Local control of schools leads to a patchwork of reopening plans
Experts say flexibility is needed to reopen schools safely this fall, but some argue giving schools a wide berth will cause problems.
On a Thursday evening in mid-July, Superintendent Miskia Davis stuck to a careful script as she presented the Sunflower County Consolidated School District’s reopening plan to an audience of hundreds of parents on Facebook. The district’s school board had approved a hybrid model in which some students will spend the day learning on campus while their peers learn remotely at home, before the groups rotate later in the week.
Davis was in a difficult position. Just next door, the Leland School District was leaning toward keeping schooling fully remote until at least October. Thirty-minutes down the road, the Cleveland School District was planning to bring kids back to school buildings full time. In a stream of comments, parents grilled Davis about how in the world schools could require young children to wear masks with no exceptions. Others worried whether learning in person was safe at all.
“This isn’t going to work! My baby has a weak immune system and I know he’s not going to keep on a mask,” wrote one commenter.
30 (or more) — Number of cases of the coronavirus per 100,000 residents in several Mississippi districts that are planning to reopen for in-person teaching next month
Davis tried to offer reassurance through an extended nautical metaphor. She displayed a picture of boats being tossed at sea and asked families to notice the boats’ different sizes and colors, and the different direction each vessel was headed. The boats represented school districts, she said. The CONTINUE READING: A patchwork of reopening plans for schools in the fall