COVID-19 EMERGENCY 
FLEXIBLE IEP IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
DUE TO STATE-MANDATED SCHOOL CLOSURE
 
DISTRICT NOTICE

March 30, 2020 
 

In response to the spread of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, on March 23, 2020, Governor Tom Wolf pronounced a shelter in place order for, among others, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties. 

On March 19, 2020, Governor Wolf ordered extension of the closure of all K-12 Pennsylvania schools until further notice, following an original March 13 order closing all K-12 Pennsylvania schools and the commencement of state-wide social distancing measures.

On March 6, 2020 the proclamation of a disaster emergency in Pennsylvania and the World Health Organization’s and Center for Disease Control’s pronouncement of COVID-19 being, “a public health emergency of international concern.”

On March 30, 2020, Governor Wolf ordered that all Pennsylvania schools shall remain closed for the 2019-20 school year until further notice.  Governor Wolf also extended the “Stay-At-Home” Order restricting individuals from leaving their residences except for essential activities, which Order includes, Delaware County.
 
On account of these state-mandated COVID-19 response efforts, the District buildings closed on March 13, 2020 and the District will begin providing online/digital flexible learning opportunities for all of its students on March 30, 2020.
 
Your child’s educational placement will continue to be the same as is in your child’s current IEP.  This letter is to notify you that in order to continue to provide educational opportunities to your child, certain aspects of your child’s educational program require flexibility and adjustments in the service delivery due to the effect the state-mandated COVID-19 response efforts have had on the ability to fully implement your child’s programming.
 
Accordingly, in light of the health and safety emergency circumstances accompanying the state-mandated school closures and requirement for social distancing, District staff will continue to provide an individualized education to your child to the best of our abilities, in light of the current circumstances, through your child’s IEP, with parental participation, if possible.

Once schools are permitted to reopen, or shortly thereafter, your child’s IEP team will provide the IEP that was in place when schools initially closed and will make an individualized determination as to whether and to what extent IEP revisions or additional services may be needed.  
 
Due to the mandated school closure, services listed in the current IEP, which will now be provided in an adjusted manner, are not missed services and, therefore will not require make-up sessions.
 
We appreciate your understanding and willingness to collaborate as we work through these times.  Please contact us if you would like a meeting to discuss the specifics of your child’s program.  We will do our best to coordinate a remote meeting.
 
Please take care of yourself and your family.  Email or call with any concerns and we will respond as soon as we are able.
 
Sincerely, 

Regina McClure
Director of Special Education & Pupil Services

March 27, 2020

Dear Parents and Guardians:

The manner in which our department staff has adapted to this changing landscape has been remarkable and we are grateful for their consistent support and flexibility. It is important to know that all staff employed by PDSD will continue to be supported in terms of how the instruction will be provided to each student. 

We ask for patience from all families as we begin to provide educational services to our students with specialized supports and services. The Flexible Learning Plans will take many forms.  Academic instruction will be delivered through teacher’s Schoology pages, via Google hang-out sessions, and Zoom teletherapy. Phone conferencing will all be utilized as we continue to meet the individual needs of students and families.

 
Beginning Monday, March 30 case managers will be contacting families to share student specific information, answer questions, share ideas, and ease fears.   We understand this experience is unique for many families and students.  We are here for you.  Staff  “office hours” will also be shared.

Special Education Instruction

The instruction provided for both direct instruction of core content & intervention of skill deficits for those students receiving specialized services will be provided in the same fashion as regular education instruction. Service delivery will be provided through the case managers Schoology page and Zoom teletherapy for related services. 

Case managers will be creating emergency flexible learning activities to target IEP goals and provide lists of accommodations to be utilized during general education class assignments.  Students receiving full academic instruction within the special education setting will receive flexible academic instruction via their individual case managers Schoology page.  Staff will also plan for any new annual IEP meetings or reschedule missed meetings.

Related Services

Clinicians will be reaching out to parents individually to plan for teletherapy sessions via Zoom or in a mutually agreeable fashion if Zoom therapy will not be possible.  Clinicians will schedule regular consultations sessions with parents to support them with therapy being provided in this new way.

