LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Parents watched the Thursday night Jefferson County Board of Education meeting closely to see how members would vote on the superintendent's recommendation to return to in-person learning next month. The Board ultimately approved a plan to reopen classrooms beginning March 17. There were parents on both sides of the argument. Some felt kids should have already been back in class, while others wish for a return date in August.
What You Need To Know
- Parents react to JCPS's return to in-person learning plan
- Some parents feel kids should have already been back in class, others wish for a return date in August
- JCPS's Board ultimately voted to approve a return to in-person learning plan Thursday evening
Parent Alyson Cleyman is of the former mindset, while parent Carla Robinson is of the latter.
"I would like them to go back as soon as possible within the next couple of weeks," Cleyman told Spectrum News 1 ahead of the Board's vote.
"I still feel some angst about, is JCPS 100% ready for all the 'what if's?'" Robinson said doubtfully.
Robinson, a member of the 15th District Parent Teacher Association (PTA), has many questions for the Board and district left unanswered. She has three children, some of which would be going back.
"I'm just a worry wort. I just want to know that those questions, so that when it happens, I'm not fishing for information. I'm not pushed around from one department to the next department and nobody being able to give me clear answers," Robinson said.
While she worries her kids could unknowingly carry COVID-19 to their teacher, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) says the vast majority of them have been vaccinated. Of more than 7,000 teachers, a district spokesperson told Spectrum News 1 more than 6,000 have had at least dose one. However, it's against privacy laws to disclose which teachers those are.
Meanwhile, Cleyman is a member of the group "Let Them Learn." She's been ready for her two children to get back to a classroom for specialized learning help. She's tired of waiting on the Board.
"They've been hesitant long enough. It's almost a year. So, the hesitancy is no longer valid," she remarked.
Cleyman feels there are plenty of safety precautions in place for a safe return and said, "and you can't guarantee that everybody's not gonna catch COVID[-19]. If it happens, then we'll deal with that, you know. One kid catches COVID[-19], quarantine that class for a couple weeks and let 'em go back."