Distance Learning Guidelines for Parents & Families

You can download these guidlines in PDF format here.

These guidelines are to be used to assist in supporting Overbrook School for the Blind’s Distance Learning Instructional Model for the 2020-21 School Year. It is the intent of OSB to provide instruction that honors a commitment to student engagement, achievement, and a sense of belonging to the OSB community. 

Distance Learning applies to: 

• All students from September 8th to 23rd 
• Students selecting Distance Learning for the 1st Quarter of the 2020-21 School Year (September 8th through October 30, 2020) 
• All students if Face-To-Face instruction is disrupted related to Covid-19 concerns. 

Distance Learning Platforms and Tools 

• Google Classroom is the platform OSB teachers, therapists, COMS, and special subject teachers will use to post lesson plans, activities, videos and resources. 
• Zoom and Google Meets are the video conferencing platforms that OSB instructional teams will use for live instruction, host discussions and IEP meetings. 

Parent/Family Expectations 

• Parents are encouraged to create a quiet, distraction-free environment and assist their child as needed to facilitate participation in instructional activities. 
• Distance Learning sessions should not occur while at a doctor’s appointment, shopping trips, etc. 
• In-Home WiFi is needed; if you do not have access to in-home WiFi make sure to communicate this to your educational team. 
• Distance Learning sessions will be scheduled between the hours of 8:15am through 3:15pm, Monday thru Friday. 
• Attendance: Parents are expected to make a commitment to have their child available and ready to attend their distance learning session at the scheduled time, communicating with their child’s educational team should the child be unavailable for any reason. (Note: Classroom teachers will document student attendance on Powerschool; Therapists and COMS will document student attendance on student session note forms. 
• If the student has a school IPad, they should use that to connect to schoolwork and instructional sessions. 
• Parents are encouraged to check Google Classroom and/or email on a daily basis to ensure you are kept well-informed. 
• Google Classroom tutorial for students and parents: Google Classroom Tutorial Videos