ReSET Family Decision Making Tool

When illnesses like flu and COVID-19 are circulating in the community, having your child at school safely can feel difficult. This tool will help you make the best decisions for your child and family. All final decisions about delivering special education will be made together with your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team.

After submitting your form, the completed form will be emailed to you so that you may print, save, or forward it.

Your email address or responses will NOT be shared or used for any purpose other than to send the completed form to the email address you provide.

If you would prefer to print the form and fill it out on paper, a PDF version and Word version of this form are available at reset4kids.org/resources.

We recognize that in-person school attendance for children with severe illnesses can be a complex decision for families, even prior to the pandemic, and some children must receive homebound education. These tools are meant to assist families who have the goal for safe in-person school instruction. For those seeking information about homebound instruction, please see the Department of Public Instruction’s “Homebound Instruction: Question and Answer for Families”.

Step 1: Understand the health risks for your child.

Think about the current risk of respiratory illnesses (flu, COVID-19) to your child and family.

  • Risks are lowest if your child is fully vaccinated and can use recommended safety measures such as masking, distancing, hand-washing, protective equipment, and testing.
  • Keep in mind any information about your child’s condition or risk that your child’s care team or school has provided.
  • Your school nurse can also assist with this step.

Now, list your concerns about your child’s health condition or the school environment.

Step 2: School Day and Activities.

Think about your child’s school day and activities, from start to finish. Which activities do you have questions about or would like to focus on to ensure your child’s health and well-being while at school? Some things to consider: the number of people, duration of the activity, physical distancing, and the ability of students and staff to mask during these times.

Which of these activities do you want to focus on or learn more about?

Step 3: Think about your child’s health and well-being at school.



Step 4: Figure out your goals.

Consider educational, social/emotional, and health-related goals.


Step 5: Select strategies that help meet goals and limit risks.

Think creatively about ways to meet these goals and lower these risks while at school.

Think about the times and situations you are most concerned about, such as the ones you picked in Step 2:

Consider strategies other families and schools are using during those activities to enhance safety and in-person learning.

Use the checkboxes to indicate any strategies that are relevant or may be helpful to you.

Set Priorities for Classes and Activities

Are there specific classes, therapies, or other more essential experiences than others? Could being at school be limited to those activities?

Adult Support

Are people interacting with your child as safe as possible, such as wearing masks and protective equipment when recommended, using safe distances, and hand hygiene? If not, could they?

School Day Schedule Adjustments

If your child cannot wear a mask for an extended time, could their in-person school day be limited to the period they can tolerate?

Safe Spaces

Are there places in school where your child is less likely to be exposed to viruses? Are there times of the day that your child can spend time in these spaces?

In School or Not

Would it make sense for your child to attend only part-time or arrange for school in another location (home, smaller private school, etc.)?

Transportation, Before and After School

How is your child getting to and from school? Are they in programs before or after school? Do adjustments need to be made to these options?

Changes to IEP or 504 Plans

To maintain your child’s health and safety, are there any changes that need to be made to their IEP or 504 plans? Are there times of the day that they need more adult help to navigate spaces to maintain their health?

Input from School

Do your child’s teachers, aides, nurses, therapists, or others have suggestions about how your child can attend school safely?

Making and Updating Your Plan

Based on how things go, could you start with one plan now and make changes in 1-2 months?

Step 6: Plan next steps.


Step 7: What’s next?

After clicking the blue submit button below, the completed form will be emailed to you for review.

Take a look through it. What stands out to you? What would you like to follow up on? What seems like a good starting place?

After you reflect, it’s time to share the results with your trusted support people—including teachers, primary clinicians, therapists, specialists, other families, etc. You may consider how this information could be used to inform your child’s IEP or 504 plan.

Gather more information from your trusted support people and other sources as needed to help you—when you’re ready—make the right choices for your child and for your family.