Updated Friday, April 24, 2020
The Oklahoma State Department of Education, Special Education Services (OSDE-SES) is committed to providing guidance and support in order to promote excellence in education from infancy to adulthood for children with disabilities as outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA).
This mission is accomplished by disseminating information to families, schools, communities, and agencies through meaningful resources, fostering collaborative partnerships and providing timely and accurate technical assistance.
Please review the hyperlink below to review information regarding providing services to children with disabilities during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak. This document is from the US Department of Education – Please click here. Along with this Supplemental Fact Sheet – Please click here.
The OPC will do our best to add new resources daily. We will put the newest resource at the top of this list and date everything. Some of these resources will be for Parents and some of these will be for Teachers. In times like these, it is important that we are all on the same page and sharing the same information.
April 24, 2020 – Pre-Employment Transition Services Webinar – Click to Register
When: April 28, 2020 03:00 PM
Join this webinar to learn about free online training and education opportunities for students (ages 14-22) to increase post-secondary education and/or employment outcomes. Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) can support Individual Career Academic Program (ICAP) activities and supplement transition services! Learn how Pre-ETS specialists can help your students and their families by providing one on one and small group support to students in creative and meaningful ways. Pre-ETS specialists and special education teachers will share how they have collaborated to make these opportunities available for students. Please email Lori Chesnut at lori.chesnut@sde.ok.gov if you have questions.
April 17, 2020 – Oklahoma Distance Learning Special Education Evaluation and Eligibility Guidance
The Oklahoma State Department of Education Special Education Services Division (OSDE-SES) encourages all school evaluation and eligibility teams to continue to take Child Find obligation seriously and ensure that students with disabilities are identified and provided the services they need, while maintaining the health and safety of students, staff, and families during this exceptional time. Evaluation teams to consider on a case-bycase basis for remaining initial evaluations or re-evaluations this year. In special education, each case is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer.
April 13, 2020 – Special Education Parent/Teacher Communication Panel VIDEO
Check out this video about Parent/Teacher Communication from Oklahoma Parents Center and OSDE-SES.
April 9, 2020 – Best Practices in Distance Learning to Support Students with Significant Disabilities
6 Tips to providing services to students with significant intellectual disabilities
April 7, 2020 – Guidance for Related Service Providers
Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Counseling Services, Orientation and Mobility, Audiology, Parent Training, Psychological, Interpreting, Recreation, School Health/Nursing, Social Work, and Transportation are related services in which IEP teams should consider for students. IEP Teams should consider how these services will be provided, frequency or dates of services, session lengths, providers, and method of service provision (without technology, online using what platform and which device) for students.
March 30, 2020 – FAQ: Providing a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) through a Distance Learning Platform during a Closure to Normal School Operations due to the COVID 19 Pandemic
There is no identified method or detailed guidance to adequately and equitably meet the needs of all students in an unprecedented event such as the COVID 19 pandemic. As stated in the Oklahoma Resources for Distance Learning document, “Distance learning is any method of learning that happens outside the traditional school building.” Districts need to be flexible and consider employing a variety of delivery options as they make reasonable efforts to provide services to students with disabilities. Above all, districts should prioritize health and safety of students, staff, and communities.
March 30, 2020 – Oklahoma School Based Telehealth Resources (OT, ST, PT)
Related Services Providers – Here is a Google Doc with resources for you. Please feel free to add to it!
March 27, 2020 – School Closure Tracking Template for Students with IEPs
Special Ed Administrators, this is an OPTIONAL form that may help you track student changes during this situation.
March 26, 2020 – Updated – Distance Learning Guidance for Special Education
The Distance Learning Guidance for Special Education has been created for districts and their stakeholder engagement plans. Those plans must include the best approaches for the provision of free appropriate public education (FAPE) to meet the unique disability-related needs of students with disabilities.
March 26, 2020 — Online Distance Learning Training Module
We have a new online Distance Learning for Special Education training module ready for you. Please go to osdeconnect.ok.gov and create an account. The module is titled: Distance Learning for Special Education.
March 26, 2020 — Special Education Services Online Learning Resources
This is to support the transition to at-home learning for teachers, students, and families by providing information and resources that we hope you will find useful during this time away from the traditional classroom.
March 25, 2020 — Virtual Meeting Checklist
This will assist teams (which include parents) as they conduct IEP meetings online or by phone. Remember virtual meetings only change the location of the IEP Team meeting. All standard rules still apply. All mandated IEP team members must be there unless you excuse them.
Additional guidance Oklahoma State Department of Education: https://sde.ok.gov/sites/default/files/FAQS%20FOR%20PUBLIC%20 SCHOOLS%20-%20COVID-19.pdf
Office of Special Education Program: https://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/qacovid-19-03-12-2020.pdf?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=.