Across the metro area, parents of schoolchildren are stressing out as they weigh school district options to either send their students back to classrooms, or continue online learning.
Parents say that as school start dates approach, they wish they had more details about what school might look like during a pandemic. And for some metro-area districts school could be back in session in less than a month.
Some parents also worry that nothing the school districts do to mitigate the risks will guarantee safety, but that if online learning is anything like it was in the spring, their children won’t be getting a proper education from home.
Maria Enriquez, a Denver mother of three students, is thinking of keeping her children home next school year. But she recalls that online learning didn’t go well in the spring.
“Our internet was failing a lot and I don’t know why,” Enriquez said. “I was communicating with their teachers, but the kids didn’t have a lot of work.”
Local public health officials have worked with school districts on these plans and have published guidance noting that children are less likely to be sick and less likely to transmit the coronavirus.
Chalkbeat Colorado, Yesenia Robles