By Kristina Cooke, Benjamin Lesser and M.B. Pell
(Reuters) - After a two-week deluge of calls and messages from parents - and at least one death threat - the school board in Chandler, Arizona, called a special meeting this fall.
The board would revisit its decision, prompted by the coronavirus, to temporarily close local campuses and offer all classes online.
Parents, teachers and others poured out their thoughts in 1,100 public comments posted online before the September meeting. “If our schools do not open in person I will yank both my boys OUT and take them to another school district!!!” one parent wrote.
Many teachers assailed the district, which serves about 44,000 students near Phoenix, for wavering. “You look weak to the public; you look unconcerned for safety to your employees,” wrote one instructor. Ultimately, the board backtracked, voting 3-2 to start reopening school buildings. Eight-six percent of students returned to campus.
Across the United States, district leaders face pressure from all sides as they grapple with how to educate children during the pandemic, a Reuters survey of 217 districts showed. Many parents are balking at online instruction, seeing it as inferior to classroom learning and disruptive to life at home and work. Other parents worry about sending kids back into classrooms prematurely amid a raging pandemic.
At the same time, many teachers, some backed by powerful unions, say they are not comfortable CONTINUE READING: Special Report: To reopen or not to reopen – That is the fraught question for U.S. schools | The Mighty 790 KFGO | KFGO
