CRPE Cover, How Has the Pandemic Affected Students with Disabilities

How Has the Pandemic Affected Students with Disabilities? A Review of the Evidence to Date

CLE’s latest brief, How Has the Pandemic Affected Students with Disabilities? A Review of the Evidence to Date, examines the impacts of COVID-19 on students with disabilities based on a review of hundreds of studies. In particular, the report highlights widespread disruptions to student’s Individual Education Programs (IEPs) and Section 504 plans. It also examines significant disparities in access to specialized services and draws attention to areas of further inquiry.

Several Young Students Running

A Call to Action: With No Updates to OCR Discipline Guidance Since 2014, the Opportunity to Address Inequities for Students with Disabilities is Now

In 2016, the federal government rescinded a 2014 disciplinary guidance package that had served as a much-needed resource to schools and districts across the country, a decision that CLE opposed.

It is now time for the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to issue new comprehensive guidance that advances equity for all students, especially those with disabilities. Guidance should ensure districts and schools stop using harmful exclusionary practices, including suspensions, expulsions, and seclusions, in lieu of individualized supports and services that address and ameliorate the behavioral needs of students with disabilities.