504 Service Agreements

School counselors will be contacting parents/guardians to provide assurance that accommodations listed in the current 504 agreements are applicable during the home flexible learning period.  Counselors will also complete new annual 504 meetings due during the closure period.  Our school-counseling department will also provide consultation sessions.

Home & School Visitor

Ms. Barb Boyle is available to all District residents for issues or challenges families may be experiencing during this unprecedented time.  Ms. Boyle is available via email or phone.  Ms. Boyle can support families addressing internet access, crisis issues, health care, and housing.  You may reach her as follows:

Barbara Boyle
Home & School Visitor
610-497-6300 x 3356
bboyle@pdsd.org

Your passion and dedication to one another during a time of incredible uncertainty is deeply appreciated and reflects the very best of our PDSD community. Thank you. 

Sincerely,

Regina McClure

Director Special Education and Pupil Services

March 20, 2020

Dear Parents and Guardians:

The Penn Delco School District Speech/Language Pathologists want to reassure you that we have already been meeting and are planning ways we will be able to support your children.  Like everyone else, we are trying to determine the best way to deliver instruction.  

 

In the meantime, we suggest that you utilize the “Optional Learning Resources” presented by the district (https://www.pdsd.org/Page/10643), especially the reading activities.  Reading and listening to stories provides multiple opportunities to work on articulation (have your child find words in the story with their sounds and repeat), receptive language (responding to questions), expressive language (retelling the story), and pragmatic language (having a conversation about the story and discussing characters’ emotions portrayed by pictures and words).  Please know that we miss your children and look forward to being able to work with them again!

 

Sincerely,

Penn-Delco School District Speech/Language Pathologists

 

Valerie Burgess (vburgess@pdsd.org) - Aston Elementary & Northley Middle School

Kim McGinley (kmcginley@pdsd.org) - Sun Valley High School

Jean Michels (jmichels@pdsd.org) - Coebourn Elementary

Karen Newburg (knewburg@pdsd.org) - Pennell Elementary

Roseanne Newcomb (rnewcomb@pdsd.org) - Parkside Elementary & Northley Middle School

March 24, 2020

Dear Parents and Guardians,                                                                     

The Penn-Delco special education and student services department is actively working on plans for all children to have access to meaningful educational opportunities as we move into the next phase of this unprecedented school closure due to the COVID-19 virus.  We know you are all feeling worried that your child's special education and related services may not continue.  Please be assured that we are working with teachers and related service providers to plan for what could become an extended closure given the current unknowns.  We will be communicating more with parents as soon as possible, but please know that we are working hard to plan for your children.  We know that our students' services and supports are critical to their continued success and progress, and we are confident that we will be able to provide services to students through the closure.  We will use many forms of instructional practices and platforms to do this, including the virtual learning that our teachers are currently developing as well as teletherapy opportunities for related services. 

More than ever before, we need your help and understanding in this very challenging time.  We have never had to deliver services in this way and right now we are gathering all of our resources to prepare ourselves for something we never anticipated having to do.  We are busy designing these unique learning situations with our staff and teams to ensure that all of our students are given appropriate opportunities for virtual learning.  We need you to be our partners in learning and we will work with you so that your children have access to their services and supports in the best way we can.  Once school re-opens for the delivery of new learning, you will hear from your child's team with further information.  As of right now, our teachers are not expected to be working as they normally would, however, additional virtual supports will be activated soon. In my interactions with the teachers and therapists, they are busy preparing to work with your children again very soon!  They miss the kids and this is heartbreaking for them, just as it is for you and your children! 

For children who attend programs outside of the District, the special education department is and will continue to, communicate with those programs to determine how they are planning on delivering learning.  Each program and each child is unique, but we will work with the programs to support your children.  

Should you have questions, please contact Regina McClure, Director of Special Education and Student Services at rmcclure@pdsd.org

We are all in this together and we will get through this - together!  Please take care of yourselves and your families and hang in there! 

 

Sincerely,

Regina McClure

Director of Special Education and Pupil Services