'Falling behind:' Cedarburg School District yet to announce plans for students with special needs, parent says

CEDARBURG, Wis. - The Cedarburg School District is allowing families to choose between in-person or virtual learning this fall. However, for some, the plan -- or lack thereof -- goes beyond where their student will learn.

One mom who is keeping her child home due to medical conditions said that district administrators still have no plan in place for what the school year will look like for children with special needs.

As the final days of summer wind down, Danielle Savick fears that fall will be a repeat of what happened this spring.

"I just, as a parent, always worry about her falling behind. Even prior to the pandemic. And now that's really amplified during this time," Savick said.

When COVID-19 hit in March, her daughter Sloane's school shut down -- abruptly ending her physical, occupational and speech therapy.

"It's not possible to train the parents to be the therapists," said Savick.

Danielle Savick with daughter Sloane and husband

Savick and her husband made the tough decision to have Sloane -- who has Down syndrome and Type 1 diabetes -- attend 4K virtually.

"People with Down syndrome are not reacting very well to COVID," Savick said. "And also with Type 1 Diabetes...whenever she's gotten the flu in the past, she's landed in the hospital for fluids and we've been there a few days.

"I'm imagining with COVID, it would be even worse."

Savick said the Cedarburg School District has yet to figure out how it will accommodate Sloane's individual education program (IEP) -- even though the start of classes is two weeks away.

"It seems like there is a lot of work being put into what does virtual learning look like to the typical student without an IEP...but I feel in some sense that the kids with IEPs or special needs are being forgotten or lost along the way," said Savick.

While they wait, Savick is preparing for the worst. She has already hired a nanny and private therapists -- confident that her little girl, whose name means "warrior," will be OK. It is the rest of the world that Slavick hopes will rise to the occasion.

"She's overcome so many obstacles that I know she's going get through this one," Savick said. "I always go back to that Mahatma Gandhi quote that you know says, the measure of any society is how they treat it's most vulnerable members."

FOX6 News reached out to the school district on Friday regarding its plan for students who have IEPs, but did not hear back.