Pearland ISD Is Looking At 3 Different Scenarios for 2020-21. Only One Is Good.
We are writing about Pearland ISD because it’s possible that whatever they decide to do Alvin ISD will follow. At the moment a committee formed of district staff, parents and other community leaders are meeting to discuss the 3 options. The first option is pretty much like it is supposed to be: kids go to school everyday, all day. The third option is 100% distance learning like it was last spring. Finally, the second option is a combination of both.
How would that one (option 2) work is simple at the surface but could quickly become a logistical nightmare. Pre-K through 4th grade would go to school every but only half a day. Half the kids in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. For older kids, half would come in all day on M-W-F and the other half T-T. It would flip every week. All that planning in the name of social distancing.
So can someone explain to us what are the young kids supposed to do half of the day they are not going to school?? Go to daycare full of… kids?? Most families are two working parents and some are able to make it work where they don’t need daycare. But only going half a day at school will force them to use daycare. Who will pay for daycare?? School districts that are not able to fulfill they full mandates should pay for it?? The school buses will be running all day for younger kids and will do alternate routes for older kids every day. This will increase operations costs and maybe justify a tax increase.
You have to reopen the schools as it is supposed to be is my opinion. Social distancing is not so much important as we have witnessed recently as long as it is for the right cause. Well, educating kids properly is a right cause and should not be messed with. Unless schools resume its normal operations, I expect a lot of kids will be withdrawn from public school systems and be home-schooled. That seems to be the less complicated option for parents of younger ones.