Following are some important resources and sources of information for parents of students with disabilities in Cambridge.
Federation for Children with Special Needs
The Federation for Children With Special Needs has extensive resources for parents of students with disabilities – including distance learning resources and information about students’ legal rights while school buildings are closed. Some key guidance from this website is directly linked below.
“How a district will provide FAPE will look different during this unprecedented period of national and state emergency. While ensuring the health and safety of students and educators is a priority, it may not be feasible during the current period of school closures to provide, for example, hands-on physical therapy, occupational therapy, or tactile sign language services. However, many specialized instructional opportunities and related services may be modified to be effectively provided by sending resources and supports
to students or online or telephonically. Such forms of specialized instruction may include, for instance, accessible reading materials, speech and language services through video conferencing, and videos with accurate captioning. Moreover, districts may continue to implement many of the accommodations on a student’s IEP, such as extensions of time for assignments, large print, and use of speech-to-text and other assistive technology.”
Department of Elementary & Secondary Education – Guidance to Special Education Leaders
- Begin services as soon as you can; add more over time
- IEP amendments are not required
- Online or virtual remote learning in this emergency is considered an alternate mode of instructional delivery
- Give written notice to parents of remote learning plans – what to expect and how services will be delivered
- Send email or correspondence to documenting services, accommodations, and modes of delivery – could use N1
- Let parents know who to contact with questions