Summer therapy, but not in person, for disabled kids

The city Education Department this summer will offer therapies to disabled students entitled to year-round services, but no live classes, officials said Tuesday.

The decision comes after Gov. Cuomo issued an executive order allowing districts to restart in-person classes for special education students over the summer.

That possibility split city parents and educators, with some eager to restart live classes after months of struggling to cope with remote learning and others wary of potentially putting vulnerable kids at risk.

Tuesday’s plan attempts a compromise: allowing oneon-one speech, physical and occupational therapy to resume in roughly a dozen sites across the city, while holding off on a restart of live academic courses.

The plan also allows students with disabilities who are aging out of city schools to get in-person “transition services” to help prepare them.

“This pandemic has been especially difficult for children with disabilities, and we are working nonstop to ensure they have the support they need. This summer, we are excited to offer in-person occupational, speech and physical therapy to students with disabilities with yearlong individualized education programs,” said department spokeswoman Danielle Filson.

Roughly 40,000 city kids with 12-month individual education plans are entitled to summer courses. Their academic classes will continue over the summer remotely.

Families that choose in-person therapies mandated in students’ special education plans will schedule one-on-one appointments with therapists at “Regional Enrichment Centers” the city has been using to care for the kids of essential workers during the pandemic.

The families will be offered MetroCards and optional transportation reimbursement, officials said. Services start July 13 and last five weeks.