FAIRFIELD, Conn. — A Connecticut mother is battling the state to get a remote learning plan for her son, but the state denied her initial request. Marney White said, "He is 10 and therefore a perfect little carrier for this."
In addition to being a mom, Marney is also a professor of public health at Yale University. She is also one of nine million immunocompromised Americans.
"About a month before the pandemic, I was diagnosed with a serious and often fatal autoimmune disease that requires a type of chemotherapy," explained White.
The chemotherapy wiped out her immune system and made her unable to develop antibodies even though she’s vaccinated against COVID.
A John Hopkins study shows immunocompromised people are 485 times more likely to end up hospitalized from COVID.
She said, "In February of 2021 I started writing to the school board and to the state asking what the plan is for next year?"
White asked the Fairfield school district to offer a remote learning option for her 10-year-old son Lane, but they deferred to the state. So, Marney petitioned the State Department of Education citing in this letter that a failure to develop a remote learning plan would, “deprive (her son) of his right to a free public education.”
Her son Lane said, "I would be around people that I knew who are not vaccinated and I know it would be possible for the virus to spread. I could get it. I might not be sick, but it could spread to my mom who could be really sick and potentially die."
The state department of education, who declined FOX61's request for an interview, also denied Marney’s request. In a letter, Acting Commissioner Charlene Russel-Tucker called White's complaint, “not substantial.”
She went on to say, ”we sympathize with your situation."
The CSDE says their department is working with the state health department on additional COVID mitigation measures in the schools but did not specifically list what those were.
White responded, "Even with mitigation. Mitigation is certainly helpful in reducing that. Mitigation meaning distancing and masks, but it certainly is not flawless so given that and my vulnerability I knew we wouldn’t be able to safely return my son to the brick-and-mortar school."
The CT General Assembly did enact legislation allowing for districts, on a limited basis, to develop remote learning plans, but that begins for the 2022-2023 school year.
The state ultimately pointed the finger back at the district saying that while there is no remote learning mandate, the districts have the option to allow it.
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