Special Needs Education

No limits to choice at Florida Space Coast school for students with physical challenges

Lisa Buie September 1, 2020

Lisa Buie

No Limits Academy in Melbourne welcomed 30 of its 44 students back to in-person learning last week. All No Limits students receive state scholarships, including about 70% who participate in the Gardiner Scholarship program.

After COVID-19 forced schools to shutter in March, many parents of students with special needs worried the shift to distance learning had shortchanged their children and caused them to lose ground.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention echoed those concerns in its recommendation for a return to in-person education. The American Academy of Pediatrics stressed the need for children with disabilities to have access to services that were challenging to deliver online. And in late July, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a roundtable at a school for special needs in Clearwater where parents expressed a desire for their children to return to brick-and-mortar education.

As school re-opening drew closer, parents continued to wrestle with the decision to send their special needs children back to school and risk their health or keep them home and risk academic regression.

No Limits Academy is maintaining its focus on academics for its students with unique abilities.

“Most of these kids were left behind,” said Laura Joslin, founder and CEO of No Limits Academy in Melbourne. The private, nonprofit school, located on Florida’s Space Coast, opened in 2008 and specializes in special education for students with unique abilities.

Joslin, the mother of two sons who have cerebral palsy, said she opened No Limits because district schools were unable to meet her sons’ needs. She also operates a rehabilitation center that provides onsite therapies for special needs students.

This year, Joslin offered her families a choice: Return to campus or learn at home using her specially developed virtual program. Most families chose in-person learning. Joslin and her team welcomed 30 of No Limit’s 44 students back to campus when school reopened last week.

All No Limits students receive state scholarships, including about 70% who participate in the Gardiner Scholarship program administered by Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog.

Students eager to return greeted their teachers with smiles. “They were really excited to be at school,” Joslin said. “Life looks normal again.”

No Limits Academy is adhering to social distancing despite the challenge of making room for wheelchairs.

Not that the re-opening didn’t require major changes to promote safety. Teachers and staff are required to wear masks. Teacher, staff and student temperatures are taken upon entry to the building and throughout the day. No parents or visitors are allowed inside the building.

It’s not possible to require that students wear masks, Joslin explained, because many have respiratory difficulties or medical conditions. But other safety measures are in place.

Classes are self-contained with students staying with the same teachers and aides all day. There is a lot of handwashing and cleaning with medical-grade wipes. Students are socially distanced between each other as much as possible.

That presents a special challenge, Joslin said. “Wheelchairs take up a lot of space.”

There are other challenges. Many No Limits students need help with their most basic needs such as feeding, toileting and in some cases, diapering.

“I told the health department that if I have a child who needs to be changed, that’s not going to be 6 feet of distance,” Joslin said. “I’m trying to do the best I can with situation that I have.”

Despite the extra care required, Joslin stressed that education remains the primary focus at No Limits Academy.

The school maintains a routine that allows plenty of time for lessons. Students who are non-verbal communicate through devices attached to their wheelchairs. Students with vision challenges stay close to oversized message boards.

There are no grade levels at No Limits, only cognitive levels, and students advance as they master skills. They all have individualized education plans that specify their educational goals and necessary accommodations. Achievements, no matter how small, are celebrated.

“There’s no babysitting going on,” Joslin said. “What I want is brain stimulation.”

Although many parents insist on face-to-face education for their special needs children, Joslin says her virtual program is an equally valid choice. After translating her curriculum to an online platform in the spring to make a smooth transition for her families, schools in New York and New Jersey started contacting her for guidance.

Gavin McEver, 8, a student at No Limits Academy.

Tonya McEver said her 8-year-old son, Gavin, who has a chronic lung condition and cerebral palsy, is doing well with No Limit’s virtual program.

“I’ve heard about kids with special needs getting left behind,” she said. “That’s not happening here.”

Just two days into the new school year, McEver said, Gavin already had experienced a math, reading and vocabulary lesson, attending two sessions of classes in the mornings and one-on-one teacher sessions in the afternoons.

