Portable classroom can cause problems for some students
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School often struggle to balance the needs of their students with the restraints of budgets and other resources. Some accomplish this and deliver everything required of them and more; others can’t seem to make this happen.
The latter situation can be frustrating for any parent. However, it can be especially upsetting for parents of children with special needs. These parents often already need to fight for the education and services their children require; adding in the impact of strained resources can make matters worse.
For instance, students with special needs in one district in another state are reportedly struggling with the schools’ decisions to place them in portable classrooms.
Portable classrooms provide temporary solutions for space problems at a school. These units should be built properly and safe, and they should solve more issues than they cause.
Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case, as the one district is learning. According to reports, parents have made several complaints regarding the use of portables and students with special needs. They argue that the temporary structures:
- Have thin walls and windows, which are significant distractions for students who already struggle with paying attention
- Are far away from the rest of the school, making kids feel isolated
- Are very noisy
- Have poor ventilation, exacerbating dust and formaldehyde concentration issues
- Are too crowded
- Lack natural light
Each of these conditions has the potential to disrupt a student’s learning experience; in some cases, it can set them back considerably. As such, parents are demanding the schools remedy the situation, which is made worse by the fact that the district decided to construct new pools instead of building more classrooms.
In similar situations where a district or school has failed to provide an appropriate education for students with special needs, parents can examine their legal options.