(Photo by Veronique de Viguerie/Getty Images)
FARMINGTON, Utah – The Davis School District held an emergency board meeting last week after parents objected to the district’s decision to hold classes partly on campus and partly online.
But parents like Corinne Johnson felt their voices were not heard, with only 18 minutes of public comment allowed.
That’s why Johnson co-founded the Facebook group “DSD Parents Focused on Getting Schools Back to Five Days a Week”, which has gained more than 2,600 members in less than a week.
Johnson feels online learning was a disaster for many families last semester, and especially for certain kids academically.
“There were a lot of gaps for bilingual children. There were gaps for children in Special Education, who were not allowed the hours that were guaranteed by their [Individualized Education Plans] for speech and reading and other issues,” Johnson said.
That’s why she and other parents want the district to hold classes on campus five days a week, saying it’s better for kids’ social and emotional well being.
The district believes the hybrid system of two days on campus and three online will help keep teachers safe by allowing them to better social distance in their classrooms, with many indicating how difficult their decision was.
However, Johnson disagrees.
“They are more concerned about the pressure from unions and the Health Department on this one issue of safety from COVID-19, and not looking at all the other safety issues and all the other risks that our children face if they’re not in school,” Johnson said.
She argues many districts in Utah are able to hold in person school five days a week, while making accommodations for teachers
The group is pushing the school board to hold another special meeting.
“They should be willing to sit in a meeting for two, three hours. Whatever it takes to allow any parent in Davis County to voice their concerns and feel that they have been heard,” Johnson said.
If that is not possible, the group would like a timetable with “data and metrics” about when kids can expect to be back on campus five days a week.
DSD Parents Focused on Getting Schools Back to Five Days a Week is working with the Nevada-based advocacy group Power2Parent on strategies, though group members do not rule out campaigning to vote out current board members in November.