LI Parents Of Students With Special Needs Brace For Remote Summer

BABYLON, NY — Long Island parents have been adapting to remote learning since the coronavirus pandemic closed schools in March. But for parents of students with special needs, the closure of schools and programs hits especially hard, as many special needs students attend year-round, extended day programs that are crucial for many to progress academically and developmentally.

Mary Buckley's son Aragorn, 14, normally attends James E. Allen Western Suffolk BOCES in Dix Hills where he receives special services such as an individual aide, and speech, occupational and social skills therapy. The services include two hours of home therapy, and Buckley also relied on a staff of helpers who would bring Aragorn to outings like movies and to go swimming, which proved therapeutic for his autism.

Buckley, who lives in Babylon, worries about regression in her sons's development.

"We are definitely seeing the effects of this, and it is getting worse by the day now. I have done my best to try to recreate certain enjoyable activities in the home, but when a child is a 130-pound pubescent teenager, you cannot simply throw up a kiddie pool and swing from Target. The lack of sensory input, exercise and therapeutic value of swimming and public playground equipment is palpable at this point, as is the sudden halt in school services."

New York City announced today that students with disabilities will receive five days a week of six hours of remote learning during the summer, but Buckley hopes Nassau and Suffolk will be able to offer the summer education special needs students normally receive. She's also hoping a sleep-away camp she has signed up for will open.

"I am not very optimistic that either will happen. The camps are run through international rotaries, so even if they are allowed to open there is a good chance the staff will not be able or want to come in. Our kids always get summer school, to prevent the very regression we are experiencing now. At the same time I am extremely conflicted, as I do not want my elderly parents being exposed to this virus, nor do I want to see numbers spike again and death toll continue to rise."

Buckley has been able to work her administrative job from home but worries her office will open again before her son's school.

"I honestly don't know what I will do if they allow offices to reopen, but not schools or recreational parks and gyms."

3,000 students attend BOCES programs in Nassau and Suffolk counties.