Educating Children with Disabilities during CORONAVIRUS COVID-19

Rhonda Logsdon: [00:00:00] Thank you so much for joining us for Educating Children with Disabilities during the Coronavirus webinar today. We are so thankful that you were able to be with us. I know everybody has a pretty hectic schedule these days. So, we’re going to jump right on the end there. My name is Rhonda Logsdon with Kentucky SPIN, Kentucky Special Parent Involvement Network. And we’re the parent training and information project for the State of Kentucky. It’s funded through the US Department of Education, under IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. And there’s at least one PTI in every state. Some states have more than one, like Florida and California based on, because their population is higher. But a good thing to keep in mind, if you ever move to another state, we can always connect you with that PTI in that state, who could help work with you.

Just to kind of tell you a little bit about us, is we do not act as attorneys. We’re [00:01:00] not attorneys. We don’t represent families. What we’re here to do is to help one another. We’re all persons with disabilities, parents, or family members of persons with disabilities helping one another. And really to be able to provide that peer support and a listening ear, and to help step through various process that we all have as a family who has someone who has a disability.

Now, a little bit about myself. I am one of five kids. My twin sister had a severe learning disability, and as an adult, was diagnosed bipolar. She’s my special angel in heaven now. My brother Grant in the middle, he is the only redhead of us, and he has cerebral palsy, and is also legally blind. The youngest set of twins, and yes, my mom had two sets, is Ryan, one of the twins, has ADHD. So, we have [00:02:00] experience with the seen and the unseen disability, which each have their own experiences, and things that you work through, but one thing also is I’m a very proud foster adoptive mom for the greatest gift of my life, my son. And really I’m a little bit OCD, although I haven’t been diagnosed, but mom says, “Rhonda, we don’t need a doctor to tell us, we know you are.”

So, I know that a lot of us are dealing with the whole lot right now. This is something that we’ve never encountered before in our lifetime. The one thing, and on a lighter note, I have found through some of the hardest situations in our family, and I know with many families, you do have to look at the humor in life as well. Given I’m a little OCD, I wash my hands numerous times, too many that I could count within a day. And [00:03:00] I really enjoy my personal space, and I’m not a hugger. So, if you look at those aspects of it, I’ve been preparing for years for now, but a lot of it, we are all having to figure out as we go. And please know you’re not alone through this.

I want to begin by giving a huge thank you to the US Department of Education and the Kentucky Department of Education. They have, with lightning speeds, been putting out guidance to help us all get through this, and know what to do. I mean in record time. We are right now, in Kentucky, about a week, week and a half into where the children have not been in the schools. And during that time, there has been so much guidance put out in record time that is helping us all through this. I’m very grateful for those partnerships and for that communication to all of [00:04:00] us, so that we can help our children with disabilities to be able to work through this in regards to their education as well.

So, I’m beginning with the sources page, which I know you include at the end. And we do have it at the end as well. But the reason I wanted to put this here is this is important. Everything that we’re going to talk about has come directly from guidance that’s been issued from the US Department of Education and the Kentucky Department of Education, which is very key. It’s not just what Rhonda is saying, because that won’t help you. Is the guidance that has been given as we are all working through this. And everything that we’re going to go over is related directly to that. And you’ll see also my OCD coming in handy, to where on each one of the slides as well, the links there, you can actually click on those, and each area that we’re talking [00:05:00] about gives you and tells you on that slide, is that from guidance from the Kentucky Department of Education or the US Department of Education.

Also keep in mind when you access the PDF of this training that we’ll include, you can actually click on those links directly to that guidance document. So, keep that in mind when you are looking at and bringing up the handouts of the PowerPoint slide.

Now, the key to all of this, even outside of what we’re going through now with the pandemic, is that working together is what is going to make it the best for our children with disabilities, and for them to be successful. One of the things that to keep in mind here too is we are all – this is something that none of us, again, like I already [00:06:00] said, had gone through, so this is all new territory for all of us. So, what we’re doing is we’re kind of figuring it out as we go.

