Meet Avery Thornbury, who will start Grade 9 this fall. She& #39;s a special needs student. Her mom tells me she& #39;s works at the level of a Grade 2 student. She& #39;s been excited about going back to school for months.

Pics by @NewsManSpencer. How excited is she? Her backpack was been ready at the door since June.

But in the end, she& #39;ll continue learning online this year.

Her mom worries about safety at school for Avery. She says daughter loves to get close to people and isn& #39;t good at wearing a mask for long periods of time. The family still doesn& #39;t know the exact plan for special needs but has already made their decision.

Mom Lisa Thornbury will help Avery with online learning at home. She& #39;s talked to other families of special needs kids who are sending their kids back to school: "They& #39;re really nervous, they& #39;re afraid and they just don& #39;t see that they have any other option"