Special Ed COVID update BOE

Special Education Update
                                  COVID-19 Impact
                              Board of Education Meeting

       I would like to begin my presentation by, first and foremost, saying how incredibly proud
we are of the special education and related service personnel who we are honored and
humbled to lead. I can say without any doubt that each and every one of them has risen to this
challenge and surpassed any and all of the expectations that Rebecca and I could have had for
them. Each and every day, we are continually in awe of their creativity, their compassion, their
professionalism and their dedication to the children and families of Colchester. Not a day goes
by that one of them doesn’t share a video, a photo, a message or a story of how they have
connected with a student, taught a new skill, provided a family with support or simply brightened
the day of a student. The time and effort that they are putting in each and every day is
exceptional and is certainly recognized and appreciated.

       Since the closure of school, special education teachers and related service providers,
including paraprofessionals, have been servicing students remotely. They have worked with
families to establish a consistent means of communication, to develop a schedule for their child
and to provide students with synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities. The
department’s priority has been to work collaboratively with families, recognizing each family’s
needs during this uncertain time. Special education teachers and related service personnel are
working directly with students, collaborating with general education colleagues and consulting
with parents while providing social-emotional/counseling services to students.


What does online learning “look like” for students with disabilities in
Colchester?

       It is impossible to summarize and list all of the work that our staff are doing with students
on Individual Education Plans (IEPs). Our staff have adapted very specialized instructional
methodologies, communication systems, positive behavioral support programs, individualized
therapies, and social-emotional supports to a digital platform virtually overnight. Below is but a
brief example of what is happening each and every day.

-virtual story time, sing-alongs, morning meetings and small group and individual lessons in
preschool

-1:1 and small-group speech-language, occupational therapy and physical therapy sessions
throughout the district
-Special education and general education teachers collaborating to ensure that students’
accommodations and modifications are implemented at all grade levels

-1:1 counseling sessions with school psychologists and school social workers

-small group social skills lessons with school psychologists and school social workers

-1:1 and small group instruction provided by special education teachers addressing students’
IEP goals and benchmarks

-Virtual job shadowing, daily living skills and functional academic skills activities with students

-Paraprofessionals checking in each morning with students, joining in Google classroom
lessons to support students, reinforcing new skills in small group meets, establishing “office
hours” during which time students can receive extra help, reading stories to students…...



         Special Education teachers and related service personnel are meeting weekly with
district administrators in order to review state and district updates and to address any
challenges that have emerged over the week. Related service personnel and special education
teachers have continued to meet as Professional Learning Communities in order to share
successful practices and increase their remote teaching capacities by learning and sharing with
one another.

       Upon the receipt of new state and legal guidance this week, the district has begun to
hold remote Planning and Placement Team Meetings for any student who is due for an annual
review meeting or who has missed a meeting due to the COVID-19 school closure. Parents
are being given the option of holding the meeting this school year, if they are comfortable doing
so remotely, or waiting until we resume school if that better suits their needs as a family. For
those students who were due for re-evaluations or for initial evaluations, those evaluations have
been paused until we again have access to students.

         Since the start of remote learning special education staff have been documenting each
and every learning activity that has been provided to students along with the ongoing
communication that they are having with each student and family. The special education
department continues to reach out to families, at least on a weekly basis, in order to assess
what each student and what each family needs during this difficult time. The district recognizes
that, for some of these students, the loss of face to face instruction will have a significantly
greater impact than for those students who do not have special learning needs. The district will
work with staff and families to develop plans for those students who have been significantly
impacted. These students will be provided with the appropriate services to target the areas of
need that have arisen as a result of this extended school closure.
       At this time, we are planning for both in-person and virtual Extended School Year
Services which will run from July 6th through August 7th. We continue to monitor ongoing state
and legal guidance, make appropriate adjustments and implement programming for our
students to the greatest degree possible given these challenging circumstances.