Flexibility and Collaboration, Not Waivers, Will Make Remote Learning More Equitable

As of 2017, about 86 percent of U.S. households with school-aged children have access to the internet. That still leaves millions without, and under the banner of equity, America is arguing about whether to move schooling online as schools shutter to stem the spread of COVID-19. A major sticking point is not the access gap, but provisions under three federal laws: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). They were enacted to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities and are designed to ensure that public entities like schools do not discriminate on the basis of disability.