On September 30, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) in the U.S. Department of Education issued a guidance document interpreting the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in light of the challenges school personnel are facing from the Covid 19 pandemic. The document titled “Return to School Roadmap: Development and Implementation of Individualized Education Programs in the Least Restrictive Environment under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” addresses a number of issues that special education personnel will face in the return to school.

In the document, OSERS clarifies that despite the COVID-19 pandemic or the mode of instruction, students with disabilities are entitled to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). In the document, OSERS poses and answers 41 questions involving areas such as convening an IEP team, determining appropriate measurable annual goals, considering a student’s need for compensatory services, and making decisions regarding a student’s placement.

(Click here or on the title to be taken to a PDF of the OSERS document).