“We are blessed to be able to keep him home right now,” McEver said of Gavin, who spent six months in a neonatal unit after being born four months premature and weighing less than 2 pounds.

McEver turned to No Limits after Gavin came home from his previous school with bruises on his legs. The staff had restrained him in his wheelchair because he liked to be active while he learned.

She’s thrilled with the progress Gavin has made in just two years at No Limits.

“We see him engaging more in curriculum,” McEver said, adding that he has started communicating thorough a tablet.

“He was able to tell his teacher that his stomach hurt, and could he call his mom,” she said. “I was crying all the way to pick him up.”

This time around, they were tears of joy.

September 1, 2020 1 comment

Commentary and Opinion Coronavirus / COVID-19 Customization Education Choice Education Equity Featured Parent Voices Parental Choice School Choice Special Needs Education

Education choice for all families is crucial as schools consider reopening plans

Keith Jacobs August 7, 2020

Keith Jacobs

Education choice advocate Keith Jacobs and his son, Deuce, 13.

As a parent of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder, I know that the decision about re-opening public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic could have a tremendous impact on the social-emotional health of my son, Deuce, 13, who thrives on structure.

The switch to online learning in the spring was particularly challenging. Even though my wife and I are educators, that still was not enough to supplant the intense interventions he received with face-to-face instruction in his public school building.

He became frustrated trying to navigate through the online platform while also completing quizzes and virtual labs all while being separated from the social connection and in-person support of his teachers.

Deuce independently completed assignments at his own pace. However, remote learning presented unique obstacles because he relies on over a dozen specific accommodations delivered through his Individualized Education Plan (IEP), most of which were either non-existent or difficult to replicate on the online platform.

Like many parents, the home became our workspace, in addition to being a school, restaurant, and gym. This forced us to balance the demands of our daily work while trying to maintain an instructional environment for our children. What worked for our youngest son, Christopher, 10, didn’t always work for Deuce.

The challenge for Deuce became monumental. I was forced to contact the teachers and administration on several occasions pleading for alternative assessments and assignments. I reiterated how difficult it was to comply with the demands of work while providing accommodations for my child outlined in his IEP.

I had to work with his Exceptional Student Education (ESE) case manager and speech therapist on providing additional technology assistance and modified lessons during their virtual sessions.

It was clear our situation would become even more daunting when we discovered that his accommodation “Text to Speech” was not present on the district’s online platform. Receiving this accommodation in the school building allowed him to have directions, questions, and answers read to him so that he could process the information more effectively.

Without the presence of this function, I was constantly asked to fulfill this role so that he could complete his assignment often after multiple attempts of completion on his own and visible frustration prior to asking for the accommodation.

I witnessed the despair in his eyes as he struggled with knowing he can do the work but receiving below-average assessments. His zeal and commitment toward learning, which were rewarded with a 3.75 grade point average, had been replaced by confusion and apathy.

Deuce suddenly found himself struggling to complete assignments, while I tried to prevent him from becoming fixated on these assignments for hours.

As often happens with children with autism, over-sensitivity to sensory stimuli made it even harder to concentrate in the home. Doors opening, phones ringing, conference calls and other distractions were a cacophonous barrier to learning.

As districts wrestle with when, or even if, to re-open public schools, they must consider all their stakeholders, including students who depend on in-person learning. Are we properly balancing health concerns with students’ social-emotional health from learning in an online platform?

These examples demonstrate why choice in education is so pertinent to families. In the last quarter of the previous school year, every child was forced to switch to distance learning with no consideration that some students just will not be successful in the model.

Even with households like mine, one child can thrive through distance learning while the other could potentially suffer in silence.

The school district’s decision in March was built out of necessity. With schools reopening in just a few weeks, these decisions need to be made with the understanding that there is no one solution to educate all students.

Parents need options.

