On March 3, 2022, Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill into law that can benefit families whose child had an IEP during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new law, which takes effect immediately, extends the deadline to September 1, 2023 for filing a request for a due process hearing to challenge any aspect of the child's education during the period March 18, 2020 to September 1, 2021. This gives parents and their IEP teams more time to determine whether a child is entitled to receive compensatory education and services from their school district to address deficiencies that occurred from March 18, 2020 to September 1, 2021.
The law also requires school districts to hold an IEP team meeting by December 31, 2022 to discuss the need for compensatory education and services for each child who had an IEP at any time between March 18, 2020 to September 1, 2021. Parents do not have to wait for their school district to schedule a meeting to discuss compensatory education for their child. They may request a meeting at any time.
For a copy of the new law, click here.
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