Something also that I want to make sure – I’m a visual person, so this is one of the slides that – and you all know in some of the other workshops that I do, our special education process, and the basic law, is I love the visuals as well. And this was from our friends at the PTI in Florida, I found at Florida. And I love how this represents, because as we’re going to go through this guidance, I want you to keep in mind that it’s like the umbrella. All of it that we’re talking about references 504 or ADA covers also our children who have an IEP, because it’s a civil [00:07:00] rights law 504, it affords persons with disabilities the same opportunities as their non-disabled peers.

So, one thing that we want to make sure that we remember is anywhere that it’s talking about 504, ADA, that also covers children who have an IEP. Now, just keep that in mind as we step through.

Now, it’s important to state also that the idea the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which is a specific education law for children with disabilities who qualify, section 504 and title 2 of ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act, did not plan for this, and does not [00:08:00] give direct guidance when you are dealing with an outbreak of a particular disease, or dealing with the pandemic like we are dealing with now. And I loved that in guidance directly from the US Department of Education and the Kentucky Department of Education, they both state that there, because none of us could have planned on this happening. So, in the typical, what typically happens, there are some things within those laws that they explained, and naturally provide guidance. This is something that none of us have ever experienced, or could have thought of, so there’s no guidance within those laws that give a particular guideline of what to do and follow.

Now, one thing too I want to make sure that I mention. On March the 11th, the Kentucky Department of Education announced [00:09:00] that an application or waiver opportunity was available for the public independent and county public school districts that they could apply for to utilize, the non-traditional instruction program. And the thing to keep in mind here is that not all of them applied at that time. So, the reason that I’m going over this, because right now in this exact point in time, there could be several things going on within Kentucky to where some are not in school, but receiving non-traditional instruction program, they’re doing work, or they’re not at school and not doing work. And we’ll explain this a little more in detail, but it’s important to understand that initially – because I believe initially none of us could have ever imagined that we would be dealing with [00:10:00] what were actually happening, and the isolation that we’re having to put into place to try to stop or slow down the spread of the Coronavirus.

Now, we’re finding out as things change, and we find out about things hourly, daily. And you all know this, it’s nonstop, and it can be very overwhelming. But it’s going to be very critical to keep in mind, we’ve got to understand what your exact Kentucky public school district is doing right now, so that the you know the guidance that has been given that applies to your child with a disability, who has an IEP or a 504 plan in place.

Now, when the Kentucky Department of Education did that, they also issued information sheet on [00:11:00] guidance regarding implementing the non-traditional instruction program, because if you offer that program to the general student population, to all of them, you also have to take into account and provide special education and related services that are identified in the child’s IEP. So, this clarified that you’ve got to make sure when you do it that you also are doing the child’s special education and related services as well through this non-traditional instruction program.

Here’s where we get to, and again, my OCD, is where right now this point in time, we’ve got to answer this question, so that we know what situation applies for your child who has a disability right now. Is your child’s school closed for all students, in which students are [00:12:00] not doing any work, or is your child’s school not in attendance, but they’re participating in a non-traditional instruction program? Now, I also want to know here that you see that the Kentucky Department of Education announced on March the 18th, the Kentucky Board of Education granted a waiver allowing all 172 school districts to utilize the non-traditional instruction amid the Covid-19 crisis. So, they may not right now be doing it, but they may be doing it very shortly. So, keep that in mind too, even if they’re not now as we go over the answer B, this is what then will happen once they are, and if they do the non-traditional instruction program, which it seems to be [00:13:00] heading that way, given the steps that we’re all having to take to stay safe.

So, if you answered A, if your child’s school is closed for all students and no one’s doing any work, the US Department of Education’s guidance that they issued March the 12th stated that – and where you see it say LEA, and you’ll see over on the right hand side, where it explains that LEA is your local education agency. That is your local independent or county public school district within Kentucky. When you see SEA, that’s your state education agency, which in Kentucky is the Kentucky Department of Education, or referred to as KDE.

