The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) is providing guidance to districts on the topics listed below. Tomorrow’s update will include guidance to parents and districts for the implementation of online and distance learning.
Legislative Update
Due to concerns from the COVID-19 virus, the Mississippi Legislature has voted to suspend the 2020 session. The House has adjourned until 2 p.m. and the Senate is expected to follow. Both chambers passed HB 1647, which authorizes school districts to continue to pay all certified and non-certified staff while out during this pandemic. Please see link to view the bill: http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2020/pdf/HB/1600-1699/HB1647IN.pdf
Licensure: One-Year Licensure Renewal Extension
Effective with licensure renewal applications received Monday, March 23, 2020 and thereafter, a one-year extension will be granted to those educators holding a standard Mississippi educator license that is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2020 only. Educators can begin submitting the licensure renewal application request via their respective Educator Licensure Management System (ELMS) account Monday, March 23, 2020. Again, this only applies to standard Mississippi educator licenses that are scheduled to expire June 30, 2020. This includes standard Mississippi licenses held by teachers, administrators, and instructional support personnel. Those educators who have already completed all requirements for licensure renewal are encouraged to complete the application process for obtaining their five-year license.
Reporting School Closures
As the MDE continues to monitor the time frame of closures for public school districts throughout the State, please be advised that the MDE can only report the closure dates that are emailed directly to mdeschoolclosures@mdek12.org. Social media pages and district websites are not considered reported data to the MDE. In order to ensure the MDE has the most-up-to date and accurate closure information for your district, please review the school tracker website here: www.mdek12.org/OSOS/School-Closures.
If the tracker does not accurately reflect your district’s correct closure information, please submit a new email to mdeschoolclosures@mdek12.org. You will be provided a receipt with your submission.
Moving forward, as we all continue to monitor and adapt our response plan to Covid-19/Coronavirus, please continue to submit changes such as extensions of closures or re-openings to mdeschoolclosures@mdek12.org. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Special Education
Services for Students with Disabilities During School Closures: March 17, 2020
Questions and Answers for Districts
- Should a student with disabilities be receiving special education services during the school closures? Based on guidance provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special if the district is not providing educational services to students during the closure, then there is not a requirement to provide special education services to students with disabilities during the same time period.
- If the LEA provides formalized educational services through online instruction to the general student population, would the LEA be required to provide services to students with disabilities during that same period?Yes. If a LEA continues to provide educational opportunities to the general student population during a school closure, the school must ensure that students with disabilities also have equal access to the same opportunities, including the provision of FAPE. (34 CFR §§ 104.4, 104.33 (Section 504) and 28 CFR § 35.130 (Title II of the ADA)). SEAs, LEAs, and schools must ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, each student with a disability can be provided the special education and related services identified in the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) developed under IDEA, or a plan developed under Section 504. (34 CFR §§ 300.101 and 300.201 (IDEA), and 34 CFR § 104.33 (Section 504). It is important to note that if educational services are being delivered to students in any form, in order for the district to remain open, those services must be provided to all students, including students who don’t have access to technology at home and students receiving special education services.
- How will special education services be provided during school closures? If the district is not providing educational services to students during the closure, then there is not a requirement to provide special education services to students with disabilities during the same time period. However, the delivery of special education services will be determined by each local school district.
- If an LEA determines that they want to provide special education services during the school closures, what should they do?The student’s IEP Committee, or the personnel responsible for ensuring FAPE to a student for the purposes of IDEA, can be utilized to assist with the effort to determine if some, or all, of the identified services can be provided through alternate or additional methods. Accessible technology may afford students, including students with disabilities, an opportunity to have access to high-quality educational instruction during an extended school closure, especially when continuing education must be provided through distance learning. Many of the online learning options available to districts have accommodations embedded in lessons. Each student’s special education needs should be determined on an individual basis and outlined in the student’s IEP.
- What will happen if a student is not able to receive certain special education services during school closures? Based on the current circumstances and the highly individualized nature of special education services it is possible that in some cases it may be very difficult to fully implement a student’s IEP. If that is the case, IEP Committees should make every effort to meet and make any necessary revisions or additions to the student’s IEP.
Any need for compensatory services related to school closure or inability to fully implement a student’s IEP can be addressed after school resumes and should be addressed on a case-by- case basis. This might include discussions of compensatory education and extended school year (ESY) services, made on a case-by-case basis. When your district resumes standard operations, the district should collect student data to determine any student progression or regression on annual IEP goals. This data can be used to inform IEP Committee decisions and assist in compensatory service decisions.
