'There just aren’t enough hours in the day for me. You’re just one person,” said a mother of three kids with disabilities.
That’s what Katie Kelly, a civil rights attorney from Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, has seen with her clients. Kelly said the system that results from at-home learning isn’t fair for families who are entitled under federal law to a free, equitable education.
“We do not expect the parents to replace teachers or related service providers, but we do want and need to partner with them,” said Kim Gilliland, the director of exceptional student education in Volusia County, where Eli Simmons is enrolled. “These unprecedented times have changed the look of educational services, but it is our goal to ensure that it does not stop the students from learning.”
The first challenge arose when her immunocompromised mother felt ill and had to stay in another location, lest she risk catching or spreading the coronavirus. She stayed away even after she got better because of all the therapists and specialists coming in and out of the house. She’s starting to come back to the house, but even with an extra adult around, it’s difficult to keep so many kids at different levels on track academically.
“I don’t have a college degree in teaching, and overnight, I became a VPK, kindergarten, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh grade teacher,” she said, plus a special education teacher for students of varying abilities. “If I can’t get it all completed, if they’re trying their hardest, that’s the best we can do right now.”Hospice nurse Michelle Sammons in Flagler County has four kids at home, three of whom receive special education services from their schools.
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