204 parents and students rally to re-open schools
December 14, 2020
Parents and students held signs reading “Zoom zombies” and “students learn better in person” as their frustration echoed across the parking lot of the 204 District Office Sunday afternoon. Around 100 204 community members showed up to advocate the reopening of schools. Even with masks on and social distancing, there was loud collective support coming from the attendees.
(Olivia Gaziano)
Parents and students from 204 gathered in front of the IPSD District Office for the Rally to Reopen Schools yesterday. The IPSD 204 Parents Advocating for Choice Facebook group organized the event. After months of remote learning, parents and students who attended the rally hope the school board will be able to immediately begin in-person learning five days per week as a remote learning option.
Despite the cold weather, people continued to cheer in support of the speakers’ messages. Throughout the rally, there were student, parent, and keynote speakers including Adam Russo, a local therapist and District 203 parent, as well as Paul Vallas, the former CEO of Chicago Public Schools.
“I am outraged for the 204 students who have not set foot into a school building in 275 days. I am outraged for the special education students who are not receiving the services they deserve,” 204 parent Kavitha Sivanandan said. “I am outraged for teachers that are doing double the work.
Parents had false hopes given to them in the past by district administrators since the start date for hybrid learning was pushed back three times. In a message sent out by Superintendent Dr. Talley, 204 school buildings will re-open in-person learning the week of Jan.25.
“I believe the hybrid plan we started implementing in October provides a safe option for families who want in-person instruction, while also providing an option for families who want to continue with remote learning,” Talley said in a message. “We look forward to continuing the implementation of our plan in January.”
With the aspiration for the district to enact in-person learning, the organizers created banners reading: Our schools, our choice, our say.
Parents who attended the rally want the choice to send their students back into the buildings due to the effects they see Zoom has on their students.
“Zoom does not work for all kids,” 204 parent Amy Puffer said. “We know remote is not going away, but we can do both. We want the choice to send our kids to school or keep them home.”
Participants repeatedly stated that it is now time to drop the excuses made by the school district. They want to see the district follow through with the hybrid transition plan in January.
“I can tell you I personally never had a problem focusing in school until now,” Gregory Middle School student Colin S. said. “Staring at a screen for up to seven hours a day has made it very difficult to focus and be engaged in remote learning.”
The school district is planning to continue with the hybrid transition plan and will address the plan in the school board meeting tonight at 7 p.m.
A '23 student • Dec 26, 2020 at 6:40 pm
I understand being frustrated with online learning. However, frustration isn’t a reason to put people’s health and lives at risk.
Are students falling behind? To that I say, behind what? Not all people are the same, not all people will learn at the same rate or in the same ways. Every student learns at their individual pace, and that’s okay! Certainly during this time of pandemic we are learning important lessons about adapting and accommodating for the common good, prioritizing, goal-setting, evaluating risks, defining values, self-motivation, and setting boundaries. Not all learning happens at school. And if I’m honest, academics are a lot easier to catch up to national expectations on than the socio-emotional learning occurring at home.
To Kavitha Sivanandan’s point about students in special education – IEPs have been evaluated and those students whose needs are known to necessitate in-person learning are learning in-person. It is to their benefit if the rest of us stay home. Smaller groups of people are easier to keep isolated from others. If hundreds of students flock to the schools, those students who need to be in-person, their aides, and teachers have a much higher risk of being exposed to the virus and kept at home for two weeks, or longer if they contract the virus.
For the sake of the elderly, for those with compromised immune systems, for those with underlying conditions, we must work to slow the spread of COVID-19. At least 37.6% of the adult population of the United States is at risk for serious illness if infected. That’s 92.6 million adults. 330 thousand people in the United States have already died of COVID-19. 18.8 million people have been infected, and a yet unknown number of those are now living with long-term effects such as loss of taste and smell, frequent loss of breath, and fatigue.
Frustration isn’t reason enough to put others’ lives at risk.
Lockdowns haven't worked • Dec 26, 2020 at 10:39 am
People want to stay in lockdown because it’s going to save lives, right? It’s going to help students stay alive, right? Then what about people who are facing food-insecurity because there isn’t enough money to buy groceries? People would get their meals from school. Now with parents losing jobs and being stuck at home, there’s more and more concern for how people are going to get through the day. So many people are slipping into a depressive state of mind at being stuck at home, not allowed to leave unless it’s for a walk around the block. Students have a right to be educated in a classroom, not in a dark room staring at a computer screen for 8 hours. This isn’t even mentioning clubs and honor systems students depended on to meet their friends. We’ve gone into lockdowns at least 4 times by now, and not ONE time has it helped slow the spread of COVID, or if it has, it has done so at the expense of working families, mental health, and meaningful education. It’s time to open up our schools. With restrictions, yes, but open them up. We can’t afford to wait much longer.
i like staying at home • Dec 16, 2020 at 8:40 am
Yeah. COVID-19 is really bad. I don’t care at all for in-person learning; I wish I had gotten a taste of remote learning when I was in 9th grade cause I really *really* like it now. I actually understand my own goals and my own values and am actually able to act on them, instead of just going through the motions from 7:00 to 2:00 and then feeling too tired the rest of the day to do anything.
Of course, if we do move back and it turns out to be fine, then remote-learners will probably have the option to stay at home. I don’t want to because I don’t like in-person school, so there is basically no benefit to going back (besides talking to friends pretty much, which is not a good enough reason).
Shannon Adcock • Dec 15, 2020 at 10:22 pm
Thank you, Jessica and Olivia, for covering the rally. This is obviously a passionate debate and one that directly impacts students like you. The more opportunities for students to hear various perspectives, the better. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season!
Best,
Shannon Adcock
Metea Student 2003 • Dec 15, 2020 at 4:26 pm
Why do these people want to return. Physical school calls for earlier start times, less flexibility with homework and exams, you’re not in the comfort of your residence, longer periods, etc etc etc. And because physical school is now going to require new regulations due to covid like maintaining 6 feet, washing every surface you interact with, mask, there won’t even be any social aspect anymore (which is fundamental in school) if you go to school physically. It’ll feel like an asylum. As long as physical school remains optional I don’t care about whatever these people think or believe in since it won’t affect me, as ill be zooming. But if in the future physical school becomes mandatory, these people are not respecting those who treat Covid seriously, so I’m not going to respect you.
Dylan Hatten • Dec 15, 2020 at 10:10 am
Wake up? How can you say that when people are dying in front of us?? Even with a 99.9632% survival rate, IF it is that, two million seven hundred ninety-six thousand eight hundred (2,796,800) people would die. Parents, children, grandparents. People die because of this pandemic. You cannot ask us to open the schools and invite more death. That’s devaluing those that have passed for the officials in charge to realize how devastating this is. You would stomp on their graves in disrespect and have others join them, merely so you could sit in a simple desk and stare at a board for 7 hours a day?
A Metea Student • Dec 14, 2020 at 3:45 pm
This is just sickening, disgusting, and outright immoral. We are in the midst of the largest spike of COVID cases and deaths nationwide and these foolish people are calling for schools to be re-opened up. I had lost my grandpa one week ago thanks to COVID-19, and I’m seriously concerned with the lack of understanding and ignorance of how COVID-19 is spread easily in crowded indoor places. If somehow the school board decides to reopen up schools for in-person learning, my message to those who want to re-open up them is to cherish and remember your family members, because they may or may not live to see another year.
A Concerned Metea Student • Dec 14, 2020 at 2:33 pm
Take the masks off! 99.9632% survivial rate is NOT a pandemic! People under 40 have a 99.997% survival rate! WAKE UP!