Journal Critique: Parents’ Views of Special Education Service Delivery During COVID-19
Kelsey Giffin
Department of Education, Liberty University
EDSP 723: Collaboration and Communication in Special Education
September 17, 2025
Students with disabilities need continuous access to personalized services, but the
COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread disruptions to service delivery systems across the
United States. The research by Whitbread et al. (2023) studied how parents viewed special
education and therapeutic services for children. The authors analyzed survey responses to
determine which type of service delivery students received between school-based and virtual
learning during school closures. They also assessed parent satisfaction with these support
systems.
The research showed that parents experienced decreased service quality when services
were provided online, although some services adapted to virtual delivery. The study
demonstrated that service delivery methods directly influenced how families view educational
services and student achievement results. The authors demonstrated that achieving equal
service access with effective delivery needs improved virtual learning infrastructure and better
partnerships between educational institutions and family units. The research included a broad
national sample that gathered various parental opinions from multiple school districts
throughout the United States. The research used quantitative data to evaluate how parents
reacted to different service delivery methods. The research depended on self-reported data and
studied only children between 5-12 years old which restricted the findings from being applied
to high school or preschool students. The research results demonstrated effective solutions for
maintaining service continuity during emergency situations, which can guide educational policy
development.
The author supports Whitbread et al. (2023) in their conclusion that parents must serve
as the primary source to assess special education service quality. The study, along with real-life
experiences, demonstrated that parents lose trust in schools when they perceive service
delivery as unstable, which leads to increased parental stress. The pandemic revealed the
necessity for adaptable service approaches, better communication methods and active family
involvement in resolving problems. Districts must use parent feedback to create service plans
that will help achieve equal educational results for students with disabilities during future
disruptions.
Research showed that service delivery methods between school-based and virtual
learning affect student achievement results and family contentment levels. Schools that use
parent feedback can create better plans for service continuity while building stronger
familyschool relationships and providing equal learning chances to students with disabilities.
The research shows that flexible special education practices which maintain open
communication with families create the foundation for maintaining top-quality special
education services in regular times and emergency situations.
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