Extended School Year, or ESY, refers to special education and related services a child receives outside the normal school calendar — most often during the summer, but sometimes on breaks. It is not summer school for everyone, and it is not a reward or an extra. It exists for students who need continued services to keep the education in their IEP meaningful.
The most common reason a child qualifies is regression and slow recoupment: if a long break would cause your child to lose important skills that then take too long to relearn, ESY may be needed so that progress during the year is not wiped out each summer. Teams may also weigh other factors, and the exact standards can vary from state to state, so it is worth asking how your district decides.
ESY has to be decided individually by the IEP team, based on your child's own data — not by a blanket policy that no one qualifies, or that only certain disabilities do. If you are concerned about summer regression, raise it well before the school year ends, and ask the team to look at progress data from past breaks. If the team says no, you can ask for that decision in writing.
General information and document preparation — not legal advice.