-Why don't we have -- no, stop, stop.
We can show -- Arlo.
-Before the coronavirus hit Ithaca, New York,
9-year-old Arlo Croyle-Shiere
was having one of his best school years yet.
-He was really connecting with his teachers and his classmates.
He was making progress, more so than ever before.
-His mother, Erin Croyle,
says that momentum was abruptly interrupted
when she had to turn her dining room
into a classroom for Arlo and his two younger siblings.
-He learned so much from his peers
that even if I were an accomplished teacher,
I really wouldn't be able to give him what he needs at home,
because he's learning from that peer modeling,
he's learning from friends, he's learning from his fellow 9
and 10-year-olds along with them.
He absorbs things in the classroom
when you don't even realize that he is.
And, so, we've taken him out of this nurturing environment
with really great peers, with a support team,
with a one-on-one teaching assistant to home.
And home is great, but home is home.
-Arlo is a rising fourth grader with Down Syndrome
and immune system deficiencies.
-Some parents are maybe able able to send their kid back,
but I can't.
I can't put my son at risk for those moments
where he cannot communicate what's wrong,
and so he communicates through behavior, and he has a meltdown,
and he exposes himself and he exposes others.
It's not safe.
And it's heartbreaking.
-As parents face the possibility of sending their children
back to school amid a global pandemic,
navigating that decision has added challenges
for families of special needs children.
-And we don't really have a choice.
I mean, we technically have a choice,
but we don't, because my son's health is number one,
and I couldn't live with myself if I decided
to send any of my kids to school and put my son at risk.
-Love too, bro. -Aww, he loves you too, brother.
-Advocates say parents should be aware that their child
could lose access to therapies and other resources
if they choose to educate their child at home.
-Home schooling, homebound instruction,
instruction in the home,
distance learning, hybrid models,
and those have very different legal implications.
In some cases, the child will lose their rights under IDEA,
the federal special education law.
For instance, if a child is home schooled,
in some states, they retain the right to receive services.
But in most states, they do not.
So some children might need a paraprofessional.
Some might need speech and language therapy
or occupational therapy or physical therapy.
It's very individualized for the child.
So it's very important for parents to understand
what is it that they're considering
and what the legal implications will be.
-Jamie Bruen says her son Liam has already lost
some of the therapies he would have with in-person learning.
-I mean, we lost therapies with virtual online.
I mean, you can't provide the physical therapy.
He has something called nemaline myopathy, general myopathy.
He is on the very severe spectrum, so he does require
a ventilator 24/7 to be able to breathe.
He's probably about 99% physically disabled,
communicates with his eyes,
communication devices, and sounds.
-Bruen says she's seen a growth in her son, though,
with virtual learning.
-So proud of himself, absolutely loves it.
It's probably what's kept me somewhat sane,
seeing his progress
and realizing that we can do this,
because he is so happy and he is blossoming.
We'll do whatever we have to do to stay safe.
-For Croyle's family, little has changed
since the beginning of this pandemic.
-I can't take my kids places.
This virus is out of control.
And, so, our family has to lockdown even longer,
and we've never gotten any reprieve from this lockdown.
We're still at the same level lockdown.
It is harder.
-As her family continues to rely
on the greater health of the community,
Croyle anticipates the beginning of a long school year ahead.
-I mean, a lot of us are looking at this being a lost year.
I mean a complete year lost in education, in progress.
-Hi! -I look at what's happened,
and I just can't help but look back when we were trying
to lock this down in April and May,
and our federal government said,
"Oh, we need to reopen because of the economy."
And here we are.
It's worse.
How is it going to a bar
is more important than kids going to school safely?
I just -- just stop.
Stop.
Two months, it's not a big deal.
Everybody, just lock it down for a couple months, two months,
and then we can have the rest of the year, you know?
By the new year, we could be free of this
if people would just stop and think of everybody else
instead of just themselves for a change.