CENTRAL, Texas — School Districts across Texas now must make classroom instruction to parents who want it. New TEA rules released Wednesday state, "School systems must provide daily on-campus attendance for students otherwise entitled to attend school who follow this document’s required public health procedures and whose parents wish them to attend on-campus each day."
If the school also has an available virtual learning program, parents must also have the option to go that route as well. As school districts plan to provide choices to local parents, those parents still have to debate which option is best.
Parents made the following arguments in a spirited debate on KCEN's Facebook page Wednesday.
Arguments for opening
Some parents argued Kids should return to school for the social benefits:
"Yes. We have to give our kids some sense of normalcy. Think about what this is doing to their little minds. They are being taught to stay away from people they don’t know, to cover their mouths (be quiet) and to stay home. This is not how I want my kids to grow up. 😥," Kayla Vollmer Ketterman said on Facebook.
"My 4 are going back. Their mental health has suffered tremendously since March. They miss their friends. They need socializing," Bonnie Hancock said on Facebook.
Other parents argued it's the only way their kids will get the education they need.
"Yes! The education they were getting from the distance learning the school district had available just wasn't a good fit for my kids. I have a kindergartner and a 4th grader this new school yr," Roxana Moreno-Galo said on Facebook.
"I've opted for my children to return to school and they're ready. They simply cannot get the same education from distance learning as they can from face to face unless I became their full-time teacher. We are social beings, and children are no exception. What helped me make this decision was to stop watching the fear-mongering media," Denise Lord said on Facebook.
Against opening
Some said the risk is too high for the public.
"Infection rates are too high for Texas right now. If we were low like Massachusetts I would say yes. But we jumped the gun and opened up without promoting Masks. Lack of government leadership has caused us to go backwards," Clark Samantha said on Facebook.
"No, our hospitalization numbers are MUCH higher now than when the schools went to remote learning last semester. Opening schools in another month will lead to many more unnecessary deaths. We need to be completely rid of this virus in our area before putting large numbers of people in small classrooms all day long, five days a week," Cindy Morris Serfass said on Facebook
Some argue the risk is too high for teachers.
"No. As a teacher with underlying health conditions and an elderly parent that I take care of, there is no way for me to safely return to school," Carol Ochoa-Jones said on Facebook.
"I'm not a parent, but I am a teacher, and I am extremely concerned about returning in August" Jennifer Murphy said on Facebook.
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