- What should I do if a student’s IEP will expire during school closures? Districts should consider ways to use distance technology (e.g., Zoom, conference calls, Skype, etc.) to the extent possible to provide annual IEP meetings if staff and parents are available but not able to attend in person. If staff and/or parents are not available or believe their participation is impacted by the lack of an in-person meeting, districts should document the reason. IEP Committee meetings may take place while schools are closed as long as a student’s parent or legal guardian consents. Each student decision should be handled on a case-by-case issue.
- What should I do if a student had an evaluation/eligibility meeting that was scheduled during the school closure? Districts should consider alternate ways to use virtual technology (e.g., Zoom, conference calls, Skype, etc.) to the extent possible to conduct meetings pertaining to evaluation if staff and parents are available but not able to attend in person. If an evaluation of a student with a disability requires a face-to-face assessment or observation, the evaluation would need to be delayed until school reopens. Evaluations and re-evaluations that do not require face-to-face assessments or observations may take place while schools are closed, so long as a student’s parent or legal guardian consents. IEP Committee members may contact parents to schedule virtual meetings while schools are closed. These same principles apply to similar activities conducted by appropriate personnel for a student with a disability who has a plan developed under Section 504, or who is being evaluated under Section 504.
- How should districts communicate with parents concerning expiring timelines, annual, and individual IEP evaluations? Districts should communicate the expectation and plan to meet with IEP committees, including parents, virtually, to address student-specific needs resulting from the closure. For additional information, please use the link below to view information from the U.S. Department of Education addressing the protection of student’s Civil Rights during the COVID-19 response: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USED/bulletins/2817fed
Services for Students with Disabilities During School Closures: March 17, 2020
Questions and Answers for Parents
- Should my child with disabilities be receiving special education services during the school closures? Based on guidance provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education, if the district is not providing educational services to students during the closure, then there is not a requirement to provide special education services to students with disabilities during the same time period.
- If the LEA provides formalized educational services through online instruction to the general student population, would the LEA be required to provide services to students with disabilities during that same period?Yes. If a Local Educational Agency (LEA) continues to provide educational opportunities to the general student population during a school closure, the school must ensure that students with disabilities also have equal access to the same opportunities, including the delivery of Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).
- How will special education services be provided to my child during school closures? If the district is not providing educational services to students during the closure, then there is not a requirement to provide special education services to students with disabilities during the same time period.
- What will happen if my child is not able to receive certain special education services during school closures? Any need for compensatory services related to school closure or inability to fully implement a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) can be addressed after school resumes and should be addressed on a case-by- case basis. This might include discussions of compensatory education and extended school year (ESY) services, made on a case-by-case basis. When your district resumes standard operations, the district should collect student data to determine any student progression or regression on annual IEP goals. This data can be used to inform IEP Committee decisions and assist in compensatory service decisions.
- What should I do if my child’s IEP will expire during school closures?Districts are currently considering alternate ways to use virtual technology (e.g., Zoom, conference calls, Skype, etc.) to the extent possible to provide annual IEP meetings if staff and parents are available but not able to attend in person. IEP Committee members may contact you to schedule meetings while schools are closed. These meetings can be hosted virtually as long as a student’s parent or legal guardian consents. Each student decision will be handled on a case-by-case issue.
- What should I do if my child had an evaluation/eligibility meeting that was scheduled during the school closure? Districts are currently considering alternate ways to use virtual technology (e.g., Zoom, conference calls, Skype, etc.) to the extent possible to conduct meetings pertaining to evaluation if staff and parents are available but not able to attend in person. If an evaluation of a student with a disability requires a face-to-face assessment or observation, the evaluation would need to be delayed until school reopens. Evaluations and re-evaluations that do not require face-to-face assessments or observations may take place while schools are closed, so long as a student’s parent or legal guardian consents. IEP Committee members may contact you to schedule virtual meetings while schools are closed.
- What will happen to my child’s services if school remains open, but my child is sick at home? Students who are sick and who need to stay home for more than 10 days may need to receive homebound instruction. The IEP committee must meet to determine how to provide services for your child. This may include schoolwork packets, virtual online instruction, or some other type of learning adapted to the student’s needs and location.