Special Education Directors,

ADE/ESS is pleased to announce that the Compensatory Services Claims application is now open for the second wave of applications through the ESS Portal of ADEConnect and the cap for funds has been increased for each public education agency (PEA). Each PEA can now apply for one or multiple compensatory education claims up to $25,000 for each PEA.

ADE has been aware that PEAs may need relief when a free appropriate public education (FAPE) was unable to be provided during the Spring/Summer 2020 school closure while emergency remote learning was in effect. ADE/ESS, with the support of Superintendent Hoffman, advocated for $5 million of CARES Act funds to be dedicated to compensatory services relief for services already provided by the PEA to absorb some of the burdens.

Please visit the ESS Program Management website to review the Compensatory Services Claims materials and quick reference guide.

For questions about the application process, please contact ESS Program Management.

Special Education Directors,

The ADE/ESS has been asked a variety of questions by public education agencies (PEAs) around “school days” under the Executive Order 2020-44 issued by the Governor on June 29, 2020.

This is a Hot Topic outlining the impact of this Executive Order on school days and special education timelines.

For any questions or clarifications please contact your PEA’s assigned Program Support and Monitoring specialist.

Special Education Directors,

Below is a Hot Topic to address questions from the field in light of the Governor’s June 29, 2020 Executive Order considering Compensatory Educational Services and Extended School Year Services. ADE/ESS provides guidance based on interpretation of current Executive Orders, as well as federal and state regulations. Please consult with your district/charter legal counsel to determine how to implement service delivery in your schools.

Alert to Special Education Directors and Program Administrators: Extended School Year and Compensatory Educational Services Related to Executive Order 2020-44

Special Education Directors,

There have been many challenges as a result of COVID-19 and, after careful consideration, our leadership team has made the difficult decision to cancel Teach Camp 2020 as well as a new professional learning opportunity that was planned for new special education directors.  Our goal is to begin a new cohort of Teach Camp and professional learning for new special education directors in the summer of 2021. Currently, we are considering ways to connect with our 2019 Teach Camp participants and help them reconnect with each other during the next school year.

For your information, a resource that has been available to teachers participating in Teach Camp is now open to others as well. CEC is opening its doors to the special education community in need of resources. Nonmembers of CEC can receive a free basic membership from now through May 31 by using the promotional code "CECED60". This will provide access to all of CEC’s journal articles, member discounts on publications and events, and their online membership community where educators can ask questions and receive support from special educators, administrators, and support personnel. Join now by clicking here.

Thank you for your continued service to our field. We look forward to collaborating with you to support new teachers and new special education directors again in the future.

Special Education Directors,

ADE/ESS has received many questions regarding special education timelines during school closures associated with COVID-19. We recognize that, during this time, there may be challenges in meeting deadlines. Please see the this guidance document (Updated 4/1/20) that contains guidance on timelines, provided in good faith based on guidance from OSEP.

There are a few other resources that may be useful for you to review:

• The ADE delivered a COVID-19 webinar today to district and charter leaders, as well as education stakeholders. The webinar was hosted with the support of the AZ School Board Association. Participant size was limited, but the webinar was recorded and is available on ADE’s COVID-19 webpage. There is a short section on special education that is taken primarily from the OSEP Q & A document recently disseminated, but also contains a few pieces of information gained from the “Joint Webinar on COVID 19 and Students with Disabilities” held on March 13.
• The “Joint Webinar on COVID 19 and Students with Disabilities” was presented by Laurie VanderPloeg, OSEP Director, along with representatives from NASDSE, CASE, and the CCCSO. It is a review of the OSEP Q & A Document, including IDEA, Part C, and Section 504 students, and also contains a general question and answer section. The recording of the webinar is available in the link.
• The ADE provided information on “School Closures: Clarification and Guidance,” today. This information is also available on the ADE COVID 19 webpage and concretely outlines which schools and programs are and are not closed, per the Governor’s declaration. It also provides some general information about school closure.

Additionally, ADE/ESS is in the process of developing a COVID-19 ESS subpage that will be linked to the overall ADE COVID-19 page. It will contain special education-specific information, as well as an evolving Q & A document based on questions that are submitted to ADE and ESS. Please be patient as ESS receives questions, processes information, seeks guidance, and provides answers. This is a quickly-changing landscape of information and resources, and ESS is working closely with OSEP, national technical assistance groups, and state leadership to get the most accurate information to you.

Any questions can be sent to the [email protected]. Thank you all for your work during this time.