with Disabilities". The purpose of this brief is to assist state directors of special education and their state special education staff in planning for a successful return of students with disabilities into public school settings post COVID-19. This brief highlights the issues faced by the state and local education leaders on topics such as education continuity services, recovery services, IEP services/supports, and compensatory education. It also highlights some of the things state departments of education should do to ensure that local school systems can successfully provide support and services to students with disabilities upon return after the COVID-19 pandemic.
As state and local education leaders look ahead to the 2020-2021 school year, and all the unknowns it may bring, it is important that leaders stay focused on creating a nimble and adaptable process for assessing the needs of all students with disabilities and reviewing and revising the special education and related services and supports to ensure a successful start to the coming 2020-21 school year. State directors of special education play a critical role in leading their state agencies and local school systems through this planning and supporting IEP teams to meet the needs of students with disabilities. NASDSE is committed to supporting its members with building cohesive structures that ensure all students with disabilities have their needs assessed and addressed and are ready to begin the 2020-2021 school year with a clear plan for how their learning needs will be effectively supported, regardless of additional waves of COVID-19
The document can be found at the following link:
http://www.nasdse.org/docs/NASDSE_20-21__Launch_Document_.pdf 