Instructional Continuity Plan Guidance

Senate Bill 153, Chapter 38, Statutes of 2024 (hereinafter SB 153) adds a provision to California Education Code (EC) Section 32282 requiring local educational agencies (LEAs) to adopt a plan to ensure all students can access instruction during a natural disaster or emergency. The Instructional Continuity Plan (ICP) must be included in an LEA’s Comprehensive School Safety Plan (CSSP) by July 1, 2025. A locally-adopted CSSP must include an ICP to obtain approval of a Form J-13A waiver request beginning in fiscal year 2026–27. These requirements apply to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools.

School safety planning is an integrated process. Educators, administrators, and key staff play critical roles in developing and supporting CSSPs, and plans are reviewed and evaluated regularly, including periods following critical incidents. Superintendents and appropriate partners should access and review the LEA’s existing safety plan to consider where to add a plan for instructional continuity, and how information in the ICP might relate to other aspects of the safety plan in place.

Per SB 153, Section 9 requirements, the ICP shall include the following:

1. A protocol for how the LEA will engage with pupils and their families as soon as practicable, but no later than five calendar days following an emergency. EC Section 32282(a)(3)(A)(i) . The protocol must be designed to
   
   
   • establish two-way communication with pupils and their families; and
     
     
   • identify and provide support for pupils’ social-emotional, mental health, and academic needs.

The development of the ICP should consider existing methods (e.g., short messaging service [SMS], phone calls, email, school portal, social media, flyers) and how unforeseen events such as power outages and damage to infrastructure may impact these methods.

2. A plan to provide access to in-person or remote instruction as soon as practicable, but no more than 10 instructional days following the emergency. EC Section 32282(a)(3)(A)(ii) .
   
   
   • Plans for remote instruction must align with EC sections 51747 and 51749.5 , governing Independent Study instruction modalities that a local educational (LEA) may adopt to serve their pupils.
     
     
   • Directives in an ICP may seek to provide support to pupils and families to enroll in or be temporarily reassigned to another site, school district, county office of education, or charter school if an emergency or natural disaster disrupts in-person learning. When a pupil is temporarily reassigned to another LEA outside of the school district in which the pupil’s parent(s) or guardian resides, then, notwithstanding any other law, that pupil shall be deemed to have complied with the residency requirements for attendance in the LEA that is temporarily serving the pupil pursuant to the ICP.
     
     
   • Procedures for remote instruction should consider access to and use of instructional materials, including those delivered remotely.
     
     
     • It may be useful to refer to California’s Distance Learning Policy EC Section 51865[b][1] to ensure that remote instruction offered aligns with expectations of access and equity for instruction.
       
       
     • An ICP should specify how, if necessary, instructional resources and materials defined in EC Section 60010(h) can be accessed in the wake of an emergency, and must specify how pupils can access schoolwork, whether printed or non-printed.

An ICP should be designed to meet instructional standards that are, at minimum, equivalent to those applicable in independent study programs. The California Department of Education (CDE) provides an outline describing the fundamental elements of exemplary independent study practice to support ICP design.

Practical Considerations for an ICP

• The plan should specify the existing methods for communicating with pupils and families, inclusive of district early learning programs, through automated services, such as text message and email hosts, or schoolwide platforms for correspondence, and their role in instructional continuity.
  
  
  • For example, though not part of its ICP, Coronado Unified School District makes available “How You Will Hear From Us,” (PDF) a flyer outlining the district’s communication channels.
    
    
  • During the 2025 Eaton Fire, Pasadena Unified School District posted daily bulletins on its website. Updates included school closure information and ways for students to access instructional resources .
    
    
• The plan may establish timelines, when feasible, to specify how students will receive information from teachers related to assignments, instruction, and assessment. The information should identify whether instruction is in-person or remote and provide an outlook for when and how normal operations will resume after an emergency or natural disaster.
  
  
• Promote access to independent study program written agreements at the beginning of the school year to ensure a school can pivot if necessary.
  
