I checked this time, folks, and I’m sorry I left the FW on the previous e-mail
article I posted.
Linda G.
Virtual Schools Need to Serve Students With Disabilities – Education Officials
The Education Department released a letter to states addressing the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act to protect kids with disabilities in virtual
schools.
By Darlene Aderoju
August 11, 2016
Students with disabilities who attend virtual public schools should get the same
quality education they would find in a traditional school, Education Department
officials warned.
The agency’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services on Thursday
released a Dear Colleague
letter addressing the rights of students with disabilities who attend public
virtual schools, which are exploding across the country. Many students with
impairments choose to enroll because the virtual schools offer the flexibility
of learning at home.
But after receiving questions and concerns about the quality of these schools,
officials decided to issue guidance. The letter, written to state leaders,
explains how to comply with the requirements of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act. The department’s letter specifically addresses how
IDEA applies to states and public virtual schools.
“Children with disabilities attending virtual schools have the same right to a
free appropriate public education as children attending brick and mortar
schools,” said OSERS acting assistant secretary, Sue Swenson, in a press
release.
There are nearly 6.7 million students with disabilities in the U.S.
The letter also details states’ obligation to provide children with disabilities
a free education at public virtual schools. States are also required to provide
appropriate accommodations to students as determined by their individualized
education program (IEP), and include these children in all state- and
district-wide assessments.
According to the letter, states “must have policies and procedures that ensure
that children with disabilities who attend virtual schools are included in all
general state and district-wide assessment programs.”
The Department of Education wants to ensure that online public and charter
schools are subject to the same rigorous standards as traditional
brick-and-mortar schools, and highlighted the importance of oversight,
transparency and accountability for these schools.
Currently, OSERS is funding the Center on Online Learning and Students with
Disabilities to assess how online learning can be more accessible for all
students.
Reach the reporter at darlene.aderoju@xxxxxxxxxxx and follow her on Twitter
@buuukky and @edscoop_news.
http://edscoop.com/virtual-schools-need-to-serve-students-with-disabilities-educ
ation-officials