August 7, 2020 6 comments

Analysis Education Choice Education Savings Accounts Featured Gardiner Scholarship News School Choice Special Needs Education

Popular scholarship program continues to serve more students

Patrick R. Gibbons July 10, 2020

Patrick R. Gibbons

Growth in a Florida education savings account created for students with unique abilities continued its steady increase in 2018-19 according to figures released this week by the leading organization that administers the program.

A new report from Step Up For Students that includes information on enrollment, student eligibility and scholarship expenses shows that 12,245 students participated in the Gardiner Scholarship Program, a nearly 2,000 student increase from 2017-18.

For 2018-19, 11,393 students were enrolled in the program through Step Up for a total award of $117 million. Another 852 enrolled through the AAA Scholarship Foundation. A total of 71 percent of the students were renewing their scholarships, and 29 percent were receiving scholarships for the first time.

Funded by state legislative appropriations, the scholarships average $10,266 a year and increase in value, some exceeding $20,000, depending on the severity of a student’s medical diagnosis. Parents can spend the money on various educational expenses such as tuition, instructional material, therapies, tutoring and electronic devices.

Families of 6,648 students used the funds in 2018-19 for tuition at one of 1,130 participating private schools. Approximately 34 percent of students were enrolled in home education. The remaining students utilized a portion of their scholarship funding for private school tuition.

Nearly 58 percent of all funds, or $57.2 million, were spent on private school tuition and fees, while 22 percent, or $21.9 million, was spent on instructional materials. Families spent $8.9 million on therapies and specialized therapies and $4.7 million on part-time tutoring.

Students are eligible for the Gardiner Scholarship if they have one of several specific diagnoses including autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and spina bifida. The majority – 63 percent – have a diagnosis of autism.

The full report, including additional breakdowns on expenses and enrollment, is available here.

July 10, 2020 1 comment

Coronavirus / COVID-19 Featured Gardiner Scholarship News Private Schools School Choice Special Needs Education

Pandemic forces closure of Florida private school for students with autism

Ron Matus June 10, 2020

Ron Matus

The Paragon School in Orlando focused on developing individualized academic plans for its students, establishing social skills, and building self-confidence.

Correction: This story has been updated to accurately reflect the number of Gardiner Scholarship students who attended the school in the 2019-20 school year. The number used in the original post, 106, was the sum total of annual scholarships used at the school.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced the closure of another private school, a highly regarded Central Florida school that served students on the autism spectrum.

The Paragon School in Orlando announced its shutdown Tuesday, becoming the second school in Florida to fold in the wake of Covid-19 and one of more than 50 across the country.

“We are a school community that has been uniquely impacted by the pandemic, which has had a major effect on our enrollment and fundraising capabilities,” said the notice posted on the school’s web site. “We are now faced with the reality of being unable to create a workable budget with adequate staffing that will allow us to operate for the full 2020-2021 school year.”

“This was not a course of action that we came to lightly,” the statement continued. “We are aware of the important role that Paragon has played in the lives of our students and parents and we remain committed to helping support everyone in their search for the best educational setting for their child.”

The closing underscores the plight of private schools nationwide as enrollment drops, philanthropy dries up and uncertainty clouds what “school” will be in the fall. The recession is stripping away private school parents who can no longer afford tuition and/or no longer feel they’re getting the same sense of identity and community at schools that are now mostly or entirely online.

It’s unclear how many private schools may be vulnerable to closure, but thousands disappeared during the Great Recession. Last month, the National Catholic Education Association predicted more than 100 Catholic schools would shut down in coming months. In Florida, 58 percent of private schools responding to a survey from Step Up For Students said they worried about their viability in the fall. (Step Up is the nonprofit scholarship funding organization that hosts this blog.)

The Paragon School served students in K-12, including 20 last year who used Gardiner Scholarships for students with special needs. (The program is administered by Step Up.) It was founded by a couple who could not find a public or private school that they felt could serve their son with both strong academics and strong programs in behavior intervention and social development.

News of Paragon’s closing brought a flood of emotional comments to its Facebook page.

