DMV parents of students with disabilities worry about 'struggles' of distance learning

Hundreds of thousands of kids in the DMV will start the school year with all distance learning.

As those decisions have been announced, FOX 5 has been hearing from a lot of parents of students with disabilities. They say their kids can’t just log on to a computer and get the services they used to in the classroom.

"What are we supposed to do for kids who can’t distance learn?" said Elizabeth McKinney de Burgo of Germantown whose son, Christian is considered a student with a disability. The 5-year-old is on the autism spectrum.
 
So when Montgomery County Public Schools announced online learning only for the fall, de Burgo said she panicked.

"As parents, we don’t have the resources to teach or educate them as best as we should," she said.

While at school before the pandemic, de Burgo said that her son was getting a lot of adult help including access to speech, occupational, and learning behavioral therapists.

"I would love the option of perhaps half distance learning and half in school," she suggested.

After this report was initially published, MCPS said they are working to implement the following for the fall:

- Develop plans that feature more virtual face time with teachers and paraeducators

- Provide more virtual parent coaching 

- Develop plans that feature more individual and small group instruction
 
"We are working on providing families with some additional technology that will help with instruction and student support and we are hoping to have that technology in place by the start of the fall," a spokesperson for the district said. "We are working across offices to ensure that we strengthen the accessibility to the curriculum and we’ve seen tremendous improvements in the delivery of instruction and student/family engagement during our summer Extended School Year program for special education students."

Meanwhile, in Prince George’s County they school system will utilize its Rethink social and emotional learning program for teachers to support students in various special education programs including for autism.
 
The Department of Special Education will provide social stories with illustration books for parents and caregivers to support the understanding of distance learning. 
 
In addition, counseling services will continue to be provided to students with social-emotional needs during distance learning.

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In Prince William County Public Schools, the Office of Special Education will create material that will help families have a clearer understanding of what special education services will look like in a virtual setting.
 
Decisions on face-to-face instruction for children with disabilities will be made on a case by case basis.

In an email statement to FOX 5 Thursday, MCPS representatives said they will provide more information regarding our inquiries into plans for help and guidance for parents of students with disabilities but we did not receive a response.