UPDATE: 3/23/20:
As more and more resources have come to our attention, NJASP has developed a collection under NJASP Wakelet that you may visit. This collection will be updated frequently and includes federal DOE and NJDOE, links to NASP information/resources, and many other resources that you may find helpful.
I would like to highlight the link to the 3/22 School Psyched Podcast as an informative, inspiring, collaborative place to "visit" if you aren't already tuning in on Sunday nights. Fantastic ideas for school psychologists!
The second "highlight" is the article by Perry Zirkel on the supplemental guidance recently released from the USDOE. Perry Zirkel - commentary on IDEA
And finally, before you leave this page, scroll down to our message to you regarding the importance of self-care. (See our message to you ) When we get back to school, children and families are going to need us more than ever!
UPDATE 3/18/20: COVID19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to School Emergency Preparedness Plans
Recently, the NJDOE released the following document COVID19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to School Emergency Preparedness Plans.pdf
Along with general information for school closures, there are questions and answers that are specifically related to special education. Please review the COVID-19 FAQ document for the complete information but see below for some highlights that may impact you as a school psychologist.
NJASP understands that you may have questions that are not specifically addressed in this document. Given that the federal Q and A is referenced in the NJ document, until other information is provided, NJ school districts are guided by the federal document. Also, scroll down to previous posts for more information on the federal response (USDOE - OSEP). Link to NASP information below.
Moving forward, NJASP will update this page as new information is available. In the meantime, we advise our members to look to your supervisors for specific guidance while maintaining the ethical principles and professional standards that inform your practice.
Please feel free to reach out to NJASP at NJASP.GPR@gmail.com if you are directed to perform your duties in a manner that is contrary to legal, professional, or ethical standards. A benefit of your NJASP membership is access to ethics and professional practice experts.
We also realize that the anxiety evoked by this crisis is distributed across a bell shaped curve ;-) Some of you may be experiencing a great deal of angst about the uncertainty and ambiguity regarding providing related services, completing evaluations, conducting annual reviews, etc. Others may feel more chill and have settled in just fine with a full refrigerator and extensive Netflix queue. And guess what? Either response is A-OK - it's just where you landed. We are all coming from different places on the anxiety bell curve. We may have varied non-school challenges, whether it is teaching our own children, taking care of our vulnerable parents or grandparents, facing family economic ramifications of this shut down, or helping out your friends and neighbors. We may not know the outcome or the course of this health crisis, but we do know that as school psychologists, we have much experience being the calmest, kindest, and most sensible person in the room. You know that calmness, kindness, and good sense that you always give to others? In order to have the physical and emotional resources you need to help others, you must give some of that calmness, kindness, and good sense to yourself.
So are timelines and paperwork important to our jobs? Of course they are but this crisis is unprecedented. When the code was written, I am sure no one could have imagined circumstances such as this. So in the big scheme of our current reality, let's all take a step back and look at what is truly important. Our focus must be keeping ourselves and our loved ones safe and healthy. Any "spare" time we have is better used in supporting those who may be more vulnerable to this virus and need our help today, rather than worrying about what happens over the next months because of a missed deadline that was completely out of our control. Just do the best you can, be happy you are not the "boss" (if you are not), and document, document, document. A year from now, 5 years from now, this spring's timelines will not really matter; but, the ramifications of not taking care of ourselves and others will matter for years to come. And if you are struggling? It is ok to not feel ok (even school psychologists)! Please reach out to family member, a friend, a colleague, a mental health provider, or a crisis hotline if indicated. Be as good of a friend to yourself as you would be for others.
"Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others" - Christopher Germer.
3/14/20:
What we are experiencing in New Jersey, across the country, and throughout the world is uncharted territory. Many of you are not only dealing with closures of your workplace but are also navigating ramifications for your own families. While there are still many things up in the air, NJASP has compiled a number of resources that we hope will be helpful for our members.
With regard to official information, we encourage you to visit the CDC COVID-19 website for updated information. CDC Interim Guidance for Administrators of US K-12 Schools and Childcare Programs
Additionally, the New Jersey Department of Health provides information for schools in order to help schools prepare at Department of Health | Communicable Disease Service | COVID-19: Information for Schools and Businesses
Many of you are looking for guidance about how to meet IDEA mandates in the event of a long term school closure. Please see the following information from NASP with regard to this.
