Special Education
ICEF Public Schools are committed to providing accurate and transparent information regarding COVID-19 along with full transparency of our plans to keep our students, families, staff and communities safe during this time. We have put a variety of safety measures in place already and are continuing to add on or revise these plans as we learn more about this virus.
As of March 2020, hundreds of thousands of students across LA County are not attending school. For our communities, we are faced with numerous questions during this time:
- How will my child stay safe if I have to go to work during school hours?
- What will the quality of my child's education be virtually?
- How will we be able to afford our place of residence or keep feeding my family if I lose my job?
- How will my child receive the specialized supports and services they need and deserve?
In times like these, our commitment to our students and families extends far beyond the classroom. Equity is top of mind for all of ICEF, including but not limited to providing technology for all of ICEF students, hot spots for families in need, grab-and-go-meals for families across our various school sites and much more. We are nowhere near finished and have much further to go, but it is with our hearts and dedication to our ICEF scholars that we will work tirelessly to support our ICEF family and communities that we serve.
This same dedication also applies to our families of students with disabilities. As of August 2020, we have began providing on-site in-person testing for students in order to get clear and accurate data to inform eligibility or Individualized Education Programs. This has come with some challenges and flexibility due to the ever changing stay at home orders, but we are committed to ensuring that our scholars are taken care of and that we are providing them the dedication services they need and deserve.
In addition, all services have been provided to students virtually and all of our teachers are offering additional office hours to support students both on their caseload and off. We are aware that remote learning is not perfect and difficult for some of our students, but we are dedicated to providing the best possible education out there and continuing to ensure that all students have access to a transformational education.
Now let's go into a little more about us and our programming. ICEF Public Schools vision for special education and related services is simple, transformational change for our students by fostering socially just programming that supports equality, opportunities, and high expectations for all students with disabilities. We strive to achieve this vision every day with the support of our families, community, and ICEF network as a whole.
ICEF offers a continuum of services which includes, but is not limited to using the Learning Center & Inclusion Models in order to support our students in accessing their least restrictive environment (LRE). With that being said, ICEF takes pride in our ability to make changes to our program models depending on the unique and individual needs of each student that joins or is a part of our ICEF family. Our overall goal is to provide students with a high quality education that will set them up to be successful for the rest of their lives.
If you have any specific questions regarding the special education process, learning in the times of COVID-19, related services, etc., please contact Shelby Pealer, Director of Special Education at [email protected]