Increasing the dialogue among stakeholders in New Jersey’s special education system

Advocates from the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities, together with attorneys at Disability Rights New Jersey have produced a guide for parents and school districts to help them understand the provision of continued services to students with disabilities who were scheduled to graduate.

In June, Governor Murphy signed S-3434 which added an additional year of eligibility for special education services for three classes of students: students who either turned or will turn 21 during the 2020-21, 2021-22,and 2022-23 school years. After S-3434 was passed, many individuals raised questions about students with disabilities who either turned 21 during the 2019-20 school year or accepted their high school diplomas at the end of the 2019-20 school year. They want to know if those particular students can still receive make-up services because the services required by their IEPs were either not provided the right way or not provided at all after schools shut down in March 2020. This document provides guidance and answers to frequently asked questions relating to those students.

Click here to read and download the guide.