“We are extremely saddened by this news,” one parent wrote. “As parents we were hit with that awful fear of the ‘unknown’ all while losing a part of the family. Paragon is our family.”

“For years Paragon has been a beacon of hope for families. A North Star guiding us to a place of comfort and peace,” wrote another. “As a Christian it is my belief that we will all reap what we sow in this life. How mighty will be the bounty for every single person involved in the incredible miracle that has been Paragon.”

So far, no meaningful government relief has been targeted to private schools beyond the forgivable, short-term PPP loans that were made available to small businesses and nonprofits. A coalition of private school and school choice organizations made a pitch last month for several potential remedies, including emergency tuition tax credits.

With another relief package potentially coming in July, stay tuned.

June 10, 2020 0 comment

Coronavirus / COVID-19 Customization Education Choice Education Equity Featured News Private School Scholarships Private Schools School Choice Special Needs Education Virtual Education

Clearwater private school helps hearing-impaired students blossom at home

Lisa Buie June 3, 2020

Lisa Buie

Six-year-old Loryann Millar, pictured with her mother, Lourdes, attends Blossom Montessori School for the Deaf in Clearwater, Florida. Loryann was recognized for successfully completing the school year.

In the world of Montessori education, students learn by using all their senses – sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch. So how did a Montessori school adapt when forced to close its brick-and-mortar campus and transition to online learning?

More specifically, how did a Montessori school that primarily serves students who are deaf or hard of hearing adapt to this new normal?

At Blossom Montessori School for the Deaf, one of only two schools in the country that use Montessori methods to teach deaf and hard-of-hearing children using both English and American Sign Language, executive director Julie Rutenberg knew innovation would be key.

“You’re taking a hands-on curriculum and putting it on a computer,” said Rutenberg, who opened the school in 2003 with eight students. “Our teachers adapted and put their day online.”

The challenges were multiplied because Blossom, which strives to keep a ratio of one teacher to five students, also enrolls the brothers and sisters of deaf children as well as children with deaf parents. Additionally, it’s opened its doors to a limited number of hearing children whose parents want them to learn in a unique environment.

That takes quite a bit of innovation absent a worldwide pandemic.

It helped that all 24 of the school’s pre-K through upper elementary families already had computer access thanks to an anonymous donor who gave the school 21 Google Chromebooks. The technology allowed the students, 90 percent of whom receive state scholarships, including the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship for lower-income students and the Gardiner Scholarship for students with unique abilities, to begin their day virtually face to face with their teachers in videoconferences.

Keeping the videoconference groups small so that all students could have an unrestricted view of their teacher took a lot of planning, Rutenberg said. It was crucial though, because they had become accustomed to nine 70-inch interactive boards, a 2016 gift from Sharp Business Systems Florida, that enabled them to see clearly and interact with different media.

Beyond participating in videoconferencing, the students worked independently from the end of March until the school year ended with Montessori materials that administrators made available to parents when the campus shut down. Their teachers, all of whom have an extensive background in both deaf education and deaf culture, worked hard to create both small group and one-on-one lessons.

The school also sent craft kits home for the younger children and laminated paper versions of the learning games used in the classroom so students could continue to play them at home. Art projects were shared through screen shots.

Meanwhile, pre-K teachers recorded themselves reading books that were delivered virtually with captions. Older students participated in weekly show-and-tell sessions, sharing favorite items with their classmates.

Blossom parent Lourdes Millar said everyone made the best of a challenging situation. Millar and her husband are both deaf. Their daughter, Loryann, is deaf in one ear.

“A 6-year-old using a laptop is hard,” she said. “I had to keep helping my daughter in how to communicate with (her) teacher.”

Millar said she learned along with Loryann, a vivacious curly-haired girl who loves the Disney princess Rapunzel. And, Millar said, she realized a renewed appreciation for teachers.

