SOCSD shares new coronavirus information for special education students

Parents of special education students in the Starkville-oktibbeha Consolidated School District received an update on what accommodations the district will provide while school is canceled due to the COVID-19 threat.

With schools shuttered until at least April 17, SOCSD Director of Student Support Services Julie Jones held two virtual town hall meetings Monday to update parents on the district's plans, as well as giving the parents an opportunity to ask questions. Using Zoom software, Jones held two meetings for the parents, one at noon and another at 5:30 p.m.

Jones said some of the measures in the district's plan were tentative as of the meeting, but that the district guaranteed it would look after its students.

“We've never experienced anything like this, but I can tell you 100% from our superintendent and assistant superintendents and our administration up top all the way down to our teachers and our paraprofessionals and even our custodians and our meal servers. Every last one of them is so concerned about kids getting what they need while the schools are closed.”

Jones said services would be offered to all students, but not mandated. A previous update from the district stated that no graded work would be done while the schools were out, but that teachers would be available to all students two hours a day, three days a week starting March 30. Teachers will not be required to teach lessons digitally.

She said services would be provided to the district's special education students to the greatest degree possible while still maintaining regard for the health and safety of students, families and district staff.

“We are going to work with every student that we have,” Jones said.

She urged parents to reach out to their child's teachers if they had not heard from them already. She also said the services offered to students would vary depending on what was needed, and would often dovetail