Online learning’s disconnect
My son Chance has Down Syndrome. Although he is in his teens, he doesn’t read or write, nor can he count to 10 successfully. Only a fraction of his speech is recognizable. That said, he is remarkably perceptive and has situational awareness that rivals many adults I know. It has been a beautiful experience to see how Chance learns. He learns by doing, not sitting. He learns from interacting with his classmates here in Boulder.
He also learns from hands-on therapy to teach him how to eat, speak, button his shirt, hold a pencil, and so on. This work is very tactile and physical.
Since COVID-19, my affectionate son has been sentenced to isolating online education, which turns out to be no learning at all for him — no hands-on, in-person education with actual three-dimensional teachers, therapists, and peers.
As Boulder Valley School District refuses to teach him full time and in person, the district condemns him. Sadly, he is not alone.
For a half year now, I have witnessed what can only be called wanton cruelty to kids like Chance as they atrophy and regress. It has been heartbreaking. They are not just being ignored; they’re being injured.
Online learning might work for some kids, but no matter how hard his teachers try, and they bravely do try, it fails many special needs kids. It will scar many for life, swindling them of their limited and short time in the system. We parents are paying for services our kids are not getting. Our taxes are still being collected, but our kids’ education has been stolen. The government still takes my money, yet my son receives no effective service.
Special needs kids like mine require a lot more attention than general education kids, need a lot more direct instruction, need to be checked a lot more frequently, and need more supervision and interaction than their non-disabled counterparts.
None of this can effectively be provided online. The reality is that the longer they stay online, the further they fall back, ripping away their already slim chance for ever integrating into the larger society. The teachers’ union has given up on my child. The Boulder Valley School District has given up on my child. The governor has given up on my child.
Sadly, I see no other option than to take legal action against the district in hope of restoring my son’s chances for a future and slowing the retreat in his development. Other families need to consider the same.
To deny this core function of government — education — to these kids just because online teaching can’t work for them is a callous violation of their rights. Boulderites like to talk about how we value tolerance and diversity. But we’re sure not showing it to this vulnerable population. Imagine if our kids were treated this way in the medical sector. If hospitals refused to perform those needed medical actions, his future would have been irreparably harmed. We wouldn’t forgive them if they refused to do their jobs. So how can we forgive school districts that refuse to provide this equally critical services our special needs children?
If in the age of COVID-19, first responders are deemed essential, front line workers and medical staff are essential, then educators must be very next in line. Kids like mine need at least five days a week in school, just as federal law demands. And it’s time to enforce that law.
I have retained Colorado education rights lawyer Igor Raykin to challenge my school district on the grounds it is violating the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. He plans to follow my suit with a class action suit. Those in a similar situation should contact him.
IDEA ensures students with disabilities are provided a “free appropriate public education” that is tailored to their individual needs. Boulder shouldn’t be known for its blatant discrimination against the disabled.