Extended school year (ESY): summer services in the IEP

Some children lose skills over a long break, or are just starting to master something important when the school year ends. Extended school year services, usually called ESY, continue parts of a child's special education beyond the regular school year, most often over the summer.

What the law says

  • Every school district must make ESY services available when a child needs them to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE).
  • Whether your child gets ESY is decided by the IEP team, which includes you, for your child individually. There is no automatic yes or no.
  • The school may not limit ESY to certain disability categories, and may not decide on its own to limit the type, amount, or length of the services.
  • ESY services follow your child's IEP and are free to you.

How teams decide

Federal rules say the decision is individual but don't list the criteria; each state sets its own approach. Teams commonly look at questions like these:

  • Does your child lose skills over breaks, and how long does it take to get them back?
  • Is your child in the middle of learning a critical skill that a long break could undo?
  • Are there skills, like communication or self-care, where a gap would be especially harmful?

Data helps. Progress reports, notes from before and after past breaks, and observations from you and your child's teachers and therapists all count.

What ESY can look like

ESY isn't summer school for everyone, and it doesn't have to repeat the whole IEP. It might be a few weeks of reading instruction, speech therapy sessions, or work on specific goals. The amount and type should fit what your child needs to keep their progress.

How to ask

  1. Raise it early, ideally at a spring IEP meeting, so there is time to plan.
  2. Bring examples: skills that slipped after past breaks, or a skill that is just starting to click.
  3. Ask the team to discuss ESY and record its decision in the IEP.
  4. If the school says no, ask for prior written notice explaining why and what information it relied on.

See what your child's IEP already says

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Sources

This guide is general educational information about federal law, not legal advice. Your state may add its own rules and timelines. For help with your situation, contact your state's Parent Training and Information Center or a special education attorney.

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