This recent statement from the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)—an organization that protects the legal and civil rights of students with disabilities and their families—includes recommendations for reopening schools in the fall for kids with LD and other disabilities.

As we continue to actively work to meet the needs of students with disabilities and their families in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) has identified important issues under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that families and schools must address together as decisions are made to reopen schools. Today, I am pleased to share our recommendations regarding:

• the provision of compensatory education and how parents and schools can work together to determine when they are needed; and,
• how IDEA should be implemented for students with disabilities whose parents opt to keep them home when in-person school is an option.

COPAA welcomes the opportunity to engage with all stakeholders to ensure that students with disabilities will be fully considered as states and districts make plans to reopen schools; and to urge Congress to appropriate the necessary resources to both meet students’ individual needs and to keep educators and students safe.

–Denise Marshall, COPAA CEO, denise@copaa.org

• Position Statement on Provision of Compensatory Education In Response to Lost Education as a Result of COVID-19
• Recommendations on the Provision of FAPE to Students with Disabilities When a Parent Opts to Keep Their Child Home During the 2020-2021 School Year