She plans to keep Loryann on track over the summer by participating in a countrywide library-based literacy program for the deaf and hard of hearing at the Deaf Literacy Center. Another option may be a year-round enrichment program offered by the Family Center on Deafness. Blossom partners with both.

I want to keep her mind active,” Millar said. “I don’t want her to forget.”

One event Blossom students aren’t likely to forget was the opportunity to come back to campus May 21, one at a time, to receive recognition for successfully completing the school year. The annual “stepping up” ceremony marks their progress from one grade to the next.

Despite the success of Blossom’s online learning efforts, Rutenberg said she hopes to re-open the campus in August. Enrollment is holding steady and families are eager to return to normal.

But if COVID-19 peaks again in the fall, Rutenberg said, she and her team will be ready.

June 3, 2020 0 comment

Commentary and Opinion Education and Public Policy Education Choice Education Equity Featured Parent Empowerment Parent Voices School Choice Special Needs Education

Can I be a pioneer?

Special to redefinED May 26, 2020

Special to redefinED

Karla Phillips, a long-time advocate for both school choice and inclusion, realizes she may need to change her personal and policy focus as she begins researching the best middle school for her daughter, Vanessa.

Editor’s note: Today’s post was written expressly for redefinED by education policy veteran and choice advocate Karla Phillips of Phoenix.

I love seeing new posts on the National Catholic Board on Full Inclusion Facebook page. It’s so encouraging to see the increasing number of schools welcoming students of all abilities.

But when I find myself daydreaming about my daughter perhaps becoming the first girl with Down syndrome to attend an elite school in our area, like Phoenix Christian or Xavier Prep, I have to stop and wonder—am I ready to be a pioneer?

Parents of students with disabilities take incredible leaps of faith when they enroll their children as the “first” in a school. Some make the choice because they are pursuing a faith-based education. Others may be driven to the decision because nothing else has worked for their child.

Regardless of the reason, these parents and their children are forgoing more traditional territory – district schools with formal programs, therapies, etc. – to become pioneers of inclusion and school choice. And that’s not an easy decision.

I have spent a fair share of my career fighting for school choice and supporting the efforts of state leaders to create as many opportunities as possible for students, especially those with disabilities. But now I am the parent and my daughter is the student. And we are faced with the decision of where to enroll for middle school.

When I was looking for my daughter’s first school six years ago, prospects were grim. More often than not, I was “counseled out” of the schools we were considering. We eventually found a wonderful school, but it wasn’t an easy task.

This time around, I’ve noticed a change.

More schools are willing to discuss the possibility of Vanessa enrolling. And while they would enjoy having Vanessa as a student, they’re not sure they’re prepared. A common refrain has been, “We have never had a child with Down syndrome.”

I often joke: “Neither have I.”

Despite their kindness, a message rings loud and clear: Many schools feel neither prepared nor equipped to welcome students with disabilities.

A new report from the Center for Reinventing Public Education examined how parents of children with disabilities choose their school. These parents reported similar experiences to mine. One parent explained that, “the lack of expertise is an urgent barrier for successful inclusion.”

In fact, CRPE’s new research uncovered a surprising truth:

“Having more choices without quality special education programming feels worse to families with children with disabilities than no choice at all, even if having more options makes the community as a whole better off.”

We’re told we have choices, but we feel like we don’t because schools aren’t ready to serve our kids. This isn’t what we have fought for.

I have spoken with some of the pioneers – parents of students with disabilities who have taken the leap into school choice – and their stories are often the same. The parents are either directly or indirectly finding the needed resources or services for their children.

The researchers at CRPE also found that “some parents had used their insurance or out-of-pocket funding to support their child, a potential barrier to educational access for some families.”

I have proudly pronounced myself an advocate for both school choice and inclusion, but I am realizing that I might need to change my personal and policy focus.

States are increasingly offering parents more school choice options. But for these choices to be truly viable options for all students, we need to identify ways to empower and equip schools and educators who will both welcome our children and help them reach their full potential.

