The Seattle Special Education PTSA calls for an investigation of summer programming for students with disabilities in Seattle Public Schools. The issues faced by students and families during Summer 2021 were unacceptable and yet, many families would say that they were also par for the course. The systemic failures to serve students with disabilities in our schools must end.
The issues that have come to light concerning summer programming (Summer Staircase, Extended School Year (ESY), Compensatory Services, and Recovery Services) include the following:
- Families did not receive formal notice from the District regarding which program their student was assigned to attend.
- Families did not receive formal notice from the District about which school their student was assigned to attend, days of the week, and start date.
- Families did not receive notice from the District regarding transportation.
- Families received multiple transportation notices from the District that conflicted (time, location, start date, etc.).
- Students were taken by Transportation to the wrong school site.
- School sites were not staffed by certificated teachers (at least initially) but by Central Office staff.
- School sites were not staffed with required instructional assistants (IAs).
- Students who have 1:1 or shared IA support on their IEPs to provide access to appropriate education did not receive that support.
- Families were not informed that their students did not have 1:1 or shared IA support (when the student’s IEP called for 1:1 or shared IA support).
- School staff did not receive students’ complete IEPs and thus were not aware of individual students’ needs for support and accommodations and were unable to implement students’ IEPs.
- Families were told that students in ESY and students receiving recovery services would attend through August 6; on or about July 21, individual teachers began notifying some families that the last week of summer services (ESY and recovery services) was canceled. The District did not send out any notice (including Prior Written Notice) to families until July 23, after families raised the issue on social media.
The students affected by these failures are many of the same students who did not receive education and services since school closures starting in March 2020 and throughout the pandemic. https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/only-1-seattle-public-schools-student-is-receiving-special-education-services-in-person-right-now/
They also include many of the same students who were assigned to the wrong Tier of support for summer school in 2020. These are the same students who did not receive their IEP-required supports and accommodations last summer. https://seattlespecialeducationptsa.org/f/sseptsa-to-seattle-schools-on-summer-rationing-of-iep504-service
Throughout the year the Special Education PTSA has repeatedly raised questions about the District’s plan to provide recovery services to students with disabilities, including during the summer. This summer was a chance for the District to show that it was prepared to make good on its promises of improved communication and responsiveness and its commitment to center the students who have been the most adversely affected during the pandemic. The District failed.
Systemic problems require systemic fixes. We call on the School Board to require a multi-departmental investigation to identify the systemic issues causing the repeated failures, including a comprehensive accounting of system weaknesses and errors. As part of the investigation outcome a corrective action plan should be established, including a report to the community of findings and steps that will be implemented to prevent future failures. If the District is not able to conduct the investigation and create a plan itself, then the School Board should reach out to the US Department of Education and OSPI to investigate and develop a corrective action plan for the district. We are aware that some families will be filing citizen complaints and ask OSPI to broaden its investigation to cover all students with disabilities who were invited to participate in summer programs or who should have been invited.
