The South Dakota
Department of Education Special Education Programs, South
Dakota Parent Connection, and Disability Rights South Dakota remain
committed to the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA). We believe the rights of all students with disabilities
must be maintained, even during school closures, in response to the
COVID-19 outbreak.
It is our firm
belief, despite the unprecedented challenge facing districts and
families, that students with disabilities will be served by parties coming
together to make decisions on how to provide services in a
manner that ensures the health and safety of all parties
and that allows for meaningful progress on IEP goals and educational
standards.
During this time, we
encourage all parties to keep communication lines open and work together.
Meetings may need to be held by phone or video conferencing, but time and
effort should be on ensuring continued provision of a Free
Appropriate Public Education for students with disabilities to meet
the IEP goals and services. At the conclusion of this outbreak, IEP teams can
assess if services provided allowed the student to make
sufficient progress on goals and educational standards, and then
determine if any additional or compensatory services should
be made available due to any limitations in the provision of
a Free Appropriate Public Education.
Thank you for your attention to the health and safety of students and educational providers during this time. We will get through this by working together. If you have questions during this time, please feel free to reach out to the Special Education Program representative for your region, South Dakota Parent Connection, or Disability Rights South Dakota.