Karla Phillips is senior director of policy for KnowledgeWorks, and with more than 20 years’ experience, she is a seasoned veteran of education policy. As the mother of a daughter with Down syndrome, her passionate advocacy for all students has carried over into special education and disability policy. She is a graduate of Indiana University and received a master’s degree in public administration from Arizona State University. She lives in Phoenix with her husband and children.

May 26, 2020 2 comments

Catholic Schools Coronavirus / COVID-19 Education Choice Education Equity Featured Gardiner Scholarship News School Choice Special Needs Education Virtual Education

Students with special needs miss traditions but not therapies at Florida Catholic schools

Lisa Buie May 22, 2020

Lisa Buie

Students at Morning Star Catholic School in Jacksonville pose with their therapy dog, Nova, prior to the coronavirus shutdown.

As COVID-19 sent brick-and-mortar education into a tailspin this spring, students at one North Florida school realized what they missed most was a creature with four legs and a wet nose.

That’s why staff at Morning Star Catholic School in Jacksonville featured Nova, a golden retriever who likes to lean into humans’ legs while being petted, in a video created to help families feel connected during distance learning.

Trained by Project Chance to help students on the autism spectrum, Nova and another service dog, Corbin, have coaxed anxious students out of cars, lunched with students who met behavior goals and served as an audience to beginning readers to build their confidence.

Graduating seniors had a chance to hug Nova goodbye when they came to the school one at a time for cap and gown photos.

“They miss her terribly, and she misses them terribly, too,” said principal Jean Barnes.

The school, one of six Morning Star Catholic schools in Florida that specialize in teaching students with special needs, serves 138 children with learning differences, including 20 who receive Gardiner Scholarships for students with unique abilities. (Gardiner Scholarships are administered by Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog.)

Despite missing out on the usual end-of-year activities, students at other Catholic schools that serve children with learning differences haven’t been deprived of therapies and services traditionally provided.

Fourteen-year-old Hannah Halperin, in her third year at St. Mary Academy in Sarasota, is continuing to receive weekly speech therapy as well as occupational therapy remotely.

“I’m getting to hear her speech therapy, and I can tell it’s very good,” said her father, Gary Halperin.

Occupational therapy has proved a bit more challenging because it relies on hands-on activities. Still, Hannah, who has Down syndrome, was able to take therapy supplies home before the campus shut down in March. Therapists are encouraging her to squeeze a tennis ball and do floor exercises to maintain muscle tone. She also works on fine motor skills by writing and picking up toothpicks, and she attends group therapy sessions via Google Meet.

“They use computers at school, so that made the transition easier,” Halperin said.

St. Mary serves 74 students in grades K-8, nearly a third of whom receive a state scholarship. According to the school website, it’s the only Catholic school providing services for students with special needs in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry and Highlands counties. Its slogan is “Where Dreams Are Free.”

In addition to live Zoom classes, teachers are holding “office hours” for student questions, scheduling small group sessions for interventions and conducting assessments.

“Our school counselor meets with me once a week to discuss students’ needs (and) both my counselor and I attend meetings with teachers once a week to identify students at risk,” principal Rebecca Reynolds said. “A plan is then made for follow-up interventions and care.”

At Morning Star Catholic School in Orlando, specialists have created service plans for each student based on their individual education plans, which are required by law for qualified students. The plans also are based on current assessments, teacher observations and therapists’ recommendations.

“All the teachers have been using these to help individualize instruction for their students and allow any accommodations or flexibility needed to reach their goals and the mastery of the skills being taught,” said principal Alicia Abbey.

Of the school’s 66 students in grades K-12, 20 percent receive Gardiner Scholarships.

Other ways students are being accommodated include allowing extended time to complete assignments, holding small group instruction via Zoom videoconferencing for reading and math, and one-on-one instruction, with parents present for safety protocol.

Additionally, a guidance counselor has reached out to families to let them know they’re available if needed, and the school’s transition program for students moving from high school to life after school has remained in place.

