Special Education Extended School Year

Extended School Year (ESY) is an extension of existing Special Education Individual Education Program (IEP) services provided during the summer recess to assist a student in maintaining skills on goals and objectives from their current IEP.  The primary goal of ESY is to limit regression of skills gained during the school year.

Not all students with IEPs are eligible for ESY.  Eligibility must be based on data and determined by an IEP team (5 C.C.R. Section 3043). 

Reasons for eligibility include:

• Patterns of Regression: Regression is a loss of critical skills after a significant break from instruction (i.e, summer recess, Winter break).  This can include academic, behavioral or life skills.  All students are expected to demonstrate some skill regression after a break, but patterns of significant losses in critical skills may suggest the need for ESY.
• Rate of Recoupment: Rate of recoupment is the amount of time required to re-learn skills following an extended break from school.  After breaks, nondisabled students typically require some time to recoup skills (i.e., 4-5 days is the typical time it takes a student to recoup skills after Winter Break); however, extensive recoupment periods may suggest the need for ESY.
• New or Emerging Skills: Some students may be at a crucial point in skill acquisition or readiness.  If students are in the early stages of developing and demonstrating new skills and an interruption in services is likely to undermine that progress, they may be eligible for ESY services.
• Nature & Severity of Disability: Some students have disabilities that are likely to continue indefinitely or for a prolonged period.  In this situation, interruption of the student’s educational programming may cause regression and render it impossible or unlikely that the student will attain a level of self-sufficiency and independence in view of his or her disabling condition.

• Prek- 8 ESY will consist of 4 hours (240 minutes) of instruction and educational learning activities based on students’ current IEP goals.
  • ES Hours: 8am - 12pm
  • MS Hours: 9am - 1pm
• High School ESY will consist of 5 hours (300 minutes) of instruction and educational learning activities based on students’ current IEP goals. 
  • HS Hours: 9am - 2pm
• Each teacher will develop a classroom schedule, based on student need and communicate this to families before June 9th.

*Breakfast and Lunch are provided during ESY

SFUSD does not provide programming after ESY hours. Programming held at ESY school sites is hosted and coordinated by outside organizations. In an effort to support families and their children during the summer, we would like to provide resources from various community organizations that provide camps and aftercare. 

Resources will be provided in the coming weeks!

If you think your child is eligible for ESY, please contact your Child's Case Manager or reach out to esy@sfusd.edu

Families can reply to the ESY letter in any of the following ways:

• Email: send an email to esy@sfusd.edu
• Google Form: scan the QR code or use the bitly link on your ESY Assignment Letter to accept your ESY placement offer.

Please note that students who are currently receiving transportation as part of their Individual Education Plan, (IEP) will automatically be offered Transportation for ESY if they are enrolled by the deadline of April 18th.

Families will receive assignment letters for ESY by March 27th if it is a service in their child's current IEP, which they can assign or accept according to instructions in the letter. You can accept via a Google Form linked in the letter.

Families will also receive a confirmation email and robocall the week before ESY to confirm that your acceptance response was recorded.

Families of students with transportation MUST accept their ESY offer by April 18, 2025. For ESY, our home-to-school and school-to-home transportation service will continue as written in a student's IEP. 

Transportation to an alternate site occurs when transportation to an IEP service is written in a child's current IEP.

If your child and their teacher and or para are assigned to the same ESY site, we will do our best to assign students to their regular teachers for ESY.  Class lists will be developed once families have had an opportunity to accept/decline ESY assignments.

ESY position offers are made based on seniority and program need. We do our best to assign paraeducators to classrooms where they are familiar with the students and/or teacher; however, this is not guaranteed. 

For additional general ESY questions contact: esy@sfusd.edu