Parents of special needs students call for more support during online learning

Some Sudbury parents of students with special needs are frustrated their children aren't able to attend classes in person.

Starting today, students in Ontario are returning to the class virtually.

The province announced Monday that students would learn online until at least Jan. 17, due to rising COVID-19 cases. However, schools are able to offer in-person learning for students with special education needs who cannot be accommodated remotely.

When Melissa Harriman heard the news of the switch to online learning, she cried. She has two school-aged children who are on the autism spectrum and attend an intensive support class. Her family was not offered the option for her children to continue to learn in person.

Harriman said the previous shift to online learning took a toll on her family's mental health.

"My children don't learn online. My six year old is non-verbal, profoundly autistic. So he can't sit in front of a computer and learn. He needs the hands on," she said.

"And my older son, he can handle it for about 10 minutes, and then he just can't sit still to do it."

Last year, Harriman said she ended up taking her children out of virtual learning to be home-schooled instead.

"I've noticed such a decline in their social skills, in all of their skills, really," she said."That's why it was so important for them to be back in school this year."

She added she wasn't given an explanation from the school board as to why her children weren't given the option to continue learning in person and why other children were.

Julia Ritchie-Staddon has two children who are both on the autism spectrum, and attend an intensive support class with the Rainbow Board in Sudbury.

"When I heard the announcement that schools were pivoting to virtual learning, you become crestfallen because your kids will be left out if they are doing virtual," she said.

"And it's no fault of the educators, they try their best to engage with them and change how they offer virtual. But just for my particular children, it doesn't work."

Ritchie-Staddon said for the next few weeks, her family will opt out of online learning but plan to stay in contact with her children'steachers.

'Continue to assess the situation'

The directive from the province does allow schools to be open in certain cases, as they can provide in-person instruction for students with special education needs who cannot be accommodated remotely.

In a statement to CBCNews, the Rainbow District School Board stated about 40 students will continue to learn in-person at Jean Hanson Public School and the Ruth MacMillan Centre during the remote learning period.

"Our administrators, teachers and support staff know their students best," said Rainbow Board spokesperson Nichole Charette.

"They have worked together with our superintendent of special education programs and services to determine who can learn remotely and who cannot be accommodated remotely. We continue to assess the situation and will respond accordingly with the guidance that we have received from the province."