Ensuring IDEA implementation for students with disabilities across instructional modalities.

This article examines the challenges faced by U.S. schools in providing special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) during the COVID-19 pandemic's shift to remote and hybrid learning. It highlights issues with pandemic-era guidance, including its inflexibility, unrealistic expectations, rapid changes in instructional modalities, and political controversies affecting decisions on masking and vaccinations. The article emphasizes the need for educational leaders to prioritize planning for a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) across all learning environments, ensure access to the least restrictive environment (LRE), support teachers in implementing individualized education program (IEP) goals, and carefully evaluate related services such as teletherapy. It also calls for ongoing collaboration with families, attention to accessibility of digital materials, and proactive strategies to address social-emotional and physical safety needs as schools transition beyond the pandemic.