Highland parents face tough choices as school year approaches

Highland parents had mixed reactions and a lot of questions about how the schools will operate in the fall semester.

Highland schools will open for in-person learning Aug. 13, but families will have the option of choosing remote learning for their children — and the decision must be made by Wednesday, July 22.

A letter sent to parents July 15 instructed that any families who choose to enroll in remote learning must commit to it for the entire quarter, and should have internet-capable devices. Elementary teachers will either be teaching in-person or remote classes, while middle and high-school teachers will be teaching in-person in the morning and remote classes in the afternoon.

All students, staff and visitors will be required to wear masks in school and on the buses, among other requirements.

“The biggest obstacle is balancing everyone’s needs and desires,” said Highland Superintendent Mike Sutton. “We’re just trying to provide the safest learning environment possible.”

Sutton said when coming up with the plan, the district surveyed parents about their wishes. He said 65 percent replied they wanted in-person learning, and 35 percent were unsure. Of those who were unsure, half said if the district required masks they would not send their children to school, and the other half said they were worried about their children’s safety.

“It was a heavy majority that wanted in-person learning,” Sutton said.

One thing Sutton wanted to make clear: Remote learning going forward will not be a repeat of spring 2020 repeat of spring 2020. In the spring, Sutton said, teachers and parents were thrown into remote learning with little warning or preparation.

“Obviously, our teachers are much better prepared for remote lessons,” Sutton said. “There will be much more accountability, students will check in with teachers every day, homework will be graded and counted.”

But it will not be the same as in-person learning, he said, even as educators are learning a variety of techniques to engage students over an internet connection rather than in the same room.

“It’s like building an airplane in the air,” Sutton said, and much of the plan may change between now and August.

Highland parents offer their input

For Highland parent Victoria Skornia, the choice was clear: Full remote learning for at least the first semester. She has two kids in school and a third younger child. One of her children is immune-compromised, and her older mother lives with them. All of her son’s medical specialists said “absolutely no” to in-person learning, she said.

“I’m hoping the remote learning is much better than the end of the school year was,” Skornia said. “There’s been a lot more planning going into it and I’m confident parents will be happier with what they get — before there was no time to plan.”

But it’s a big change for her family. Skornia has had to change jobs to one that would allow her to work remotely full-time, and her mother is stepping into the role of full-time homeschool teacher.

“I was fortunate that I was able to get a new job during all this where I could stay remote,” Skornia said.

But it’s been tricky, she said: Figuring out a schedule, rearranging furniture so each child has a dedicated work space, ordering computers, and waiting to find out what will happen with her son’s special-needs resources.

“I feel as optimistic as I can, with realistic expectations,” she said. “Do I think it will be as successful a year for them? No, but I’m grateful it’s first grade and not sixth grade.”

‘It gives me lots of anxiety for her health’

Samantha Campos is a single mom with a 7-year-old in school, and it was difficult to balance teaching her daughter with her job. She is exploring pairing up with another family to share teaching supervision, or she will have to send her daughter to school, which makes her nervous.

“It gives me lots of anxiety for her health,” she said. “My situation isn’t as bad as some, and we can make it work ... If the community comes together to help single parents that would be lovely, but lots of people are in worse positions right now. Hopefully we can all help each other out.”

For Alicia Stallard, she has little choice but to send her child to school.

“I work 10-hour days and am unable to school at home,” she said.

But it’s going to be a challenge, she said, because her son is in special education and she doesn’t think he will tolerate a mask. She is hoping he’ll be allowed to wear a head shield, which might work better with his disabilities, she said.

More parents weigh in

Anna Schmidt Griesbaum also has a child with special needs, as well as three other children. Her oldest child has ADHD and high-functioning anxiety disorders.

“He needs school, a routine, his teachers, and his peers that he can interact with other than us,” she said. “Remote learning for us did not go well in the spring ... Encouraging him to do his school work outside of school was miserable for him and I.”

Griesbaum said if the district had gone to all-remote learning, she would have had to take leave from her job, and might still if the situation worsens and in-person learning is suspended. However, she said her younger children have continued to go to day care and she has not been concerned about them being around other children. The day care has 75 children and does not require masks for children or teachers, she said, but uses hand sanitizer.

“The effects kids nationwide will feel emotionally, mentally and socially if they are not able to attend school are far worse than this ‘virus’ ever was or will be,” Griesbaum said.

Jenny Forbes said she’s ready for “some kind of normalcy” for her children, as their lives have been upside down since March.

“I think they need (socialization), especially the children who have special needs,” she said. “I think the school is putting in great preventative plans for them to go back and I think it is the best move to be safe.”

Q&A, more changes possibly to come

In response to parents’ questions, district leaders put together a Q&A trying to provide answers, while Sutton acknowledged that they don’t have all the answers yet. For example, they cannot put a monitor on every school bus to take temperatures and assess whether each student is healthy, which means families will need to “self-certify” health status — and no one knows how that will work yet. Masks are required, and exceptions for medical issues cannot be as easy as bringing in a doctor’s note, he said.

“This is so fluid, and we’ve got four weeks before school starts,” Sutton said. “I fear things may change a couple of times between now and then. Be patient and we’re going to do the best we can.”

This story was originally published July 19, 2020 at 12:00 AM.