Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes Editor The Mount Pleasant Community School district is still in the reviewing process of their fall 2020 “Return to Learn” plan. Many parents and teachers around the state are worried that plans are not taking more precautions to protect students and staff.
Many district plans do not require the use of face coverings in schools or account for social distancing in their face-to-face models. This means that staff and students would likely be at a greater risk of contracting the virus. Only Offering remote learning is now out of the question for Iowa Schools, Governor Kim Reynolds announced Friday that the state will require at least half of learning time to be done in the classroom in a face-to-face model. Meaning that school district’s now only have two options for instruction: Face to Face or Hybrid models. Remote learning is out of the question for Iowa schools. Reynolds wants to bring back face-to-face instruction despite coronavirus numbers continuing to climb in Iowa. However, if parents decide that it is best for their child they can still attend school remotely. With her mandate schools must also offer in person classes. “Given the importance of education to our children and to the people of Iowa, we owe it to them to just roll up our sleeves and get our schools back up and running safely and effectively,” Reynolds said. Teachers are wanting district's and the government to do more to protect them and their students from deadly disease. President of the National Education Association, Lily Garcia, stated in a press release that, “As we have consistently stated before, no one wants students to safely return to classrooms more than parents, educators and administrators. Whether school buildings are open or not this fall, educators have been working — and will continue to work — to make sure students have the best possible learning experience and have what they need to succeed. So let’s not rush students and educators into classrooms when no one can ensure they are safe yet.” This statement comes as teachers are telling districts to step up their response and to keep the staff and students safe. They say that more needs to be done for them and their students to feel comfortable returning in the fall. “The bottom line is that without a comprehensive plan that includes federal resources to provide for the safety of our students and educators with funding for personal protective equipment, socially distanced instruction, and addressing racial inequity, we could be putting students, their families, and educators in danger,” said Garcia in that same press release. The Mount Pleasant school district released data from a recent survey sent to parents asking about the district’s response in the spring to remote learning and their Return to Learn plan. The data showed that parents were divided about their children returning to school. In the survey, parents were asked to rate on a scale of one to five, how comfortable they felt sending their kids back to school in light of mitigation strategies presented with Return to Learn plans. 35.3 percent of parents said they were feeling comfortable (five) with sending their child back. About 20 percent of parents rated their comfort level at a four. Another 20 percent stood in the middle with a three rating. About 25 percent revealed they were not as comfortable (one and two). Overall, parents and teachers aren’t sure if the current plans are the right choice for them. Many don’t feel comfortable coming back yet without high quality direction, and the governor has just changed the course again. Through all this the MPCSD school board is still working hard on the plan and trying to come up with a better way to help the students and staff. The board will meet again this Monday, July 20th in a work session to continue reviewing and updating the Return to Learn plans.
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