As Schools Look for Guidance, Educators Are Left Asking, ‘What?’

Of particular concern for districts is guidance from the Education Department informing districts that they do not have to provide special education services to students if they are not educating the general population. Advocates contend the department’s guidance is causing unnecessary tension in communities.

“We’re already seeing people blaming special education kids for schools not providing anything,” said Miriam Rollin, director of the Education Civil Rights Alliance at the National Center for Youth Law. “This would be a moment for an administration to step up, show leadership and gather all of the examples of how things could be done.”

Special education students are also top of mind for state superintendents, according to the organization representing the school leaders. The superintendents say they expect special education guidance to be clarified by federal officials. State leaders are also eagerly awaiting expedited waivers from mandated standardized testing, but they are just as focused on issues like how to issue diplomas to graduating seniors.

Carissa Moffat Miller, the executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, which represents state superintendents, said her members also want clearer federal guidance but urged “a little forgiveness” for the C.D.C. as information on the pandemic’s course changes hourly.

“Looking forward, we know the cascading consequences of this crisis won’t go away when the spread of the virus eventually stops,” she said. “There will be equity implications, states and school systems will face huge costs, accountability systems will have to be changed and modified, and there will inevitably be questions that we haven’t even thought of yet.”

The C.D.C. did not respond to a request for comment.

In 2009, amid the H1N1 swine flu outbreak, the C.D.C. discouraged school closures. The former head of the agency, Dr. Tom Frieden, said in an opinion article on Monday that the coronavirus closures may have been premature.

“We must consider the huge societal costs of closing schools against what may be little or no health benefit — particularly if kids continue to go out and are increasingly cared for by grandparents and others who are vulnerable,” he wrote.

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