Back To School? Not So Fast

consistent sleep and wake time. Kids don’t have to be up at 6 if they don’t have a bus to catch. But staying up late and sleeping late on some days can make it harder to get up and out on the days they do have school in person.

Children with special educational or health care needs: If your child has an IEP, remember that the “I” stands for “Individualized.” our meeting may be held by remote, and evaluations may be delayed due to the pandemic, but your child’s plan should still be made by both you and the school team together.

One public health recommendation is that students stay together in the same room as much as possible. However, special education law requires students to be in the “least restrictive environment” Will schools open up on time next month? That is the question on everyone’s mind on a hot Monday in July. The answer is… complicated.

Everyone would like this pandemic to end. We would like all kids to be back in school, all parents back at work, and all athletes back on the field. Unfortunately, viruses don’t respond to our wishes and hopes. They do respond, however, to our behaviors and to the decisions we make.

In a joint statement with teacher groups last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics announced that having students physically present in schools this fall is a goal that can be achieved if decisions are based on evidence and the word of public health experts, not politicians. (Of course, the statement calls for federal funding of new protocols and resources, so political meddling is essentially guaranteed.) Kids lost a lot when schools around the country closed last March due to the pandemic:

We recognize that children learn best when physically present in the classroom. But children get much more than academics at school. They also learn social and emotional skills at school, get healthy meals and exercise, mental health support and other services that cannot be easily replicated online. Schools also play a critical role in addressing racial and social inequity. Our nation’s response to COVID-19 has laid bare inequities and consequences for children that must be addressed. This pandemic is especially hard on families who rely on school lunches, have children with disabilities, or lack access to Internet or health care. possible. This means that many students with IEPs spend part of their day in the regular education class and part of the day in a special education setting. Families and schools may need to make some creative changes to meet both IEP and public health requirements.

Remote school has been extra-hard on many children with special educational needs, but the new expectations may also be extra-hard. Children with ADHD, autism and other developmental disabilities may have more difficulty following social distancing expectations to stay in one place and keep their hands to themselves. Pictures and visual reminders may be especially useful.

Talk to your pediatrician or specialist team if your child has a medical condition that places them at increased risk for COVID-19 about the safest way to participate in school this year.

By Dr. Ned Ketyer :

Originally posted at www.ThePediaBlog.com :

July 13, 2020

That last part is important because while we are “all in this together,” we are not all in this equally. We’ve all noticed how much states have differed in their public health responses to COVID-19, and we know that funding of public education differs significantly between states as well. Even within individual states, schools and school districts have different capabilities for providing a good-quality education to students. Some school districts are funded and staffed better than others, and schools can vary widely in regard to infrastructure (class size, room size, ventilation, etc.) and technology.

Children’s academic needs also vary widely. While the majority of students might fall in the average range of scholastic abilities, there are a good number who struggle with learning differences (as many as 14% according to the CDC) and others who thrive as “gifted” students.