One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Remote Learning Poses Tough Challenge For Special Needs Students
Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner was blunt about the challenges of educating students with learning difficulties and disabilities:
"This will be our greatest challenge as the technologies and teaching practices are not as well-establishedin these areas and there may be some students for whom there is no good substitute for face-to-face contact."
We take a deeper look at what that means for students like 6-year-old Aaron Coleman, who has an unspecified genetic disorder that has significantly delayed his cognitive development. At his LAUSD elementary school, he qualifies for special education services including an adult helper, who stays with Aaron at all times to attend to his medical and behavior issues.
That's not possible online.
“I’m confident,” she added, matter-of-factly, “that he will regress during this time.”
READ MORE ABOUT THIS ISSUE:
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