Now, if they are not providing any educational services to the general student population, then they are not required to provide services [00:14:00] to students with disabilities during that same period of time. Now, it went on further to state, once school comes back to normal that your local education agency, your independent or county public school district in Kentucky needs to make every effort to provide special education related services in accordance to the IEP, and look at did they have a loss of skills to where they may need to determine if each individual child would need commensuratory services, and each individual IEP team or 504 will answer that. So, that will be, and you’ll see through the guidance that we’re talking about, or that’s mentioned regardless of [00:15:00] it’s A or B, and you’ll see that as we go through the slides here.

And again, this is what I love, we had that from the US Department of Education. Then in guidance issued in a letter to parents from the Kentucky Department of Education on March 17th, and that same guidance was issued to superintendents within each public school system or school district in Kentucky. And again here, this was my OCD, and I see my error here, because it goes one, one, one. It should have been one, two, three. So I apologize for that error on the slide. But it went through and said the same thing. If it’s closed and no child is getting educational services while it’s closed, then the district is not required to provide students with special education services during that time it’s closed.

[00:16:00] Now, after an extended closure, districts are responsible to review how that closure impacted special education related services for that student. And again, you’ll have an admissions and release committee meeting, or ARC meeting, or IEP meeting to review if there was any compensatory education services that need to be provided.

Now, we’re going to switch to if it is B. Is your child’s school participating in a non-traditional instruction, NTI program? If they are, if your LEA, your local education agency, which is your county public or independent school district within Kentucky, if they are providing that for general population of students, for all [00:17:00] students, then they are required to provide equal access for students with disabilities, and the state education agency, local, and the school must ensure, and this is important, the greatest extent possible that each student with a disability is provided their special education and related services that is in their IEP or 504 plan.

Now, it doesn’t mean it might not look a little different, because we’re having to take measures to keep everybody safe. Guidance has been issued through CDC, the Center for Disease Control, has come out, and we all know that we’re all needing to isolate to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. So, for health reasons, there are some things in place that you may not be able to offer in the same means that you would, [00:18:00] because we’re dealing with the coronavirus that you were able to do it the children were in school. But you still have to do something to the greatest extent possible you can, and that was directly from the Department of Education on March 12th.

Then again, you’ll see here, in that same letter, that we just described a little bit ago from the Kentucky Department of Education. They also broke it down, just like we’re doing here, that if they’re participating in the non-traditional instruction program, they have to ensure that students with disabilities have the same access to the opportunities, Free Appropriate Public Education, FAPE, and that they are receiving the IEP services. Again, it’s going to be adapted and adjusted given the parameters we all have to work with in what’s occurring right now in the United States, [00:19:00] and more specifically, within Kentucky.

So, one thing here too that was noted is that the ARCs are responsible to review how the closure impacted the delivery of the special education services, and they’ll determine also on the non-traditional instruction program, does the student require compensatory education to make up for any skills that they may have missed or lost based on that.

So, another thing too that is mentioned, the annual review for the IEP. You have at least an IEP meeting every year, an annual review. There can always be one called at any time, but it also states in here that when you’re on the non-traditional instruction program is you don’t necessarily, even if the date for your [00:20:00] annual review fail while you’re on the non-traditional instruction program. You can wait until school is back in session normally, or with working with the school district, you can do that IEP meeting by alternate means, such as video, or audio conference calls. Sometimes, you may not feel as comfortable doing that, and you may want to, because there’s a great deal that comes from sitting down together, and having a meeting. So, it’s not required, and also too, I want to mention, even when it was A, it’s not required as well, but the same applies just like this whether it was answer A or B, that even when it hits that due date of your annual review, if it’s during this crisis and when school is not in session as normal, you can, once everything’s back in session like it [00:21:00] normally would, then schedule and have that IEP, or with agreement with one another, you can do that through video or audio conferencing. Again, all of this is going to be close communication with your school, with your special education teacher, with your IEP team of making the decisions, and where you go from there.

