KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As school districts figure out how to safely get back to the business of learning, one particular segment of the student population is navigating other challenges.
Special education students and their families have been adversely affected by the pandemic since March.
"Well the big picture for special ed is that if our kids can’t come back, they regress," said Sarah Guthrie of Sherwood Autism Center in Kansas City. "Their parents are put in the position of trying to support them. I know that’s difficult for parents of typically developing children who may have enough computers at home so their children can do the online, Zoom classroom, Google classroom. It’s harder for our kids. 30 minutes of teletherapy is not the same as being in a classroom all day with your peers and teachers supporting you every step of the way."
Sherwood in particular has been closed since March and they provide important therapeutic and developmental services to their students.
"Not being at Sherwood is really tough for our kids and they miss it," Guthrie said. "Our parents tell me their kids will still get up in the morning and ask if they’re going to school. They understand they’re not, but it doesn’t stop them from asking. What they miss is the camaraderie of being together with people they consider friends, with one-on-one support, with social-emotional support."
Access to technology is another hurdle.
"We got some grant funding so all of our students could have tablets, which is really great and very helpful. Many of our families are low income. They didn’t necessarily have an extra tablet or computer for their students to use while at home. Those are the things we’re working on," Guthrie said. "I’m not going to sugar coat it, it’s going to be hard, it’s going to be really tough when we get back."
Sherwood, like many other special education providers in the metro, is figuring out on the fly what to do next with a new school year rapidly approaching.
