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ERIC Number: ED604936
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Mar-21
Pages: 5
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Supplemental Fact Sheet: Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Preschool, Elementary and Secondary Schools While Serving Children with Disabilities
Office for Civil Rights, US Department of Education
In this supplemental fact sheet, the Department of Education (the Department) reminds educators in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic that they should not opt to close or decline to provide distance instruction, at the expense of students, to address matters pertaining to services for students with disabilities. Rather, school systems must make local decisions that take into consideration the health, safety, and well-being of all their students and staff. Ensuring compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504), and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act should not prevent any school from offering educational programs through distance instruction. School districts must provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) consistent with the need to protect the health and safety of students with disabilities and those individuals providing education, specialized instruction, and related services to these students. It is important to emphasize that 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. The Department encourages parents, educators, and administrators to collaborate creatively to continue to meet the needs of students with disabilities. It stands ready to offer guidance, technical assistance, and information on any available flexibility, within the confines of the law, to ensure that all students, including students with disabilities, continue receiving excellent education during this difficult time. [For the Fact Sheet, see ED604938.]
Office for Civil Rights, US Department of Education. Available from: ED Pubs. P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Tel: 800-421-3481; Fax: 202-453-6012; e-mail: OCR@ed.gov; Web site: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html?src=oc
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive; Guides - Non-Classroom
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Department of Education (ED), Office for Civil Rights (OCR); Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (ED)
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Rehabilitation Act 1973 (Section 504); Americans with Disabilities Act 1990; Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A