  
  • The Los Angeles County Office of Education’s Independent Study Update for LEA Leaders 2024–25 can support communication efforts related to independent study.
    
    
  • Each school year the Coronado Unified School District shares information with families on Short-Term Independent Study Agreements . An LEA could implement a similar process to preemptively prepare for potential school closures related to natural disasters.
  • Make school assignments and academic resources available online.
    
    
• Assign devices to all pupils.
  
  
• Solidify emergency partnerships with neighboring LEAs.
  
  
  • In the Orion's coverage of the aftermath of the 2018 Camp Fire, the Butte County Office of Education operationalized a plan to educate over 4,000 students affected by the disaster. According to a presentation shared by staff California State University, Chico , kindergarten through grade five (K–5) teachers and students were absorbed in neighboring schools throughout Butte County, while teachers and students in grades 6–12 operated in an Independent Study model that included drop-in labs held at the local mall, airport, and a vacant business.
    
    
• Maintain an online instructional platform to make remote instruction options (i.e., independent study) accessible when necessary.

Instructional Continuity Exemplars

• The La Canada Unified School District Learning Continuity Plan details local action when learning was disrupted by the 2025 Eaton Fire, including La Canada’s response to safety concerns, specification of immediate instructional needs, and summaries of “emergency home learning plans” by grade level.
  
  
• The Yolo County Office of Education district-wide Learning Continuity Plan (PDF) and Washington Middle College High School Learning Continuity Plan (PDF) (both of 2020–21) represent comprehensive reports detailing efforts to minimize disruptions to learning. Both follow the instructions for completing the Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan, provided by the CDE in accordance with SB 98 (2020), and detail the delivery of Distance Learning. Please note that, while categories of an ICP may look similar, SB 153 specifies an ICP must provide remote instruction via independent study.

Best Practices

An ICP should outline a protocol to provide support for pupils’ social-emotional, mental health, and academic needs, and minimize disruptions to instruction. The following list of best practices and examples, enumerated here in no particular order, can be used to develop a cogent approach to instructional continuity:

1. Communication – Define communication protocols for families, students, and staff and faculty, including how the information will be made available and with what frequency.
   
   
   • The Office of Education Technology at the US Department of Education provides natural disaster resources and digital learning guides for parents and families, school leaders, and teachers.
     
     
   • The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center Fact Sheet (PDF) provides strategies for LEAs to form partnerships and communicate with families and guardians.
     
     
2. Technology – Solidify and strengthen technology readiness for educators and students to support a pivot from in-person to remote learning through independent study.
   
   
   • Provide support throughout the school year so students and families are comfortable with all platforms.
     
     
   • Create “digital backpacks” to bundle necessary digital resources (such as Canva, Google Classroom, etc.) for pupils to access if schools are closed.
     
     
   • Stockpile devices that can be shared if technology is damaged or destroyed during an emergency. Prepare Wi-Fi hot spots that can be deployed.
     
     
3. Instruction and Assessment – Maintain flexibility and ensure that existing curriculum content can be accessed both in-person and online.
   
   
   • Prioritize essential learning and make standards-aligned learning objectives achievable.
     
     
   • Utilize California’s Digital Learning Integration & Standards Guidance to build educator and system capacity and ensure effective implementation of technology to support learning.
     
     
   • Use screening tools to monitor progress. (Beginning the 2025–26 school year and annually thereafter, LEAs shall screen students in kindergarten and grades one and two for risk of reading difficulties using the instrument[s] approved by their governing boards [EC Section 53008 ] and related Screening for Risk of Reading Difficulties FAQs.)
     
     
   • Check for understanding using strategies for formative assessment.
     
     
   • Define applicable, achievable goals that take students’ unique circumstances into consideration.
     
     
   • Offer additional academic support, when possible, through tutoring, check-ins, or virtual office hours.
     
