April 3, 2020

I know we are living in an unprecedented time right now, and many of you have concerns about your children’s IEP meetings and services.  Per guidance released by the Illinois State Board of Education on March 18, 2020, schools should continue to observe all relevant IEP timelines during the statewide school closure. In addition, guidance released by the United States Department of Education in March 2020 stated that during school closures, special education instruction and related services may be provided as online or virtual instruction, instructional telephone calls, and other curriculum-based instructional activities. 

At this time, we will continue to hold IEP meetings through the videoconferencing service Zoom.  You will receive an email with a link to the Zoom meeting before your child’s meeting. In addition, special education instruction and related services such as speech will continue to be provided through alternative means including but not limited to phone calls, online activities, paper packets, and videoconferencing services such as Zoom and Google.  In regard to group services provided via telephone or videoconferencing, I would like you to be aware of the following:

• If possible, it is important to be in a quiet space that is free of distractions (including cell phone or other devices) during the sessions.  For older students, parents are not required to be present during instruction or therapy but younger students may need help from adults when joining meetings and in order to stay engaged.
• Confidentiality still applies for these services, and staff will not record the sessions.  Although other parents agree that they will not record the sessions prior to their child participating, it is possible that parents/students will still do so, as we have no means to control what third parties will do at a remote location. If you do not want your child to receive group services via telephone or video- conference, please email me at any time.  If you do not consent, your child’s IEP team, including you, will decide whether and to what extent these group services will be made up at another time.  If you do not email me, your consent for these services will be implied. By not responding to this email, you are also agreeing that neither you nor anyone in your household will record any group sessions.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s IEP meeting or services or how to help your child during this time.

Lacey Anderson, Director of Special Services

landerson@sd60c.org