UFT Remote Learning Guidance For Special Education

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: Updated remote learning guidance for special education

March 30, 2020

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The city Department of Education released the following updated guidance on the responsibilities of special education teachers and related service providers related to the Special Education Remote Learning Plan.

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This form, available in SESIS, is used to document the services that are being delivered remotely to the student. The student’s IEP team case manager (a special education teacher or, for related service only students, the related service provider) has primary responsibility for ensuring that this form reflects the services that the student is currently receiving.

• If you previously completed the Special Education Remote Learning Plan for your students, and the services that are actually being delivered match that form, there is no need to do anything else at this time.
• If the services actually being delivered differ from what was recorded on the original form, use this form to update the information.
• If you did not complete the Special Education Remote Learning Plan for your students, use this form to document the services being provided and any student needs related to assistive technology and instructional tools.

Every student should have a Remote Learning Plan in place and provided to the student’s parent by April 3, 2020.

Instructions

Instructions for completing the updated form for staff who did NOT already complete the Special Education Remote Learning Plan for their students:

A Special Education Remote Learning Plan must be completed for each student with an IEP. Before completing this updated form, the student’s IEP case manager should:

• refer to the student’s IEP to consider the student’s current recommendations and areas of need during the school closure; and
• inform the provider of each related service on the student’s IEP that the student’s plan is available in SESIS; and
• request that the provider enter the required information about services being provided remotely to the student in the Remote Special Education and Related Services section of the plan.

The completed Special Education Remote Learning Plan should be:

• finalized by the student’s IEP case manager within SESIS; and
• provided to the parent electronically (e.g., by emailing a PDF of the plan or screenshot to the parent’s phone).

If not previously done, the family should be contacted by telephone to discuss the following topics:

• The special education and related services that are being provided remotely during the school closure.
• If the student requires assistive technology and/or additional classroom tools, confirm whether the family has the needed materials at home. If the student requires Assistive Technology and does not already have them in their home, please email CATTeam@schools.nyc.gov for guidance.
• If Speech, OT and/or PT related services providers have determined that the student can benefit from tele-therapy, and the family has not yet consented orally to services, that services cannot be provided until the parent has provided consent.

The telephone call and any attempted contacts should be documented in the SESIS Events Log. Parents have the right to refuse for their child to participate in services delivered through tele-therapy. If parents exercise that right to refuse certain services, document their refusal in the SESIS Events Log. If the refusal is received via email, upload the email to SESIS.