Isobel Martin hasn't physically attended school in 13 weeks and it's taking a toll on her and her family.
"It's getting hard to remain motivated," the 14-year-old said from her temporary desk, at her home in Tambo in remote Western Queensland.
"There's a lot more room here to be distracted and procrastinate, which allows us to fall behind in school work, which can be a bit stressful."
The Year 9 student is one of hundreds of Queensland boarding students who aren't able to return to their schools or classrooms due to lingering coronavirus restrictions.
Her mother, Louise Martin, fears there is no end in sight to the home learning scenario.
"It's extremely frustrating to be honest," she said.
"Rural and remote students have been the forgotten ones for a long, long time.
"And yet again we are being deemed to be such a minority that we're not worth worrying about it."
Boarding schools across the state have been subject to strict national health guidelines that prohibit more than 25 per cent of students from sleeping in dormitories.
Current guidelines suggest ways of reducing on campus numbers, including billeting students out with other families.
However, according to Dr Lee-Anne Perry, Executive Director of Queensland Catholic Education, those guidelines are not viable for most of her 16 boarding schools — leaving more than 1,000 students stuck at home.
"We need to understand these are students who live in the remote areas of Queensland," Dr Perry said.
"Their internet connections are not strong all the time. They're isolated. They're missing that sense of community of being with their peers.
"So we're very concerned for their wellbeing, for the impact on their learning [and] the issues of equity — we believe these students should be given the same opportunities as all other students."
Other measures imposed under the guidelines include having one student per bathroom and recommendations to establish single sleeping rooms for students.
Dr Perry has written to Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk asking for help to ease the restrictions and allow students back in time for term three.
"This is a group I call the forgotten students," she said.
"And it looks like they're going to miss out on this entire term of face-to-face learning, and there's uncertainty about term three."
In desperation, Mrs Martin has begun looking at temporary accommodation in Brisbane to house herself and her daughters off campus, so her twin daughters can return to school.
"For us, learning from home next term won't be an option — it's not viable," she said.
"And therefore I am seeking, along with many other rural and remote parents, alternative accommodation in the towns where the children are at boarding school, so that they can attend school on a daily basis."
In a statement, Queensland Health said: "we appreciate the challenges facing boarding school families during this unprecedented time."
"Boarding schools by their very nature increase the risk of transmission of disease," the statement read.
"Boarders sharing facilities such as bedrooms, bathrooms, dining areas and communal areas on an ongoing basis will be at higher risk of transmission of disease compared to their day student colleagues."
The Education Minister has been contacted for comment.
