Pandemic shut down many special education services

Posted Date: 10/21/2022

When schools shut down in March 2020, many of the nation’s roughly 7 million students in special education didn’t get the special education services to which they were entitled under federal law. The law requires these services to be provided even during special circumstances, such as the pandemic.

School districts may have fallen short of providing special education services to eligible students with disabilities during the pandemic. For example, the Los Angeles Unified Public School District has been cited by the U.S. Department of Education for failing to provide appropriate special education services to students with disabilities during the pandemic. As a result, the district will have to provide, and pay for, services to make up for what wasn’t provided.

More broadly, the U.S. Department of Education says special education students who missed out on services are likely eligible to get additional services meant to make up for what they missed.

But even though most of the nation’s schools have resumed in-person classes, they have had trouble getting enough staff to provide all the services that are needed.