Our Big News Yesterday - Special Education in California
Well, parents of children with IEPs (myself included) in California have finally heard the news we have all been wondering about. School is closed for the rest of the year, as our governor yesterday told us to expect. If your particular district has not sent out a notice about this, you should expect it soon. I certainly didn’t expect to homeschool this year (!), so I certainly feel your pain.
If you have any special education contacts for your district, you should reach out to them now about any upcoming meetings, IEPs or assessments that you have pending. If you simply are wondering what is going on with your child’s IEP and how it is going to be implemented at home and have not heard from your district and need to consult with me, you can click this link to schedule quick call to discuss your individual concerns. And finally, if you have hired our office, we have already been in touch about any of your pending meetings and have been reaching out to your district and as soon as we know something, you will know.
All districts are scrambling at this time and may or may not have come up with how they are going to handle this just yet. But - and I hate to be the bearer of bad news - it could be that they are expecting there to be IDEA waivers:
In a nutshell, the CARES Act which was passed last week also includes a provision allowing Secretary De Vos to report to Congress within 30 days of any waivers on IDEA that will be needed during this time period. Many states are now urging De Vos to pause timeline requirements at this time, which means all timelines would cease from date schools officially closed to 45 days after regular in-person school resumes.
This is a big deal. A waiver would halt initial evaluations, IEP timelines, complaint timelines and more. I am urging each of you to please contact your representatives about this and tell them NO IDEA waivers.
A detailed press release from COPAA, along with links to find your representatives, is here: https://www.copaa.org/news/498851/Our-Kids-Count-Tell-Congress-NO-IDEA-WAIVERS.htm
Finding me in other ways
Some of you know I am a former radio show host, community radio board member, and also had a special ed podcast when I was a special ed advocate (link is to archived podcasts/interviews).
Since we are all HOME, I will be hosting informal special education and estate planning talks with local advocates - and most importantly, parents like yourself. Some of it will be related to the legalities of what is going on, but most of it will be practical tips and us answering pertinent questions you send in.
Please make sure you follow GPS Law Office, PC on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram so you get more up-to-date information and information on when we post talks or future events!
OTHER SPECIAL EDUCATION STORIES OR LINKS YOU NEED TO READ
https://www.copaa.org/page/COVID-19
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-01/coronavirus-school-closures-california
As always, if you need immediate assistance, please call us at the office at 323-977-4477 (phones are now forwarded because we are working remotely) or click the link below to set up a consultation with our Client Services Coordinator: