What Parents Think about Special Education During
COVID-19 School Closures
July 2, 2020


Good Thursday morning.

A few weeks ago, we invited you to participate in a survey a bout your child's special education program after COVID-19 closed the schools.

The results are in!

In this issue of The Special Ed Advocate, we will ...
  • examine the results of the Parent Survey on Special Education,
  • introduce a new book, Wrightslaw: Special Education Legal Developments and Cases 2019, that will be available next week, and
  • share guidance from the USDOE about procedural safeguards during COVID-19 school closures.

Today's newsletter is 437 words, a 1.5 -minute read.

A few weeks ago, we asked you to take a survey about your child's special education program after COVID-19 closed schools.

The results are in!

You are among 3,263 parents who responded from 49 states and the District of Columbia. You answered 11 survey questions and wrote nearly 10,000 comments!

You answered questions about:
  • IEP meetings,
  • how the school provided your child's special education,
  • your views of the difference forms of distance learning, and
  • your suggestions about how to improve distance learning.

When you read What Parents Think about Special Education During COVID-19 School Closures, you'll see that parents' experiences with special education during the COVID-19 school closures are strikingly different.

Attention: Attorneys, Advocates, Curious Parents and Legal Junkies

The new edition of our annual year-in-review book, Special Education Legal Developments and Cases 2019, will be available next week.

Wrightslaw: Special Education Legal Developments and Cases 2019 includes all IDEA and Section 504/ADA special education decisions issued by U.S. Courts of Appeals in 2019.


When you read these cases, you'll learn about:
  • a third-year medical student whose request for accommodations for the Medical Licensing Examination was denied;
  • a child with Down Syndrome who was expelled by her day care center because she was not toilet trained;
  • a child with gluten allergies, who, on a school field trip, was forced to eat his homemade food outside, apart from his classmates;
  • and many more.

Wrightslaw: Special Education Legal Developments and Cases 2019 is the fifth in the series of Wrightslaw year-in-review e-books (PDF) and will be available as an immediate download.

The Wrightslaw Year in Review Series Bundle that includes the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 books was $64.60, but is n ow $49.95 as an immediate download.

You'll find more Great Deals in the Wrightslaw Store!
Education Department Issues Guidance on IDEA Procedural Safeguards During COVID-19
On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) published two new guidance documents to answer questions about how to implement IDEA procedural safeguards during the COVID-19 school closures.

Issues in the guidance for Part B of the IDEA include:
  • Parental Consent (acceptance of electronic or digital signatures)
  • Prior Written Notice
  • Procedural Safeguards Notice
  • Access to Education Records

Link: https://www.wrightslaw.com/law/osep/2020.06.partb.proced.safegds.pdf

Issues in the guidance for Part C (Early Intervention) of the IDEA include:
  • Parental Consent (acceptance of electronic or digital signatures)
  • Prior Written Notice and Procedural Safeguards Notice
  • Access to Early Intervention Records

Link: https://www.wrightslaw.com/law/osep/2020.06.partc.proced.safeguards.pdf