Schools must provide a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE) regardless of where students are spending the day.

DESE released a letter that offered guidance for families on coping with the changing landscape of education, as well as a Family Resource Toolkit last week that lists resources on Covid-19 specific questions, support for families, hotlines, assistive technology, organization, internet access, and more.

You can download the letter and toolkit at this link: http://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/sped.html

Scroll down to State Resources to download a copy of the letter and toolkit. Both resources are available in Albanian, Arabic, Cape Verdean, Chinese, English, French, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Laotian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Understanding Free and Appropriate Education

To understand more about FAPE and how it applies during this time of social isolation, visit the Special Needs Advocacy Network COVID-19 page for a presentation from MFOFC Family Leader Elizabeth Bostic.

The link is spanmass.org/covid-19

Click on Tips and Tools for Families and Advocates Working Towards FAPE for more context on this cornerstone of special education.