     
4. Access – Ensure instruction is equitable, accessible, and inclusive.
   
   
   • Specify how all students, including those with disabilities, those experiencing homelessness, foster youth, or English learner (EL) students will have equal access to instructional resources during a natural disaster or emergency.
     
     
   • Provide and maintain all accommodations and individualized education plans for students who need them and ensure the ICP can meet the needs of diverse learners. The CDE provides guidance to support Special Education students with remote learning.
     
     
   • Review the CDE English Learner Independent Study Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for information and considerations regarding EL students participating in an independent study program.
     
     
   • Align the plan with guidance in California’s English Learner Roadmap Policy, Principle 1: Assets Oriented and Needs Responsive Schools, to ensure the plan is responsive to different EL students’ strengths, needs and identities, and supports the socio-emotional health and development of English learners. Review Roadmap Principle 4: Alignment and Articulation Within and Across Systems, to ensure instructional continuity for EL students reflects a coherent set of practices and pathways to support skills, language(s), literacy, and knowledge needed to meet their needs.
     
     
5. Professional Learning – Provide educators with regular training on the tools, platforms, and strategies necessary if an LEA must pivot to remote instruction and assessment through independent study.
   
   
   • Emphasize pedagogies that support remote- and hybrid-learning environments and offer professional development to support virtual classroom management.
     
     
   • The California Educators Together platform, developed through a collaboration between the CDE and the Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation, offers free, high-quality resources and relevant professional learning, and lesson plans to support teaching and learning.
     
     
   • The San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) designed units in each content area that offer essential K–12 learning . The units integrate content, provide flexibility, and choice, and can be accessed and shared for free. SDCOE staff also offers virtual professional learning for each grade level/span.
     
     
6. Well-being – Draw on the CSSP guidelines aligned with EC Section 32282.1(a) to provide access to physical and mental health professionals, and community intervention professionals, including those who speak languages other than English.
   
   
   • Safety and school crisis resources created by the National Association of School Psychologists include evidence-based initiatives which create safe and supportive learning environments to ensure students have access to the supports they need to be successful.
     
     
   • Plan to supply power for and restock necessary medicines and locate alternative sources of electricity in the event of outages.
     
     
7. Support Services – Maintain continuity of other support services, including special education, counseling, after-school programs, and access to kitchens and food services, adapting these services to the online or hybrid environment when necessary.
   
   
   • The National Center for Homeless Education provides information to support Disaster Preparation and Response for students who are experiencing homelessness.
     
     
   • In "Lessons from Real Life" , McKinney-Vento liaisons share their experiences with disaster response as well as insights to support recovery for displaced students.
     
     
   • The CDE provides Disaster Guidance for Child Nutrition Programs.
     
     
   • Food Research and Action Center, a non-profit seeking to improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger, offers a Guide to Federal Nutrition Programs During Disasters (PDF).
     
     
8. Site-based Collaboration – Involve administrators, faculty, information technology staff, students, and parents in the development and implementation of the ICP.
   
   
   • Regularly review and update the plan based on feedback and lessons learned.
     
     
9. Return to Site-based Learning – Specify conditions that must be met prior to returning from disruption, including reopening sites. The conditions can include proposed supports or mitigations where possible.
   
   
   • The following list was used by the La Canada Unified School District to establish a process for return to school sites after the 2025 Eaton Fire:
     
     
     • Evacuation orders lifted
       
       
     • Power and utilities functioning
       
       
     • Healthy air quality
       
       
     • Access to safe and clean water
       
       
     • Campus free from debris and hazards
       
       
     • Internet fiber lines connected and functioning
       
       
     • Staff to cover those affected by the fires
       
       
     • Kitchens up and running for meals

Planning Resources to Support CSSPs and ICPs

• The CDE’s best practices for reviewing and approving school safety plans may be useful for adding an ICP. The page details the components of the CSSP stipulated in EC sections 32280–32289.5 .
  
  
• A compliance tool is available to assist schools in creating or modifying a CSSP. The table for EC Section 32281(b) may provide helpful context.
  
