Special Education During COVID

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set up and updates a website with information and guidance for schools and child cares on COVID guidelines.

Education Task Force Statement of Principles for In Person, Remote, and Hybrid Elementary and Secondary Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic document

The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center has provided information and guidance on IDEA Part C, regarding early intervention special education services during the COVID response.

5 Things to Know about COVID-19 School Closures and Students with Disabilities

Publication on Restarting and Reinventing School Learning in the Time of COVID and Beyond (8/2020)

2020-2021 School Reopening Principles

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has released several documents to provide guidance on the provision of special education services during the pandemic.

• Q&A: Implementing Parts B and C (March, 2020)

• Q&A: additional guidance regarding assessments and Part C (July 6, 2020).

• OSEP also collected a database of resources on continuity of learning during COVID

The Pennsylvania Department of Education put out a frequently asked questions (FAQ) regarding services during COVID (2020)

• Special education and pre-school early intervention evaluations and virtual assessment guidance

• Resources for Schools

• Guidance on Compensatory Services (6/2021)

• General Link to COVID Updates from the PDE Bureau of Special Education

• On June 30, 2021, Governor Tom Wolf signed Act 66 of 2021 (Act 66) into law. Act 66 permits students that were enrolled during the 2020-21 school year to repeat their grade level in an effort to make up for any lost educational opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, even if the student met the requirements to be promoted to the next grade level. Parents/guardians and students, at or over the age of 18, have until July 15, 2021, to elect to have their child or themselves repeat a grade level for the 2021-22 school year.  

• Attendance of students with disabilities guidance

TIES Center developed a module outlining how to build engagement with distance learning.

US Department of Education set up a web site of COVID-19 resources for schools, students, and families. 

• In addition, they published the Strategies for Safely Reopening Elementary and Secondary Schools (volume 1, Feb. 2021)

• Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All Students' Needs (volume 2, August, 2021).

• The federal government provided clarification regarding special education services during the COVID responses and this document can be found at: Questions and Answers on Providing Services to Children with Disabilities During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak (March, 2020)