Extended School Year: Legal and Practical Considerations for Educators

Special education teachers and administrators often struggle to understand the legal rights of students with disabilities, leading to parent-school disagreements. Specifically, school professionals lack information about Extended School Year (ESY). Based on case law, statutes, and regulations as well as best practices in special education, in this article, we describe what ESY is and who is eligible for it, how ESY looks different for individual students, when and where ESY may be provided, and how students with disabilities qualify for ESY. Using student vignettes and commonly asked questions from special educators, we provide tips for data collection for ESY as well as tips for success with ESY, and links to further guidance for each state.