I did want to also point out too that under – because I always get a lot of questions even outside of what we’re talking about here with the Coronavirus, does IDEA or 504 give you a list of everything that’s possible everything is not possible. No, and the reason for that is with an IEP, it’s meant to be individualized education program for each individual child, because what works for one child with cerebral [00:22:00] palsy is not going to work with another.

Also, 504 is to afford the same opportunities as they’re non-disabled persons, but someone who has cerebral palsy might need to sort of level the playing field, may not be what someone else needs. So, again, this is just like on when things are as normal, when you work together to come up with what is best for each child, how you work to decide this is what’s going to be best and appropriate, and safely able to be provided for our children.

So, additionally, what I love from the fact sheet from the US Department of Education on March the 16th, not only did it say that IEP teams not required to meet in person while schools are closed, regardless if they’re doing the non-traditional instruction program or not. If an [00:23:00] evaluation of a student with a disability requires face-to-face assessment, or face-to-face observation, the evaluation may need to be delayed until the school goes back into normal session. Now, if those evaluations can be done without having the face-to-face that you can do that, as long as the parent or the guardian consents for that.

Now, the same would apply under 504 if someone is being evaluated to see if they qualify for 504, just like they might be to see if they qualify for an IEP, if face-to-face assessment or observation is not required that you can do that assessment through other means, then yes, it would continue and need to be done, and with the IEP, just like not just the initial evaluation, but re-evaluation. So, [00:24:00] because every three years you at least have a re-evaluation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for the IEP, unless and there is a part in DIA that talks about, unless if it’s up for your three-year evaluation, and this is on an everyday basis. This isn’t specific to the Coronavirus. If everyone agrees that the previous evaluation still gives an accurate and true picture of your child, then the previous evaluation can now serve as the current evaluation, and be good for three more years, or until, in some of our children, they need re-evaluated more often than every three years, but that would be an IEP team decision.

Again, well, now we’re looking at with the Coronavirus, can these things be done and completed without the face-to-face? [00:25:00] And if so, you would go on with that process. If not, not till you would go back.

Now, a lot of times, and I always thought – I’ll be honest, I always thought the non-traditional instruction program just meant it was online, but it can have a variety of formats. And typically, prior to now, the examples that I knew about and many of us were that was put into place are very rural school districts, when there is the bad weather and they’re closed for snow, and the road conditions, the hazardous conditions, they then can instead of everybody being out, yes, they won’t report there, but they can do the non-traditional instruction program if they have the waiver through the Kentucky Department of Education. Now, the work that could be provided for that is can be online, can be in packets, or by other means, or [00:26:00] combination of all those.

I know my son’s in high school, because they are on the non-traditional instruction program, they applied for that in the initial. So, on the Friday that he was coming home from school, before then, they would be out and go to this, his science teacher provided a packet of work. Then I believe it’s the English teacher, they had it set up for Google Classroom. So, it could be a whole variety of things that creates it.

One thing too, and I have great respect, even more respect than I did initially, and I always have had great respect for educators, is that, boy, I sure have a new appreciation, because I don’t know about you all, but I don’t know that I’m the best assistant to my son on his nontraditional [00:27:00] instruction program. And that’s one of the things too, that regardless that they have a disability or not, working with the school, finding out some things, because the way things are taught now is not the way I did at all when I was in school. So, really finding out how can we help our children, and we all have different areas of strengths and our weaknesses. And I’ll be honest, I actually used to think I was good at math until my son. And he blew me out of the water. So, I went as good at it as I thought I was, but really working with them and being honest, sharing with them maybe some things that you’ve done at home, and kind of thinking through, that’s where that partnership is key, because the things that are going to work and be done.

This is unprecedented times. Okay, we’ve got to think outside of the box. We’ve got to figure out stuff. And if you’re like me, most things I try one way the first time, I don’t do [00:28:00] good, and we have to adjust it as we go. This is going to be no different. And especially on the level of this is something that we have not experienced and have no experience to draw from. But just keep in mind working with the school, and really there’s nothing wrong with explaining and telling them I don’t understand it, I don’t know how to help my child with this. And then also when you’re taken to account the special education services and the related services, the key is for you all to come up with a good plan and a working open communication to where we can help our children best through this.

