In a letter to the Governor, Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, Chair of the Assembly’s Sub-Committee on Autism Spectrum Disorders, is calling for the flexibility needed to serve the educational needs of students with disabilities during this crisis. The letter follows the Governor’s decision to allow summer camps to open on June 29^th while summer school programs for kids with disabilities are still ordered closed and summer schools to continue only through distance learning this year. In the letter, Santabarbara is urging the Governor to provide the necessary guidelines that would allow these summer programs to safely re-open. He stated that even under the current circumstances, the state has an obligation to provide the services outlined in each student’s individualized education or medical plan.

Santabarbara wrote, “With your recent decision to allow summer day camps for children to open on June 29th in New York State, I ask that you also consider opening the many summer school programs for kids with disabilities that still remain closed.” “Currently, under your directive, summer school classes will continue only through distance learning this year. These summer school programs include outdoor activities, art, music, physical education and swimming as well as integrated academic, language, physical and occupational therapy and social skill development. The reality is, without these special education programs many school districts cannot support all of their students with disabilities that include those who are deaf or hard of hearing, have visual impairments, multiple disabilities or cannot use computers independently.”

Statistics show that special education students are at much greater risk of falling behind without a summer school program.