# @thekansascitystar on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CpaOpRiPMHv
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/18810729-thekansascitystar-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/501a2eb05f.jpg
- **Posted:** 2023-03-05T14:00:51.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Kansas City Star (@thekansascitystar) — https://gondola.cc/thekansascitystar

## Caption

Sara Jahnke received a call from her son’s elementary school that made her heart drop.

Jahnke said her 6-year-old, Crosby, had escaped his school last fall and ran outside toward a busy street. The Shawnee Mission first grader, who has Down syndrome, needs to be closely monitored because he’s mastered unlocking doors and is known to run off — and when he does, he’s fast.

“They gave me a call to let me know it happened and that he was safe. And I think they were doing everything they could. But the class is just so understaffed,” Jahnke said. “He is a high-needs child. And I think that a lot of the kids that are in his class have really high needs and take a lot of attention.”

Classrooms like Crosby’s are strained this year as school districts manage record staff vacancies, coupled with a lack of resources from a decade-long underfunding of special education in Kansas. 

In many cases, that’s led to fewer adults in classrooms, teachers balancing more jobs than ever, unqualified staff and substitutes instructing special ed and a fear that the needs of the state’s most vulnerable students aren’t being adequately met.
“It’s at the point where it’s a safety issue,” Jahnke said. 

Read about how low funding and sparse staffing are directly affecting special ed classrooms in Kansas at the link in our bio. 

#Kansas #KSNews #Education #SpecialEd #LocalNews #KS

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## Tags

ksnews, kansas, ks, education, localnews, specialed

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