KANSAS CITY, Mo — Snow days used to mean time off for students, but now for many it means logging on for virtual learning.
For families like Miriam Galan who has two students in Kansas City Public Schools with autism, virtual learning can be a challenge.
“It's really hard. We have a lot of struggles with that, because sometimes I'm trying to help him, and I'm trying to connect Michael, and he's screaming, and he's crying. And I don't know how to handle that. So it’s really hard for me," said Galan.
At school her two sons are used to having a structured routine, but on snow days when classes go online, that structured routine is disrupted.
We have a meltdown, we have a, he can sleep at night, cause he knows his routine. He knows he wake up, he take a breakfast, and then he take the bus," said Galan. "
That challenge becomes even greater when you couple it with a language barrier. Miriam who primarily speaks Spanish said oftentimes feels useless not understanding the material.
I can't imagine those families that only speak Spanish and information is always in English," said Galan. "But when we have, like today, when we have to do homeschool, it’s totally different."
KCPS is one of the largest districts in the state of Missouri, more than 30% of the students are Latinos. To help families during AMI Days, they offer families resources like translating apps.
“We use different apps like Talking Points that I translated. If the teacher just saying the English and automatically translated to Spanish, it's easy for us, but sometimes, you know, the translator is not really good," said Galan.
But when those apps are unavailable, Galan said they just have to make it work.
“I know some of the families we’re on the same page," said Galan.
KSHB 41 reporter Marlon Martinez covers Platte and Clay counties in Missouri. Share your story idea with Marlon.
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