Seven-year-old Nico Rider will not be joining his peers for in-person classes this fall.
“Nico has some developmental delays. He struggles with anxiety, and having a mask on, he had difficulty wearing it, sensory-wise,” says Kristin Rider, Nico’s mom.
She is choosing to homeschool him, citing Gov. Kathy Hochul's mask mandate in schools.
What You Need To Know
- In a national survey from the U.S. Census Bureau, just more than 11% of households nationwide were homeschooling at the start of 2020-2021 school year
- Nico Rider, 7, has special needs, and his mother, Kristin, has chosen to homeschool him because he can’t tolerate wearing a mask
- He will have to complete 900 hours of homeschooling, and his mom will submit quarterly reports and maintain attendance records
“I just don’t think that because he can’t tolerate his mask he should be forced to wear his mask,” Kristin Rider said.
She says homeschooling is her last resort.
“To be honest with you, I don’t know if it’s going to be strictly beneficial for him, educational-wise,” Kristin Rider said.
Nonetheless, Nico Rider will have to complete 900 hours of homeschooling, everything from arithmetic to social studies. His mother is doing everything she can to prepare, while also working.
She says the community support has been incredible.
“There is a lot of parents that are willing to help other parents starting out homeschooling," Kristin Rider said. "It’s just him picking up and retaining information. That hopefully happens."
