Coronavirus COVID-19
Executive Director's Letter to Parents - Update
March 23, 2020
Dear LADSE Parents,
As you are likely aware, on Friday, March 20th, Governor Pritzker issued an executive order requiring residents to “stay at home” effective Saturday, March 21 at 5:00 pm, through the end of April 7. As part of the Governor’s order, he announced that school will remain closed, with a new tentative reopening date of April 8. Although this is only one day later than our originally anticipated return, I wanted to send an additional communication out at this time addressing new practices we have adopted at LADSE in order to support our families.
First, it is important to know that all school districts are continuing food service programs to ensure no students go hungry during this time. Although LADSE does not operate its own food service, all of our member districts do. Please do not hesitate to contact your district or neighborhood school to learn how they are providing this service. District contact information can be found at https://www.ladse.org/member-districts.html.
Second, although we will continue to support our families through the provision of online and print resources, check-ins via phone, email, and/or video-conferencing on a regular basis, I have encouraged LADSE staff to take a “spring break” as best as they can and most are doing so either the week of March 23rd or the week of March 30th. If you are looking for additional resources for your children during this period, we have created a Parent Resources tab on our website at www.ladse.org. In addition, the Illinois State Board of Education has an extensive list of resources for families at https://www.isbe.net/Pages/ContinueEDResources.aspx.
Working with our member districts, we plan to continue with scheduled IEP meetings using online platforms. Although not the same as face-to-face, we have found video-conferencing to be an effective tool for this purpose, not only so that we meet timelines, but also to connect as teams. Should a conference be scheduled, directions will be provided to you on how to participate. However, please know that you have the option to decline a virtual meeting. Should this be your decision, the IEP will be scheduled upon return to school.
We understand that as parents of children with special needs, life was already demanding before the pandemic, and the disruption to daily routines that COVID-19 has created has only magnified these challenges. To that end, please reach out to your support systems and know that there are many resources available to help online and in the community. We will do our very best at LADSE to be there for you and cannot wait for this to end so that we can get back to doing what we love, educating your children in our classrooms.
Finally, please use this opportunity to focus on staying safe and helping to slow the spread of the virus. As always, thank you for your patience and support as we all work through the COVID-19 Pandemic. As you have seen, this situation is evolving rapidly. As events unfold, we will continue to communicate in a timely and transparent manner. We anticipate further guidance and details from the Illinois State Board of Education next week and will share pertinent information as it is received.
Sincerely,
Ellie Ambuehl, Ed.D.
Executive Director
Dear LADSE Parents,
As you are likely aware, on Friday, March 20th, Governor Pritzker issued an executive order requiring residents to “stay at home” effective Saturday, March 21 at 5:00 pm, through the end of April 7. As part of the Governor’s order, he announced that school will remain closed, with a new tentative reopening date of April 8. Although this is only one day later than our originally anticipated return, I wanted to send an additional communication out at this time addressing new practices we have adopted at LADSE in order to support our families.
First, it is important to know that all school districts are continuing food service programs to ensure no students go hungry during this time. Although LADSE does not operate its own food service, all of our member districts do. Please do not hesitate to contact your district or neighborhood school to learn how they are providing this service. District contact information can be found at https://www.ladse.org/member-districts.html.
Second, although we will continue to support our families through the provision of online and print resources, check-ins via phone, email, and/or video-conferencing on a regular basis, I have encouraged LADSE staff to take a “spring break” as best as they can and most are doing so either the week of March 23rd or the week of March 30th. If you are looking for additional resources for your children during this period, we have created a Parent Resources tab on our website at www.ladse.org. In addition, the Illinois State Board of Education has an extensive list of resources for families at https://www.isbe.net/Pages/ContinueEDResources.aspx.
Working with our member districts, we plan to continue with scheduled IEP meetings using online platforms. Although not the same as face-to-face, we have found video-conferencing to be an effective tool for this purpose, not only so that we meet timelines, but also to connect as teams. Should a conference be scheduled, directions will be provided to you on how to participate. However, please know that you have the option to decline a virtual meeting. Should this be your decision, the IEP will be scheduled upon return to school.
We understand that as parents of children with special needs, life was already demanding before the pandemic, and the disruption to daily routines that COVID-19 has created has only magnified these challenges. To that end, please reach out to your support systems and know that there are many resources available to help online and in the community. We will do our very best at LADSE to be there for you and cannot wait for this to end so that we can get back to doing what we love, educating your children in our classrooms.
Finally, please use this opportunity to focus on staying safe and helping to slow the spread of the virus. As always, thank you for your patience and support as we all work through the COVID-19 Pandemic. As you have seen, this situation is evolving rapidly. As events unfold, we will continue to communicate in a timely and transparent manner. We anticipate further guidance and details from the Illinois State Board of Education next week and will share pertinent information as it is received.
Sincerely,
Ellie Ambuehl, Ed.D.
Executive Director
