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Distance Learning Troubleshooting.

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www paparentandfamilyalliance org Distance Learning Troubleshooting Solutions to Some of Our Most Asked Questions Many of our families have been reaching out to us about challenges they are experiencing with distance learning Technology related challenges and understanding IEP 504 plans and how distance learning impacts them are among the top issues we have been hearing about This tip sheet offers potential solutions to some very common problems parent s are facing across the country right now If you are struggling with the transition to distance learning you are not alone and we can help you Have a challenge we didn t address Reach out to one of our Family Support Partners and they will help you find a solution The service is free and confidential Book a time to talk Reach Us Online Reach Us By Phone Technology Related Challenges You May Encounter Get to know the platform your child s school is using There are great videos on how to troubleshoot for the major platforms such as Zoom Microsoft Teams Google Meet for Students For other platforms check out YouTube and search troubleshooting insert platform name for students or the specific issue you re having like no sound user Zoom If many people are working or attending school online from your home your internet can slow way down Using the device you are having trouble with open a tab and go to an app such as Speedtest This can tell you what your upload and download speeds are You can take a screenshot of the test results showing the date and time It s appropriate for a parent caregiver to reach out to the teacher via email and let them know that your internet is spotty and ask for a workaround Sometimes it s easily fixed by not sharing your screen which uses additional bandwidth Reach out to your school and let them know if you have challenges like not having internet access or only having internet access on certain days for instance your child has to stay with a relative on Tues and Thurs because you work and the caregiver doesn t have internet not having enough devises for use in your home or not having access to a printer or printer ink While you may be embarrassed these issues affect your child s ability to access their education and the school should be able to provide some assistance Your child should not have to go to a fast food parking lot for example to access their internet service to attend school Get in the habit of documenting the challenges your child is having accessing or using the learning platform For instance if your child logs on a few minutes late to class and is stuck in the waiting room for several minutes because the teacher hasn t admitted them to class either take a picture or a screen shot of their screen showing their name in the waiting room and the date and time usually located in the bottom right hand corner then have them email their teacher This can help establish that they were present for class but were not in class for reasons beyond their control

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www paparentandfamilyalliance org Understanding How Distance Learning Impacts Your Child s IEP or 504 Plan Parents should understand the even though their child is attending school virtually the rights and protections offered by IEP s and 504 plans still fully apply Parents should take a few moments to review their procedural safeguards as they offer information on how to disagree and where to find help across the state If your child s IEP or 504 plan is not currently working as it should for your child you can request an IEP meeting or ask to meet with the appropriate person to modify the 504 plan As with all conversations put this in writing You can describe what s not working in the email and any modifications should be updated in the IEP 504 plan and you should be given an updated document Some examples of reasons to update the IEP student is unable to sit at a computer for extended periods of time student needs help staying on task student needs modifications to access print Parent needs training to help student access learning platform or programs student is easily overwhelmed or becomes anxious due to lack of structure student has difficulty remembering the many sequences and multiple steps necessary in the new learning environment IEP meetings can be held over Zoom and must still follow all usual IEP guidelines including who attends and allowing for full parent caregiver participation Here is a great cheat sheet for IEP s called the Annotated IEP from PaTTAN It looks just like an IEP your child s school may use but there are family friendly directions ANNOTATION in the boxes For more information on the responsibilities of your child s school during COVID check out this great webinar offered by the PEAL Center featuring Carole Clancy the director of PA Dept of Ed Special Education You can also request that your child be evaluated for an IEP if you feel your child may need special education services Distance or remote learning is NOT a reason to deny your request or extend the state s mandated timelines Check them out here As with all communications request the evaluation in writing Your child cannot be exited from special education just because you ask for their IEP to be updated adapted or modified Your child is entitled to special education services while remote learning although services may look different than they would look in an in school environment You may want to update your child s IEP if their school is modifying their delivery for example if your child is attending 2 days in school and a 3 days at home or some other blended modified plan The change may create some new challenges for your student or the services you agreed on may need to be updated We can t stress enough the importance of communicating in writing so you have a record This may come in handy should you need to make a request for compensatory education or if your child is penalized for things that are beyond their control

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