Education at a crossroads for students with disabilities
![Four teenagers use tablets to do work as they sit at a table.](https://img.apmcdn.org/3f06ed56e232452f5f4e312e8611596907a24e25/uncropped/894ee6-20200420-covid-special-education-01.jpg)
Like this?
Log in to share your opinion with MPR News and add it to your profile.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Isolated at home with few services to help, many Minnesota families of students with disabilities say they are terrified that their children's progress in school will regress.
It’s a trend across the country. Almost 75 percent of parents of students with special needs in the Los Angeles Unified School District say their children are showing signs of regression during distance learning. According to a survey from the advocacy group Speak UP, some students are having meltdowns, difficulty staying focused and are showing signs of learning loss.
A school administrator, a parent and special education teachers share how distance and hybrid learning is affecting their students with learning and physical disabilities.
Guests:
Fhonda Contreras is the Hopkins School District’s director of special services.
Jamie O’Conner is the outreach coordinator for Family Voices of Minnesota, an organization that provides information, resources and emotional support to families raising children with special health care needs and disabilities.
James Schmidtke teaches at Intermediate School District 287, which serves about 1,000 high-needs kids from across Hennepin County.
Heather Bakke teaches special education to high school students at GFW Schools, an independent public school district in south central Minnesota.
Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.
Support the News you Need
Gifts from individuals keep MPR News accessible to all - free of paywalls and barriers.