Now, for time’s sake, I’m not going to play the video, but this is what I love. OCR, Office of Civil Rights, which is under the US Department of Education, just like OSEP, [00:29:00] Office of Special Education Programs, they offer guidance. So, if you do the instruction online, you have for all students, and you have to ensure that it is accessible for all children. So, a lot of times, not all websites that you may access are accessible. If they’re not, we’ve got to work with the school to figure out how can we accomplish what we need to through an accessible format for our children.

Now, one of the things the US Department of Education issued this past Saturday, guidance that was very important. And [00:30:00] it, it stated – because what was happening throughout the United States is that schools were not offering like a nontraditional instruction services, because they weren’t equipped or ready or didn’t feel that they were, that they could provide the compliance with the individualist space education and Section 504 and ADA. In the guidance that the US Department of Education issued so that all states knew that that should not be a deciding factor if you offer the non-traditional instruction program for all of your students. And it’s so crucial that our children are still being educated through this, that they also stated [00:31:00] that if you do though, you have to make sure that it is accessible, and that they’re getting the special education and related services.

The important thing here too that you’ll see is that the department realized too that there would need to be flexibility where it all possible when they still would be able, because they would have to offer a free appropriate public education for students, FAPE, who have disabilities. But that they did not want states not to do that. Now, Kentucky initially, as you’ll see when we had talked before, they opened it right up to apply for the waivers, and all districts could apply. And not necessarily – I just think there was a lot of misunderstanding that that guidance helped throughout the United States that came out Saturday that that shouldn’t be the [00:32:00] deciding factor of if you were offering education program for our children.

So, one thing that they said in there, think of the instruction virtually online through the telephone, specialized instruction and related services may not be to the extent that it would if the children were in class in person, but to the best of the ability, you would be able to offer within given, again, the health concerns in the safety of everybody involved, our children, our families, our educators and their families, keeping those things in mind, doing the best that we can to meet those and provide it.

Now, in that same guidance, it was important because it also stated that because this is a national [00:33:00] emergencies, and you may not be able to provide them in the same manner you would have done typically. But if it can be done safely for everybody involved, given what is not only from the US government, but through our Kentucky government, that has been put into place to stop the spread of the coronavirus, wow can we do that? And I love here that they gave an example of videos with the accurate captioning, or the sign language interpreting embedded, accessible reading materials, speech and language services through video conferencing.

Now, I understand it states here, hands-on like physical therapy or occupational therapy. Yes, if that’s what you normally would have got, you won’t get that necessarily during that time, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be therapy – it [00:34:00] cannot be an altered means of physical or occupational therapy of the therapist working video conferencing with the family, and explaining and working through with the family on consultation basis, some things that they could work on with their child while they are on the nontraditional instruction program. So, really thinking outside of the box, how can even if we can’t do it the one-on-one hands-On, how can we through alternate means provide it in this nontraditional instruction program?

In that guidance as well, it stated that the materials that were available could be in different formats to meet their needs, but that also the example here that was given, is [00:35:00] a teacher who might be reading to her students in class, an alternate means of providing that would be nooks on tape, or I guess they don’t call it books on tape anymore, where that would be. And that was something that even when my brother was in school, because we are much older, I will say that, when he was in school because of his blindness, he didn’t use braille to read, because of his physical disability, so he would have to books on tape. So, it still can be provided but in an alternate way. And working with the school to try to see there may be some apps that would help that you could talk with the teachers or different therapist, things that may be able to help, that maybe you wouldn’t – because we’ll be doing more than we had, because the children will be doing that nontraditional instruction program, and that [00:36:00] assistance that they would be able to provide would help a great deal. So, really thinking of how can we use what we’ve got, the technology, and a lot of times, people think it has to be outrageous the cost, but many of us these days have smartphones, so there’s access to some technology.

