Don’t Miss the Boat After Missed Services! What to Do Under HB 3586

Originally posted on our Special Education Law Insights Blog

A speech pathologist goes out on unexpected medical leave. Three paraprofessionals quit in one week. A special education teacher is abducted by aliens and no substitutes are available. Sometimes staff absences are unavoidable, and they are almost always unpredictable. Shortages in special education in particular are making it difficult to find qualified teachers, related services providers, and substitutes and replacements when one of those professionals is unavailable unexpectedly. As we previously explained, a recent Illinois law (HB 3586) added notification requirements when a student’s IEP services are not provided. Although we hope that this increased communication and proactive planning for compensatory services can decrease due process and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) complaints related to missed services, there is no doubt that special educators have many questions about how to comply with the new notice requirements. Let’s break down exactly when parental notification is required and what it should look like.

Read more on our Special Education Law Insights Blog.