QUESTION
How are services for students with IEPs and English language learners impacted by remote learning?
2:10:58
·
6 min
Advocates highlight the lack of services for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), special needs, and English language learners during remote learning, emphasizing challenges in data collection and service delivery.
- There is insufficient data on whether students accessed their services during remote learning.
- Remote learning has made it difficult for students to receive services like physical therapy.
- Language barriers add to the challenges for families who do not speak English.
- Legal actions have been taken due to failures in service provision during remote learning.
- Improvements are suggested in inter-agency communication and planning to better support affected students.
Rita C. Joseph
2:10:58
I had a quick question.
2:11:00
So in your testimony, you said students with IEP, students with special needs, English language learners, they were not serve they didn't get their service.
2:11:10
That day.
2:11:11
Correct?
Molly Senack
2:11:14
So we don't know the exact numbers yet, which the
Rita C. Joseph
2:11:17
I did ask them.
2:11:17
They said,
Vanessa Hunt
2:11:18
yeah.
Molly Senack
2:11:20
They don't know yet.
2:11:20
So all of these numbers as of right now are based on a survey that CCSC sent out on their own.
2:11:27
That survey is still technically open as of the last time I checked, which was last night.
2:11:32
They've surveyed 7 53 parents of students with IEPs.
2:11:36
I can also say that in meetings, in all of the CDC meetings for CCSC and for district 75, the topic of remote learning has come up a lot.
2:11:47
And it's always okay.
2:11:49
We have to monitor whether or not our students are able to access their services remotely.
2:11:55
And we there's very little information being provided to parents about how they're how able their children are going to be to access these services.
2:12:06
There is very little data following up on how how successfully these services were provided because, again, we're just looking at February 13th, so they're still collecting that data.
2:12:18
But even if we look at just the 18 months of the pandemic and going in and out of remote learning, even that data is a little just because, again, the standards for what qualifies as being provided with your services can literally be being provided one of your services that you entitled to once.
2:12:38
So if we say, like, for instance, like, in the 2021, 2022 school year that I think they said that 12% of students did not receive any mandated services, which is actually technically speaking a good number, but we don't know how many those students received their services regularly and how many students received all of their services regularly.
2:13:00
We know that it's a problem regardless of whether they're learning in the classroom or if they're learning remotely.
2:13:06
We know that there is a shortage.
2:13:08
We know that there is a tremendous backlog of IEP cases and people waiting for compensatory services, we know how much money is being spent on Carter cases because families can not act their children don't have access to the services they need in public schools, and all of those factors are compounded by remote learning.
2:13:28
And there are certain things like physical therapy.
2:13:30
How are you supposed to offer physical therapy remotely?
2:13:34
That's something that we need to figure out if that is going to become the standard every time that school shut down.
2:13:40
You can't say that school continues for some students, but not others.
2:13:44
That's not that's not fair and equitable education.
2:13:48
And then it also comes down to as my colleagues are talking about interpretation services.
2:13:54
For parents and families who don't speak English.
2:13:57
That's everything everyone said.
2:13:59
Already enormous issue for navigating this system, but especially if your students are need additional help and you are being expected to provide that help and you cannot interpret what what your child's instructor is saying in order to help your child?
2:14:19
What are you supposed to do?
2:14:21
You know, this the federal complaint I mentioned is not the only lawsuit.
2:14:27
Regarding remote learning and IEP services.
2:14:32
That has been filed.
2:14:33
There's another lawsuit about missed early intervention service for that reason.
2:14:37
It was a little girl whose family, she'd missed the majority of her mandated services.
2:14:44
While in the pre k.
2:14:48
And one of the issues was that her family, English was not their first language, and their teachers kept saying like, hey, you know, she had trouble sitting still in front of a screen, and all of the instructions from the teacher to that could have potentially aided the child in receiving her education.
2:15:10
There was no interpreter provided that the mother couldn't help her child.
2:15:14
You know, that's obviously not what we want.
Rita C. Joseph
2:15:17
We saw that during COVID.
2:15:18
The a huge issue.
2:15:20
And ACS usually gets involved as well.
2:15:22
Mhmm.
Shekar Krishnan
2:15:23
A lot
Rita C. Joseph
2:15:23
of ACS cases were brought against our families, especially our enl families.
2:15:28
So So for his hand.
2:15:30
We do have someone here from New York City Public Schools.
2:15:32
He is taking notes to carry back on how we can better especially beyond access as well, how we can improve the systems, and how do we improve agencies talking to each other, service providers talking to each other so we can have a better plan for our New York City kids.
2:15:46
So that's very important.
Ellen McHugh
2:15:48
Local law 27 already exists, and it already collects information on the lack services for students with special needs.
2:15:56
So in many cases, there is something to start with prior to any questions.
2:16:01
There are anywhere which between 101400 little ones who are not receiving services.
2:16:09
We know this already.
2:16:11
So I think while collecting information and collecting stories is important and certainly illustrates the problem, We do have a lot of information to proceed with.
2:16:23
I think we let the DOE off the hook by this is an opinion.
2:16:28
By constantly researching the same information over and over.
2:16:33
I also questioned the DOE's intent on this.
2:16:37
It's as if they figure, well, what to say?
2:16:40
We'll get some time because we don't have the information.
2:16:46
A few years back, the DOE went to Australia and came back with a reading program.
2:16:51
The reason I brought this up because Australia, because of the great distances in their stations, their sheep stations, they cannot have schools.
2:17:00
A large number of their children, a large number of their children are totally educated online.
2:17:08
If you take a look at some of Australia's curriculum and actual functioning with these online students, I think it would be a very enlightening episode for the Department of Education to at least online, learning about what Australia is doing.
Rita C. Joseph
2:17:30
Thank you.