P177Q
The Robin Sue Ward School

Frequently Asked Questions

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Q: For IEPs in process, can students go to schools to meet with school psychologist and/or teachers for reevaluations/initial evaluations?

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A: During the school closure, students cannot meet in person with school psychologists and/or teachers. The Office of Supervisors of School Psychologists is looking into possibilities of remote administration of assessments. Procedures will be forthcoming.

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Q: What will be the expectation for IEP meetings while schools are closed?  Are teachers expected to conduct meetings remotely?

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A: Schools will develop Special Education Remote Learning Plans for students with IEPs, which will address how they will be served remotely during the school closure. Special education teachers or other knowledgeable staff will develop these plans in consultation with the student's related services provider(s). Schools are expected to develop these plans, upload them to SESIS, send them to parents, and discuss them with parents, by Friday to ensure remote services can be provided beginning Monday March 23.

For all upcoming IEP meetings, parents and other team members should participate by teleconference using the Microsoft Teams application. All IEP team members should be given access to all documents that will be reviewed in advance of the meeting.

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Q: How can parent signatures be recorded during virtual IEP conferences?

A: During this period of school closures, IEP meetings should be conducted using the Microsoft Teams application. To record parent's participation in the IEP meeting, the team will record a "T" next to the parent's name on the attendance sheet.

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Q: Will we still be held to the deadlines for annual or tri-annual IEPs?

A: We expect IEP deadlines to be met for annual IEP meetings and for those meetings to be conducted remotely. For evaluations, including three-year mandated reevaluations, the Office of Supervisors of School Psychologists is looking into the possibilities of remote administration of assessments. To the extent assessments cannot be administered remotely, or parents do not consent to remote administration of assessments, IEP teams should record the reason for delay.

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Q: How will students with IEPs be supported in the ICT classrooms? Will two teachers work in each online ICT classroom? 

A: Planning and delivering instruction collaboratively is possible in the DOE-recommended platforms, Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams. Co-teachers should work together to set up access and perform teacher tasks.

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Q: D75 schools - there are of course a lot of questions of how to adapt online learning for students with IEPs and who have OT/PT? Is there guidance yet we can share for parents around how this will look, or what they should keep in mind? And does DOE have any partner/organizational resources we can share for parents who are looking for more support?

A: We are working to develop guidance for adapting learning for all students with IEPs, including students in D75 programs. We will also be providing guidance to families on how to access the instruction and tele-therapy.

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For related services, including OT and PT (when these services can be appropriately provided through tele-therapy), we are developing resources that providers can use when considering how to provide the therapy. We also expect providers to have at least one contact with the family of each student on their caseload weekly, even if it has been determined that tele-therapy services are not appropriate for the student. This contact will provide an opportunity for the provider to connect with the student's family and provide additional therapeutic strategies that families can use if needed.

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Q: Working with student with disabilities, some of my students don’t know how to use computers. What are some steps that will be put in place to help these students? Can families access Tech support?

A: Our teams are generating modules and instructional resources for student readiness. These materials include guidance for students and their families on how to participate in a remote session. We are awaiting confirmation from DIIT on the availability of Tech support for parents/families.

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Q: Speech pathologists on shared campuses serve many students. Is there a recommendation for one point school to train the speech pathologist on use of Teams to continue speech services?

A: Itinerant therapists may receive this guidance from any school, but the responsibility lies with their payroll school.  Speech, OT, and PT providers have received detailed instructions, and will be receiving support from their supervisors.