The U.S. Department of Education has released new guidance to states and local agencies about how they should handle special education services in online schools.

The document, released Thursday, is intended to help educators meet their obligation to find students who need extra services and ensure they get them. That can be difficult online, where there may be less face-to-face interaction than in a traditional classroom, the guidance says.

It adds that there is confusion in some places about who is responsible to ensure the students get what they need in online schools.

Read recent articles about Georgia's virtual schools here and here.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Uta Thomas picks up her son, Jax, during a public hearing in Atlanta on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. She implored the school board not to close Dunbar Elementary. 
"You would centralize education to decentralized families," she said. "You would break apart a community hub." (Abbey Cutrer / AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

Featured

Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat gives a tour of Fulton County Jail in  2023. (Natrice Miller/AJC 2023)

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC