A Salisbury family says their child with special needs is falling behind in school because he is not getting the care he needs from a nursing agency.
Benjamin Butt, 6, has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and his mother says he also suffers from asthma and seizures. He requires a nurse to accompany him to school and care for him throughout the day.
However, his mother Melissa says the nurse is frequently absent. She says it happened twice this week and six times this school year. The boy does not have a regular nurse at the moment, and his mother says that when one does show up, it's several hours late.
Benjamin attends the Henry Viscardi School in Albertson, which provides a learning environment for students with severe disabilities.
The Butts' home school district, East Meadow, pays a nursing agency to provide Benjamin's care, the Hicksville-based Horizon Healthcare. Melissa Butt says she's called the agency multiple times to explain the problem, but has never received a real answer.
Meanwhile, Benjamin is falling behind both academically and socially, his mother says.
News 12 reached out to Horizon Healthcare for answers. The company's managing partner initially provided a statement but promptly retracted it and declined to comment on this story.
News 12 also reached out to the East Meadow School District for comment, but has not yet heard back.