What special education will look like through distance learning at Clovis Unified

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- The parents of Clovis Unified students with special needs learned on Thursday night what back to school will look like online.

Staff is tasked with carrying over specialized curriculum to the virtual sphere.

"We are going to do the best that we can to mirror an educational day through distance learning," says Director of Special Education Carrie Carter.

Each Special Ed student can expect to receive a distance learning plan written specifically for their needs by their Individualized Education Planning Team.

"This is going to be a joint effort between both school and home in order for this to be a successful experience," says Assistant Director Anne Castillo.

Assessment for Special Education students will be in person, but students who once received specialized at-home instruction or one-on-one sessions will have to continue through apps like Zoom or Google Classroom.

Carter says the day-to-day schedule will look the same.

"Doing those morning routines and greetings that we do... we will utilize Zoom to have break-out sessions and break out small groups."

Carter says even during individual work, a Zoom session would be open with a teacher or aide always available.

"I participated in a virtual prom for a severely disabled program this summer and if they can pull that off, we can pull anything off," says Carter.

Clovis Unified has extended the deadline for parents to choose whether they prefer in-person or online learning once schools are given the green light to re-open by the State.

CUSD says when that happens, all students above third grade will be required to wear a mask. Special Education students are included unless given exemption by a doctor.

The deadline to submit a response through the Annual Information Update is Friday and can be found on Clovis Unified's website.