Now, a lot of it, because a lot of our families do not have the internet at home, or access or have a computer. So, in what way can we offer this technology? Is it a tablet? How are we going to make this to where they’re able to participate and receive their special education and related services in that nontraditional instruction program?

Now, again, they encouraged parent, educators, administrators collaborating, the partnership. You’re probably already of me keep saying that, but that’s what’s going to make the difference. That [00:37:00] is what’s going to help all of us get through this. Not just with our children’s education, but in everyday life, that’s how we’re all going to get through this the best that we can. And there are going to be some days where we don’t feel that. And I know as a mom, I’m like, I don’t think yesterday as best as I could, but we got through it, and not every day is going to be as easy, and especially with some disabilities, and if there are behaviors involved. So, you have to adapt as you go, and put things in place to provide the opportunities, and you all working together to come up with the best plan for their program to be successful. And it could be written assignments. It can have a variety of means.

Now again, the strategies and the vision. Everything in our family and in our lives has always been [00:38:00] we have to think creatively, because where there’s a will, there’s a way. There’s always a way to do stuff. Now, it may look a lot different from the way that other people would do it, but we could still accomplish it. And regardless of the severity of disability, ensuring that our children are receiving the special education services on the nontraditional instruction program, and really how we can kind of help the best that we can is what’s going to get us through this together.

So, I promised you again at the end that there would be the sources page. So, if you’ll just keep in mind when you bring that PDF, you can click on those links. I do want to take just a little bit of time here to explain that we are going to start having – I know today’s Wednesday, but we’re going to start having starting next week on Tuesday, [00:39:00] 11:00am to 12:00pm Eastern Standard Time, for as long as we feel we need to, we’re going to have updates and new information, not just education-wise, but in general that is affecting children or adults with disabilities, parents or families and professionals, as we all work through this to provide a means of updating one another, and new guidance that may have come out, or resources as we all work through this together to get through this Coronavirus, and really work to slow the spread of that.

So, we will be sending out registration link for that webinar for next week. Also, we will be having during this time, a weekly e-news that goes out on our listserv. I’m going to show you all here, just a moment, how you can sign up. We’re sending [00:40:00] stuff out through, you’ll see here. If you go to Kyspin.com, our website, you can click on our Facebook page and our main SPIN Twitter. We are sending out notices, e-news, all of that through that. But if you scroll down to the bottom, you will see on the right hand side, where you can subscribe to our e-news. That will put you on our listserv to automatically get those when we send them out.

Also, I’m going to scroll back up here. On our home page, when you go there, click on the Kentucky SPIN Covid-19 button there, and it’s going to take you directly to our Coronavirus webpage, where after the introduction there, you are going to see where we are posting up-to-date guidance related to education there, as we are getting it, and it becomes available. So, you can always check back there.

Also, when you [00:41:00] scroll down more, there’s education stuff, but there’s also other things from the US government and the Kentucky government and resources that you can go in Kentucky’s Covid-19 webpage, get those links and things that are important and to keep up with, and some helpful information and resources will be listed there. So, if you all want to sign up for those.

And so, what we’re going to do now is take some time for some questions. Let me see. So, there are a couple of questions here. One is, do we have to provide full minutes on the IEP? And the example would be the 90 minutes [00:42:00] of math, special education services.

Now, whether it’s about that or about – and that was the LEA 60 Minutes math, or if it’s like a related service. Here’s the thing about that. And that’s a great question. We know that things are going to be altered. And if they’re able to be fully provided on the nontraditional instruction program through an alternate means, video conferencing or in some other format, if it’s able to be provided through the nontraditional instruction program, then you would. Now, depending upon what it is, if it has to be something that is the in-person, then it wouldn’t at that degree.

So, any of the things based on the guidance we’ve been given so [00:43:00] far, if it could be provided in the means that we all have to abide by to keep us all safe, then you would. Now, if it can’t be completely done like that, then you would alter it to the means that you can provide it when it’s not the in-person. So, just always keep that in mind, and that’s a great question.

