As schools continue to navigate the whitewater rapids of COVID-19, the issue of compensatory services has steadily started gathering more attention both locally and nationwide. While not unexpected given the massive disruption the pandemic has, and continues to, wreak on the provision of special education services, discussions regarding compensatory services are rarely welcomed. This can […]
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Below are today’s updates regarding COVID-19 and its impact on Texas public schools. For additional resources, please visit our COVID-19 page. Attorney General Claims Local Orders Closing Schools Are Invalid. Tarrant County Abandoning Order? Holly James, Senior Associate Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion today regarding the legality of local public health orders that […]
Read moreIn these ever-changing times during the pandemic, some districts are discussing staggering students’ arrival and departure times during the 2020-21 school year to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If your district is considering this option, you should be mindful of how this may affect students with disabilities. The law is clear that a district cannot […]
Read moreUpdates to the Texas Education Agency’s Special Education and Special Population sections of the COVID-19 Support webpage last week were limited to the release of a single, if thorough, Guidance and FAQ regarding Continuity of Learning for Secondary Transition. The nine-page document walks through the following topics: Transition Services During COVID-19; Guiding Questions for Secondary […]
Read moreThe Texas Education Agency updated its COVID-19 Special Education Q&A last week to address questions related to Dyslexia screening and coding. The first question reminded districts that Governor Abbot has waived the required kindergarten dyslexia screening for the 2019-2020 school year. Details regarding the requirements of the waiver are set out in Emergency Commissioner’s Rule […]
Read moreAfter a busy previous week focused on Extended School Year and Compensatory Services, the Texas Education Agency did not issue any updated guidance to the Special Education section of the COVID-19 Support webpage last week. While there were no updates exclusive to the Special Education section, TEA did issue a comprehensive six-page guidance in response […]
Read moreBelow are today’s updates regarding COVID-19 and its impact on Texas public schools. For additional resources, please visit our COVID-19 page. TEA Special Education Updates for the Week of May 11, 2020 Dean Micknal, Partner The Texas Education Agency issued updated guidance on two Special Education issues under its General Guidance tab last week. First, […]
Read moreBelow are today’s updates regarding COVID-19 and its impact on Texas public schools. For additional resources, please visit our COVID-19 page. Title IX: Questions and Answers Regarding the Final Rule Dean Micknal, Partner and Victoria Elliott, Associate On May 6, 2020, the US Department of Education issued an extensive update to the Title IX regulations […]
Read moreBelow are today’s updates regarding COVID-19 and its impact on Texas public schools. For additional resources, please visit our COVID-19 page. Don’t Forget About FERPA Victoria Elliott, Associate The Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office has sent out information informing districts of the importance of updating FERPA/PPRA policies and notifications, as applicable, during online […]
Read moreAfter completely redesigning the COVID-19 Support: Special Education webpage last week, the Texas Education Agency had a relatively quiet week of updates. The only update in the General Guidance section appears to consist of a minor correction to the COVID-19 Special Education Q&A regarding the requirement that SHARS informed consent include the name, rather than […]
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