South Orangetown Central School District

SPECIAL EDUCATION

Considerations for Reopening

The extended school closures have had a significant impact on the education of students, and it is widely recognized that students with disabilities experienced increased distress and negative educational consequences due to the changes in instructional methods and requirements. The SOCSD re-entry plan has strategically developed a plan that will meet the needs of all of our students and our addresses the provision of free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least-restrictive environment (LRE) consistent with the need to protect the health and safety of students with disabilities and those providing special education and services.

We will continue to meet all requirements for initials and child find. Evaluations will be conducted in-person whenever possible. CSE/CPSE meetings will convene virtually. We will continue to provide the procedural safeguards notice to parents as well as provide parents with prior written notice.

Special Education Program and Services

Students with IEPs in grades K-12 will attend school on a 50% basis and receive services according to their plans. Space permitting, on their off-weeks, IEP students in grades K-12 will be provided with an extended learning space to receive synchronous instruction and in-person program accommodations and related services according to their plan.

Medically Fragile Students

Students who are identified as medically fragile may require adjustments to their transportation plan and their program. Based on parental and medical recommendations, these students may remain home for remote learning. When necessary, the Committee on Special Education will convene to adjust the IEP of these individual students.

IEP Implementation and Processes

Our plan continues to use a virtual platform to engage parents in CSE and CPSE meetings. When necessary, translation services are provided both in written documentation and in-person meetings. Our district reopening plan addresses the ongoing collaboration between the committees on preschool special education (CPSE) and committees on special education (CSE) and program providers representing the variety of settings where students are served to ensure there is an understanding of the provision of services consistent with the recommendations on/individualized education programs/(IEPs), plans for monitoring and communicating student progress, and commitment to sharing resources. Our reopening plan was developed to meet the needs of each individual student in a safe and confidential manner. We built this plan to ensure access to the necessary accommodations, modifications, supplementary aids and services, and technology (including assistive technology) and to meet the unique disability related needs of students.

As needed, the Committee on Special Education will convene to engage parents and the staff in adjusting the IEP for any student who requires a change. We will hold these meetings virtually and when necessary provide translation services to ensure full parent engagement in the process.

Documentation Requirements

Students with IEPs in grades K-12 will attend school on a 50% basis and receive services according to their plans. Space permitting, on their off-weeks, IEP students in grades K-12 will be provided with a supervised learning space to receive synchronous instruction and in-person program accommodations and related services according to their plan.

When necessary, CSE meetings will convene to adjust programs, supports and/or related services for any students who require adjustments to meet their individual needs. All documentation related to these decisions will be maintained in the document repository in IEP direct. Individual goals, progress monitoring data and progress reports will also be maintained by each case manager/teacher and be captured into the progress reports for parent communication and future CPSE/ CSE teams. As a district, we will continue to use both formative assessment and summative assessments. We will be gathering data on an ongoing basis to monitor and document student progress on both the student goals and academic growth. Once returning to school, a need for compensatory services will be assessed and we will work with parents throughout this process. When a parent requires translators to have meaningful participation in the CPSE/CSE process, one will be provided.

Additional Resources
NYSED Special Education
Parent to Parent NYS