Sky Valley Messenger

So, what has happened with Noah and school sense the last posting? The week after the last posting we were informed that Noah had sneezed and had a brief runny nose that required a few tissues early in the morning. This information was like a warning, like they almost had to send him home.

The following week, that being last week we were informed that Noah would be moved from Monday and Tuesday mornings to Thursday and Friday afternoon because his teachers were being fitted for N-95 face masks. After that he would be moved back to Monday and Tuesday. Rather that put Noah through that change we opted to keep him home. We later discovered that he would have been the only kid in the class because they usually do not have kids in the afternoons.

We found out more information through an employee and friend that we know in the school and is very familiar with Noah but does not work directly with him.  We were informed that the teachers and paras who work with Noah, keep the windows open with fans blowing the cold winter air into the classroom. This is due to their fear of catching the virus from the children, something that the CDC has repeatedly stated is rare and very unlikely. We were informed that the rooms are so cold that the teachers wear layers of clothing in addition to at least two coats in order to stay warm. On the other hand, the children are not allowed to wear their coats and must leave them in the hallway as the teachers are afraid that the childrens coats may contaminate the classroom.

Our informant tells us that there are no instructional games and virtually no social interaction between the three children is allowed. The three children are spaced apart so far as to prevent any communication. The classroom was described as “cold and sterile, both physically and figuratively”. Her recommendation was to keep Noah home.

What our son has been subjected to at the hands of the Mukilteo School district is inhumane and abusive. Their lack of transparency along with the restrictive isolation, and neglect in regards to the exposure to the cold while refusing proper clothing is more than a betrayal to us and our child.

Noah will not be returning!!!

You may be wondering what happened to Noah after Tuesday, last week. Perhaps the emails we sent made a difference, as it turned out Noah had a much better day and came home happy. It wasn’t perfect, but much better. He was allowed to have a coat on the walks, and he did get some teaching.

We sent him to school with a face shield, he came home with the shield on over the top of a face mask. Apparently one devise is not enough protection from children.

It’s noteworthy to say that the “in person, half day’s” are currently only for Monday and Tuesday. We don’t know if that will change at all this year; no one knows.

Today Noah came home OK. It is difficult to really know how his day goes as Noah is not good at communicating things. This is very normal for an autistic child. It is pretty normal for a child who is not special needs.

As I mentioned last week, when Noah arrives to his class, at 9 am, he first gets on the computer for a zoom class with his General Education teacher and all his third-grade classmates. He did that at home, and still does for the remainder of the week. Noah cannot negotiate the internet process to zoom a class on his own. Truth is, neither can I, and his mom, who is a teacher struggles occasionally with the process; it changes often with little notification. Noah’s teachers have problems with it regularly. Today we find out that his teachers want Noah to learn to work through the process on his own.

Noah shares his classroom with two other students, fourth and fifth graders. With the three students are three “teachers”, one to each student. Noah missed his half hour zoom this morning because his instructor wouldn’t help him log on. She insisted that he had to do it on his own. So, he sat there confused and lost for the half hour duration of the class.

Perhaps it is difficult to do hands-on teaching while social distancing from six feet away.

Another email is already on its way.