A second Baltimore City mother comes forward saying her son is missing school because the district cannot provide a nurse. This comes just weeks after Project Baltimore broke the story of another Baltimore City student dealing with similar circumstances.
Whitney Davis is the latest mother to come forward. She says her son has been home, almost all year, but that’s not what his report cards shows.
At seven years old, her son Darian Flood, is in first grade at Pimlico Elementary/Middle in northwest Baltimore.
“He is out of this world. His personality is bigger than him,” Davis said of her son. “He's really smart. He's a sweet kid.”
Davis says teaching her son has become her full-time job, because Darian’s missed nearly the entire school year. He requires a full-time, private-duty nurse at school. He has epilepsy and suffers seizures every few weeks.
“He will cry because he wants to be held, but he doesn't know who you are. So, he doesn't want you to touch him,” said Davis. “If you don't get to the proper authorities within two minutes of him seizing, anything could go wrong. And I mean anything. He could die,” explained an emotional Davis.
In August, the family chose in-person learning for Darian at Pimlico. But when they found out City Schools didn’t have a nurse for Darian, due to a nursing shortage, the family tried to sign him up for the virtual learning program. They were told the deadline had passed. The school system says its Home and Hospital team has worked with the family, but Davis says no one has ever showed up. So, for the first few months of school, Darian sat at home. His mother, a medical assistant, quit her job to try to educate him using worksheets she gets from his teachers.
“I'm not a teacher, so I'm limited on what I can teach him, how I can teach him. But I do my best,” Davis told Project Baltimore.
In November, when a nurse did become available, Davis says it was inconsistent and short-lived. So now, most days Darian stays home. If he does go to school, his mother is close by.
“I try not to sit in the school, but I'm literally there,” said Davis.
By April, Davis didn’t think she could be any more disappointed with Baltimore City Schools. Then, she received Darian’s report card dated March 31, 2022. During the first semester, it shows he had perfect attendance. Darian was marked as present 89 days with no days absent or tardy. Davis says her son was not in school a single day during the first two months of the school year.
When asked if she believes the attendance numbers are fake, Davis replied, “Yes, they're fake. The school system has failed Darian. It's a very grave injustice marking him present when he's not there. I ultimately feel it boils down to money.”
Darian’s situation is very similar to Qwantay Spearman, who attends ConneXions in west Baltimore. Qwantay missed the first 140 days of school due to a lack of a private duty nurse. Yet, his report card showed he was being marked present when he wasn’t in school. That’s now two students with significant disabilities receiving attendance when they are not in class.
Project Baltimore asked City Schools. They declined an interview, and released a statement, which did not answer any of our specific questions. The complete statement is below, but reads in part, “we reject any further attempts by WBFF-TV to mediate our students' individual, private academic or health affairs. City Schools is committed to working directly with our families to address questions about student records, including grading and attendance.”
Davis told Project Baltimore this situation has weighed heavily on her family.
“I can tell you how this has affected my life. I no longer have a life as Whitney. I am Darion's mom, I'm his advocate,” she said. “I have to make sure that this kid gets everything that he's entitled to, including an education, which unfortunately doesn't come from Baltimore City school systems.”
Statement from Baltimore City Public Schools:
“As previously stated, we reject any further attempts by WBFF-TV to mediate our students' individual, private academic or health affairs. City Schools is committed to working directly with our families to address questions about student records, including grading and attendance. We will contact the parent of this student directly to explain what occurred and any corrective steps.
WBFF-TV continues to demonstrate an apparent lack of understanding of how virtual learning is offered in City Schools. WBFF-TV published our April 25 response that notes the educational options available to students that require private duty nurses when none are available.
We reiterate the following:
However, I want to make certain you are clear about our virtual learning offerings. I fear you're being imprecise in the use of the term. There is a formal Virtual Learning Program and there are virtual learning options provided to students as part of a school's Continuity of Learning requirement. They are not the same thing.
The Home and Hospital team and school administration have had significant contact with this family throughout the year. Any additional outreach is a continuation of those efforts.”