We have received numerous questions regarding how to meet IDEA mandates in the event of a long term school closure due to COVID-19. Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Education released a set of guidance documents (http://bit.ly/38OSX4P) to help guide state and local decision making. There are many questions to which we do not yet have answers. Collectively, schools are dealing with an unprecedented event, and previous guidance was based on situations that resulted in localized, short term closures. Nationwide long term closures, like we are facing now, is uncharted territory. We understand that many of you are rightly concerned about the expectations for meeting timelines for existing requests for evaluations/reevaluations for special education eligibility. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has indicated that they will be issuing additional guidance on this topic in the very near future. This issue, as well as many others, were addressed on a webinar (http://bit.ly/38N3JIO) with Laurie VanderPloeg, Director of OSEP for chief state school officers, state special education directors, and local special education administrators. At this time, there is not a transcript or a corresponding FAQ, but if one becomes available, we will share it. We hope you find this helpful. If you have specific questions we urge you to reach out to your state department of education and/or your local special education director. We will continue to share information and formal guidance as it becomes available. Thank you for all you are doing to support our students.
NJASP suggests that you follow the links above if you would like to keep up with the federal response re: IDEA.
UPDATE 3/17/20
From NASP re: federal guidelines. This federal guidance document has also been shared by the NJDOE without additional comment as far as NJASP is aware.
"IEP Teams are not required to meet in person while schools are closed. If an evaluation of a student with a disability requires a face-to-face assessment or observation, the evaluation would need to be delayed until school reopens. Evaluations and re-evaluations that do not require face-to-face assessments or observations may take place while schools are closed, so long as a student’s parent or legal guardian consents.
These same principles apply to similar activities conducted by appropriate personnel for a student with a disability who has a plan developed under Section 504, or who is being evaluated under Section 504.
Additionally, the New Jersey Department of Education is working closely with the New Jersey Department of Health to monitor the situation and provide resources at NJDOE Coronavirus (COVID-19) . The most recent guidance is provided here Supplemental Guidance Regarding Requirements for Public Health-Related School Closure (March 13, 2020). Currently, specific guidelines concerning special education and related services from NJDOE do not appear to be published as of today (March 14, 2020) but NJASP will keep you updated. For now, we advise our members to look to your supervisors for specific guidance while maintaining the ethical principles and professional standards that inform your practice.
Please feel free to reach out to NJASP at NJASP.GPR@gmail.com if you are directed to perform your duties in a manner that is contrary to legal, professional, or ethical standards. A benefit of your NJASP membership is access to ethics and professional practice experts.
NJASP is also concerned about the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), on the physical and psychological well-being of students and families, particularly those living in low-income communities. We applaud the school districts who are not only planning for continuation of academic instruction but have developed plans for providing meals for our food insecure students. (The challenge of food insecurity of our students. N.J. schools feed about 500K kids for free. What happens if coronavirus closes them? )
Unfortunately, even in a crisis, we must be vigilant in our advocacy for fairness, equity, and access for our students and families. Racism and stigmatization have increased, particularly towards the Asian population. Here is a link from NASP for Countering COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Stigma and Racism: Tips for Parents and Caregivers . We also refer you to a document from the NAACP Environment and Climate Justice program Ten Equity Implications of the Coronavirus Outbreak in the U.S.
Last, but by no means least, we want to express our appreciation and concern for you, the New Jersey School Psychologist, and the teachers, administrators, school staff, healthcare providers, and community partners who support children and families every day. We empathize with the inherent anxiety evoked by the outbreak and furthered by the news cycle. As a community, we can support each other by staying committed to our self-care practices. As you care for others, we encourage self-care. One cannot pour from an empty cup. Please take care of yourself!
Also, please see some of the self-care resources provided below :
CDC Taking care of your emotional health
Taking Care of Your Mental Health in the Face of Uncertainty
Coping with coronavirus anxiety
Practical tips for coping with coronavirus anxiety in New Jersey
Care for Your Coronavirus Anxiety
Mindfulness during the corona virus
Additional, but not exhaustive, resources related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis:
Resources from New Jersey Department of Health
Resources from NJDOE
Novel Coronavirus (COVID-2019)
Resources from USDOE
COVID-19 ("Coronavirus") Information and Resources for Schools and School Personnel
Resources from NASP and other professional organizations
Talking to children about COVID-19
National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Joint NASDE/CASE/CCSSO Webinar on COVID-19 Guidance for Students with Disabilities
CASEL recommendations and links to help support the social emotional needs of students and adults
Information related to student impact SEL and COVID-19.pdf
The challenge of food insecurity of our students N.J. schools feed about 500K kids for free. What happens if coronavirus closes them?
Things to consider regarding neurodiverse students - this has some initial information about homeschooling but also includes helpful tips about impact on some of our students. Mar 13 Start-Up Guide for Schooling at Home Due to COVID-19
A social story about Coronavirus Coronavirus Social Story
Free resources 16 Free Resources for Schools Who are Closing Due to Coronavirus
Resources from Autism Speaks What should the autism community know about the coronavirus outbreak?
For a PDF version of this page Update 3.18.20.NJASP.COVID-19.pdf