Let’s see here. So, there is a question on here, is what are your recommendations for [inaudible] parents who are not able to provide homeschool services?

What I would suggest there is having a video conference call, or just conference call with the IEP team with everybody talking together. If they’re not able to do that, what can be put in place so that the child is still [00:44:00] being educated on a nontraditional instruction program? And if the parent is not able to do that, what means can we use thinking of an example would be through technology, or it might be – and this is just an example I’m throwing out there. It might be the special education teacher video conference with the child. And they are doing offering that service right there. So, the parent may not be the one doing the actual service, or assisting. So, you’re really going to have to think of what is actually going to be able to be provided, depending upon the nature of the service with related service, within the constraints that you have. In everybody’s, it’s going to be different, because again remember, every child’s different. And then we’re also throwing on top of that, we have been giving guidelines, safety guidelines for everybody’s wellbeing that we also have to take into [00:45:00] account too. So, it’s going to vary, but I would recommend looking at how can we do it if the parent is not able to do that actual consultation, someone telling them to be able to do it, they’re not able to actually do it themselves to provide it. How can we do it and provide it outside of that? And you really going to have to think hard, and in some situations, it may be very difficult. But then again, it’s going to be based on what is actually feasible for everybody and for the child.

Now, one of the things here too that was mentioned – and I’m sorry if I don’t get to all of the questions. But one other before we end, is it stated that [00:46:00] my son school at this time is scheduled to go back April 13th, the week after spring break, and in my greatest hopes, I hope that that’s what happens for all of us, but given every day, every hour, something changes, it also said in there at this time the plan with the school, and I love that they’ve already come up with this plan with one another that’s a great example of the partnership, that his therapies, I’m assuming are related service maybe like occupational or physical therapy, that they would make up for that what the child would have got for the three weeks. So, what they’re saying there then is that, if typically – and I’m just throwing this example out there, that the child would have got one time a week for 30 minutes physical therapy, when they come back maybe to make up for the one time a week for the three weeks that [00:47:00] were missed, maybe an hour and a half, they may add on for the next three weeks, an additional 30 minutes. Once you’d be able to go back, an additional 30 minutes for three weeks so that the child will actually then catch up, and get that therapy.

I mean this is a great plan, and I love how it is there, but I’d also take into account too is – and that’s great that you all have come up with that plan, and that’s a great example and perfect of that working together. So, if you’re not able to go back, I would suggest, is there a way that something can also be done through the non-traditional instruction program, especially if it’s going to be longer than that, but there might be some things, physical therapy that you could help with. If there’s any parts that’s not to replace the actual 30 minutes a week that they would have [00:48:00] got, but something that you can do in consultation with and working with your child that the therapist could give you some pointers, some hints, and things that maybe they’re working on, had been working on with your child, so you can continue to do those as well. You could still do that.

Also, even for the three weeks that were planning right now, and then when they go back they get that. And it may just be one conversation with the physical therapist to get those tips. But again, no matter when they go back, how can we provide the special education and related services through the nontraditional instruction program, keeping in mind the safety for everybody involved, but then also when we go back, and you remember through the Kentucky Department of Education and the US Department of Education, when you go back, [inaudible] teens or the 504 teens, the [00:49:00] IEP team needs to look at, even if it’s on the nontraditional instruction program, they need to look at is, compensatory services required for them if there were any skills that they had lost. So, you always are going to take that into account, and from the guidance that’s been issued so far, is that that needs to be a question that’s asked and looked at to help our children best in for their educational future.

So, I want to thank you all so much for joining us. I’m sorry I didn’t get to all the questions, but check back, sign up to be on our listserv. And we appreciate you all greatly. And please let us know. You see our 800 number there, our email address, website. Please let us know if you have questions. I can’t guarantee that we have the answers yet, just like all of us are figuring that out as we go, and as we’re given additional [00:50:00] guidance, but we will work the best we can to help you to step through that.

Please stay safe, and thank you all, and we’ll talk soon. Bye-bye.

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