Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary School (Herein after “DESE”) is not allowing district to offer extensive remote learning for the 2021-2022 school year. DESE believes students need to be in a classroom with a live teacher to get the most of the education process. There are a few options that parents/guardians may try if they want their student to continue with remote learning for the 2021-2022 school year:

First.

Parents/guardians may enroll their student in one of the two approved Massachusetts virtual school districts. The first is TECCA Connections and the second is Greenfield Academy. TECCA is a tuition-free online public school for grades K to 12. According to TECCA’s website the enrollment period for the first semester is open. They are limited to 2,700 students at a time. Greenfield is also a tuition-free online virtual school. Greenfield promotes itself as a “pioneer of online personalized learning, we empower our educators to tailor learning experiences to each student’s strengths, interests and challenges.” According to Greenfield’s website they do have a waitlist but students are still encouraged to enroll so that they may be entered into a lottery. Please refer to their website for application and lottery deadlines.

Second.

If your student is on a 504 Plan you may be able to request remote learning as an accommodation. This option is mostly for students whose disability prevents them from safely attending school due to the risk of Covid-19 but who may not be confined to their home, they could make a request for an accommodation of remote learning. Remember, just because an accommodation is asked for – it does not mean the district has to agree.

Third.

For those children who are confined to their home or a hospital for 14 days or more and are therefore unable to attend school, they are entitled to an alternative education for as long as their confinement and/or medical condition requires. This may include tutoring and/or remote learning. This is NOT a special education service. Any student in Massachusetts, regardless of whether or not they have an IEP or a 504 plan, may submit this request. If this describes your student then review DESE’s FAQs on this topic found at this link before you submit a home and hospital education request. Find the necessary form as item number two at this link.

Have questions or concerns about your student? Contact us to discuss further:

E.M. Curran Legal LLC

10 Tower Office Park
Suite 314
Woburn, MA 01801
Phone: 781-933-1542
Fax: 781-933-1549

ellen@emcurranlegal.com

What can you do to support your student?

Develop a “partnership” with your student’s teacher.

As a former classroom teacher, I can assure you that the teachers your student interacts with on a day-to-day basis went into education to make a difference in the lives of their students. When a conflict arises remember that everyone has your child’s best interests at heart and will want to do what is best for them. Try to remind yourself of this while working through conflicts.

Stay involved with your student’s classroom schedule, activities and special events. Offer support to the teacher and follow through. Ask your student questions about their school days so that you are not surprised when someone tells you there is a ‘big issue.’

Encourage your older student to self-advocate.

For older students, encourage them speak up and self-advocate appropriately. Sit down with your student and read over their together so that they know what it says and what it means. Have them identify their strengths and weaknesses as well as strategies they think work for them. Make a copy of their accommodations from their IEP, laminate it or put it in a clear sheet protector and then put it in their binder/planner. Then talk to your student about when/how they should use this ‘cheat sheet’ to appropriately self-advocate. For example, maybe they have a substitute teacher who is not aware that you student gets time and a half to complete a test.

Acknowledge your student’s achievements and performance.

Have high but realistic expectations of your student’s school performance. Remind your student of your belief in their abilities and encourage them to develop healthy beliefs and attitudes about themselves. Celebrate their strengths and wins and support them when they have “misses” and/or weaknesses.

Share your concerns about your student’s performance NOT with the student but instead with their teacher.

What can you do you stay organized and on top of your student's academic needs?

A. Get a large three ring binder and some separators

B. Set up your binder so that it has a few relevant sections. These are the sections I use:

Current IEP
Correspondence. I break this down further into a section for emails, snail mail and phone logs.
Report Cards - Progress Reports. Again I break this down further into the four quarters
Behavior
Tests, Assessments and Evaluations. I never throw any of these materials out.
IEP Goal Tracking. I break this section into as many goals as the IEP states and then I track each goal by the quarter.

C. Do not write on the originals. If you want to make notes, write them on post-its and put the post-its on the document.

D. Keep all documents in strict chronological order.

I only keep the most current school year and one past year's worth of material in the binder at a time. I also create a table of contents so I can quickly find documents/information. I bring this binder with me to all Team meetings.

Have questions or concerns about your student? Contact us to discuss further:

E.M. Curran & Associates LLC

10 Tower Office Park
Suite 406
Woburn, MA 01801
Phone: 781-933-1542
Fax: 781-933-1549
ellen@emcurranlegal.com

Meet Ellen

Attorney Ellen Marie Curran is an attorney licensed to practice in Massachusetts. Outside of work, Attorney Curran is an active participant in her community. She is a Museum Teacher Fellow for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in Washington, D.C. as well as a volunteer at the Stone Zoo in Stoneham, Massachusetts.