IEP and COVID Learning Loss
You are entitled to compensatory services for lost services during the pandemic
To all parents with an IEP for their child. A new law was passed says that every IEP must state that the parents agree that the student has received compensatory services for lost services during the pandemic. It also states that this topic has been discussed with the parents/guardians.
It is in the very back portion of the IEP.
The below portion was written by Attorney Gwyneth. She has a child with an IEP.
First and foremost, I read every single line of my child’s IEP because my school district has given me problems since day one with having an IEP for my child even though he has multiple diagnosed learning disorders. They always take out items or insert items, so I review line by line and have to handwrite in items from the prior year that were “inadvertently” left out.
This year, when I saw that verbiage at the end of my son’s IEP, I went ballistic. No one spoke to me about the lost services during the pandemic and also, there is absolutely no way that I agree that my son has made up the services he lost during the pandemic, nor do I agree that he will EVER make up those lost services. My autistic son was compulsory masked for two years for absolutely no reason. My school district and the State of NJ put blanket bureaucracy before the needs of special needs and medical needs children - even those with pediatrician and other exemptions letters, which were ignored, tantamount to practice of medicine without a license.
I urge all parents of children with an IEP to review the most recent IEP for this language and see if you were actually spoken to about your child receiving all compensatory services before signing.
If you have an IEP review coming up, keep this in mind. Your district is responsible for tutors, additional help, whatever it is to bring your child up to speed if he/she is behind. If your child is not behind, then simple make it known that you will NOT sign a document that is a lie and there is no amount of services that can make up for your child learning over a computer for over a year, being denied his/her aide, being denied in person services such as OT, PT, speech etc, or whatever accommodations your child is LEGALLY required to have that were unlawfully denied for whatever period of time. We can’t let them get away with this. It’s just yet another abuse of power.
Thank you to the firm of Gwyneth Murray-Nolan
So true- we just finished the IEP and the picture above is perfect... They have no goals and objectives in it, yet they state in a summary page he has met all his goals and objectives. Also, he can stay two more years in a transitional program no mention of goals and objective. Also no mention of pandemic info I will send to them today. Thank you God Bless, and please send us some speakers to help us during the BOE meetings..