Abbey said the school has continued to provide speech, language and music therapy as well as occupational and physical therapy through a virtual program.

“Some students have even been able to continue to see their behavior therapist at home,” she said. “It depends on both the comfort level of the therapist and family, as well as their availability.”

May 22, 2020 0 comment

Blog Guest Commentary and Opinion Coronavirus / COVID-19 Customization Education and Public Policy Education Savings Accounts Featured Jonathan Butcher School Choice Special Needs Education Virtual Education

COVID-19 has accentuated value of education savings accounts

Jonathan Butcher May 12, 2020

Jonathan Butcher

Children who make use of education savings accounts, like JoEllen Talley of Mississippi, are one step ahead of many families who are struggling to find resources for their children with special needs.

As of today, school buildings likely will be closed for the rest of the academic year in all states except Montana and Wyoming. Ready or not, if you are a parent or guardian, you may be spending the next few weeks rotating from your household and work assignments to your child’s virtual school assignments.

Some parents of traditional school students are reporting frustration. An April 21 headline from the Associated Press read, “’I Just Can’t Do This.’ Harried Parents Forgo Home School.” The featured parents expressed great concern that “their kids are falling behind.”

The day before the AP story, an article in The Atlantic encouraged schools to do more to help parents by giving students more space between assignments and urged parents to “take charge of their kids’ schooling.”

The scenario can be a frightening prospect for parents of children with special needs.

At the outset of the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Education issued two “fact sheets” so that schools could attempt to move instruction online without fear of violating traditional equity requirements for these children. The fact sheets urged parents and educators to switch from “business as usual” to being “creative” to reconfigure learning during the pandemic.

The small cadre of parents and children using education savings accounts in Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee are one step ahead here. Because these families can use their accounts to pay for learning services and materials in and outside of their child’s school, they have been able to adjust their student’s instruction according to his or her needs.

An education savings account ensures that Anna Ragusa of North Carolina can continue to receive needed therapies during social distancing.

“We’ve been busy,” says Cara Ragusa, whose daughter, Anna, was diagnosed with Down syndrome. “I’ve got two kids who have a full day’s worth of work every day.”

The family was one of the first in North Carolina to use an education savings account when the option became available two years ago.

“Because of the account, Anna’s been able to continue to get her therapies online through Zoom and different platforms for 30 minutes at a time,” Ragusa said.

Alisson Talley, whose 12-year old daughter, JoEllen, uses an account in Mississippi, said the essence of an education savings account is to pull in the right resources “to keep children learning the way they learn best.”

“This pandemic has accentuated what an education savings account is, that one-on-one attention,” Talley said.

She explained that JoEllen, who lives with Down syndrome, has been forced by the pandemic to learn skills many children take for granted, such as proper e-mail etiquette. JoEllen has video conferences with her teachers in the morning, and they try to “simulate as much as they can from the regular classroom,” Talley said.

Meanwhile, Anna has meetings each week with a speech therapist and an occupational therapist.

“They share their screens and try to do interactive projects together,” Ragusa said.

Like everyone, the girls have had to adjust over the last two months.

“Anna thrives on repetitive routine for academic success, so that’s been a big setback while distance learning,” Ragusa said. “But having her teachers and therapists work with her regularly helps.”

Nearly two months into school closures, things are beginning to feel “a little bit normal,” she said, explaining that Anna sometimes has four calls or video chats each day involving work with her classroom teacher and different specialists.

Talley said the online coursework has been effective for JoEllen. But she worries that Mississippi lawmakers will try to cut online expenses from the list of available learning options next year, which would be “devastating.”

“It’s been refreshing to know that what we are asking for [to continue to purchase online services] works now,” she said. “It’s become a reality because it had to.”

What may not work for a child in one state will be a success for another with a similar diagnosis somewhere else. The same can be said for mainstream children, too.

This is why education savings accounts are so valuable to students from all walks of life, with or without special needs, inside or outside of a pandemic.

May 12, 2020 0 comment