  
• The California County Superintendents’ Technology Services Committee provides Disaster Recovery Resources , which includes templates, guides, and support designed to help kindergarten through grade twelve (K–12) technology departments create and implement safety protocols and emergency preparedness and response.
  
  
• The CDE Disaster and Emergency Resources page provides links to resources for LEAs for emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery associated with natural disasters and emergency situations.
  
  
  • LEAs under an evacuation order may be providing a location of emergency shelters to students and staff, per EC Section 32282(a)(2)(B)(III)(ia). A CSSP plan of action, including an ICP communication protocol, can help define the instructional continuity options for the list of displaced people.
    
    
• The CDE provides information on guidance, grants, training, and resources for LEAs mitigating School Disaster and Emergency Management related to natural disasters and emergency hazards.
  
  
• Los Angeles Unified School District Integrated Safe School Plan Resources web page allows district schools to use local and federal guidance to create comprehensive school safety plans.
  
  
• The US Department of Education Natural Disaster Support Guidance page includes resources for restoring the teaching and learning environment

Compliance

LEAs are required to have a CSSP that includes an ICP by July 1, 2025. Verification for ICP compliance will be part of an LEA’s annual audit starting in 2025–26. If an LEA fails to update their CSSP for the ICP requirement, they may receive an audit finding.
An ICP, as part of an existing CSSP, must comply with existing statute as it relates to the following:

• Committees and responsibilities. EC Section 32281(a)
  
• Training and responsibility delegation. EC Section 32280 and EC Section 32281(b)(2)
  
  
• Ongoing consultation with appropriate agencies. EC Section 32281(b)(3)
  
  
• Disaster procedures, routine and emergency plans, and crisis response plan with adaptations for pupils with disabilities. EC Section 32282(a)
  
  
• Use of the Standardized Emergency Management System as detailed in the California Emergency Services Act 2015
  
  
• Presentation of the safety plan goals with designated participants at a public meeting at the school site to allow for public opinions before adopting the plan. EC Section 32288(b)(1)
  
  
• School responsibility to review, update, and adopt its plan by March 1 every year. EC Section 32286
  
  
• Proper implementation
  
  
• County Office of Education approval. EC Section 32288
  
  
• Annual notification of non-compliance. EC Section 32288

For more information concerning the Comprehensive School Safety Plan audit procedures, please visit the K–12 Audit Guide .

Request for Allowance of Attendance Due to Emergency Conditions (Form J-13A)

The Request for Allowance of Attendance Due to Emergency Conditions (Form J-13A) is used to obtain approval of attendance and instructional time credit in the event of an emergency when one or more schools were closed, when schools were kept open but experienced a material decrease in attendance, or when attendance records have been lost or destroyed.

For Form J-13A submissions due to a school closure and/or material decreases in attendance occurring in Fiscal Year 2026–27 (EC Section 46393[e]), an LEA must certify all the following requirements:

1. It has a local governing board- or body-adopted CSSP in accordance with EC Section 32282, including the ICP provisions in EC Section 32282(a)(3) enacted by SB 153, discussed above.
   
   
2. Either of the following:
   
   
   • It has offered student engagement and instruction consistent with its ICP, per EC Section 46393(e)(B)(i).
     
     
   • Due to extenuating circumstances, the LEA did not provide student engagement and instruction consistent with its ICP. An LEA must describe the circumstances that prevented it from providing student engagement and instruction and what student engagement, services, and instruction it did provide to support its students during or immediately after the period of closure or material decrease in attendance (EC Section 46393[e][B][ii]).

For emergencies occurring on or after July 1, 2026, if an LEA fails to certify it has met both of the conditions above, the CDE will not approve a Form J-13A request.

Please note: The requirement to include the Certification Form for Independent Study and a certified independent study plan with Form J-13A submissions remains in effect until June 30, 2026. More information about Form J-13A can be found on the Form J-13A web page.