Yes, the school bells are ringing for students at the Elizabeth Lee Black School. 

We offer an Extended School Year (ESY) program and have, since 1979, when the federal court decision in Armstrong v Kline established this mandate in Pennsylvania. Here is some information on ESY:  

• The Court found that the Commonwealth’s 180-day rule violated the classes and named plaintiffs’ right to a free appropriate public education under the Act.  

• Not all students with IEPs are eligible for ESY.  The services the child receives include specialized instruction or related services that are part of the child’s IEP.   

• There is no cost to the parent as the child is provided the services based on free appropriate public education (FAPE).  

•  The Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act allows each school district or state to set its own rules for eligibility.   

• The main criteria considered   are regression (losing skills) and/or recoupment (time needed to relearn skills). 

We have 120 children attending ESY. This might sound as if it’s just more schoolwork, but it isn’t. The students do fun activities both inside and outside that maintain the skills reflected on the IEP.  Our goal being that we do not want the students to regress during the summer so that it takes months to recoup the skills.   

I do think that we are fortunate to have this requirement in Pennsylvania.  Three months of vacation does not do justice for children with special needs.