What is it?
ESY services are special education support and related services provided to students with disabilities beyond the 180 day typical school year.

Why offer it?
Under the federal special education law (IDEA), schools must provide ESY services if they are needed to provide a student with a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). In some cases, interruptions in the school schedule, like summer break, may cause students to lose basic skills or have trouble regaining those skills when starting school again. ESY is there to prevent that loss.

Who receives it?
Students who are identified with a severe disability that affects mental development OR Students who over a break-in schooling are likely to:

  • regress to a lower level of functioning
  • have difficulty recovering skills not practiced
  • not master a life skill because of the interruption
  • have trouble mastering self-sufficiency or independence of IEP goals
  • withdraw from the learning process upon returning to school (because of the interruption)

How is it determined?
At each student’s annual IEP meeting, the IEP team must consider if ESY is needed. The IEP team will consider:

  • progress on IEP goals
  • parent input
  • teacher and/or therapist observation and reports
  • medical factors
  • results of a variety of assessments

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The documents below can provide you with even more information regarding learning disabilities:
Special Education Services (1 page)
Child Find
Procedural Safeguards Notice
Parents’ Rights
Understanding Due Process Meetings Parent’s Guide