Mom in the margins

Although she spends every school day assisting her seven-year-old son in class, Janice Tulloch Parkinson is not officially recognised as his “shadow”, a role defined and regulated by the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, and typically reserved for trained personnel rather than parents.

Since September, the Westmoreland mother has remained by her son Keneil Parkinson’s side at Broughton Primary School, helping him navigate daily school life. Despite performing many of the duties of a classroom aide, she said she was told she cannot be formally appointed or receive a stipend because she is his mother.

“He needs a walker to attend school. Since September, I have been the shadow for him at that institution,” Tulloch Parkinson said.

The demand for shadows – formally referred to as special education needs assistants – remains a challenge, with many families struggling to access them. These aides are assigned to provide one-on-one support, helping students with special needs access learning, move safely within the school environment, and gradually develop independence. They are paid approximately $60,000 per month by the ministry.

Despite these provisions, Tulloch Parkinson continues to shoulder her son’s daily needs without support.

Keneil, who has been paralysed from the waist down since birth, relies on a walker for mobility. His mother stressed that while he is physically limited, his ability to learn is unaffected.

“He cannot walk, but he is able to do his schoolwork,” she said.

However, a typical school day requires constant supervision.

“I have to watch him carefully with the bigger kids. I carry him to the bathroom. I follow him to get his snacks,” she explained. “I have to oversee him … I want the best for him.”

Her decision to remain at school, she said, is rooted in concerns for her son’s safety in a larger primary school setting.

“It’s not like the basic school … there are bigger kids there that will damage him, and some of the kids are rude,” she said. “So I prefer to be there to oversee.”

Her role has also extended beyond her son.

“In his class, there are kids who are slow learners. I help them a lot during the day … to me, it’s like a job,” she said.

That “job”, however, is unpaid. Tulloch Parkinson said she gave up employment to support her son full-time, leaving her husband as the sole breadwinner.

“If I was getting something to help, it would make things easier … because my husband alone is working,” she said. “But even if I’m not getting anything, I still don’t have a problem … I want the best for him.”

MINISTRY GUIDELINES

Dionne Gayle-Jones, assistant chief education officer in the ministry’s Special Education Unit, explained that while parents are sometimes allowed to act as shadows, it is typically under specific conditions.

“We allow some parents to be shadows if the child has a potty-training issue … once there’s incontinence or the need for bathroom assistance, we allow parents only in that case,” Gayle-Jones said.

Outside of such circumstances, the ministry prefers trained personnel.

“Special education needs assistants receive introductory training upon entry to the programme,” she said.

“They are then aligned to training through HEART/NSTA.”

Gayle-Jones said that, at HEART, they are required to receive early childhood or teacher’s assistant training.

In the meantime, she explained: “We don’t really allow parents to be shadows … for students with special needs, you want them to be as independent as possible. The child can become too dependent on the parent.”

Gayle-Jones noted that when parents do assume the role, they are guided on how to support the child appropriately and are expected to function in a professional capacity.

“When you walk through the school gate, you’re no longer his mother; you’re his shadow working with the Ministry of Education,” she said.

She added that shadows are part of a structured intervention system and may undergo training to effectively support students in the classroom.

“It’s not a hard-and-fast rule … there is a certain amount of flexibility, depending on each case,” she said, noting that Keneil’s situation could still be reviewed.

While local schools or parish offices, such as the Montego Bay location, may assess and make recommendations, the final decision rests with the ministry’s head office in Kingston.

SCHOOL RESPONSE

Principal of Broughton Primary School, Marva Davis Clarke, said the institution recognises the level of support Keneil requires and has been accommodating his needs as best as possible.

“There’s no way I am going to allow this child to be here without somebody being here with him,” Clarke said.

She added that she had hoped Tulloch Parkinson could be formally appointed as his shadow.

“I was hoping that she could be the shadow for him because she’s at school every day,” she said.

Clarke explained that while the matter has been discussed informally with regional education officers, a formal request has not yet been submitted.

“We have been doing it word of mouth … and they said no … see if you can find somebody to be the shadow for him,” she said.

The principal also raised broader concerns about the identification of students with special needs, noting that while only a small number have been officially diagnosed, many others likely require assessment.

Keneil, she pointed out, is the only student at the school who has been formally tested and confirmed, though several others display signs of needing support.

She further highlighted the difficulty in accessing assessments, explaining that some students remain in the system for years without proper evaluation, leaving schools to cope as best as they can.

“He needs the support … children like those are not supposed to be in school without somebody there with them,” Clarke said.

Keneil has undergone two surgeries aimed at improving his mobility, but neither was successful. A third procedure was recommended, but his mother declined due to the risks involved.

“One of the surgeries he did already, he was in a coma … he spent 14 days in Montego Bay Hospital,” she said.

“I told his father I’m not going to sign any more papers … if it’s God’s will that he walks, then it will happen.”

Despite the challenges, Tulloch Parkinson said her son remains positive and self-assured.

“He’s happy … Keneil is independent. He doesn’t feel less than any of the other kids. He takes part in everything,” she said. “At school, when I’m there, he doesn’t even want me to pay him any mind.”

Regardless of policy or pending review, she is resolute.

“I will continue to be his shadow, because I don’t want them to damage him,” she said.

mickalia.kington@gleanerjm.com