Parents of students in Scottsdale rally for in-person education option

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The Scottsdale Unified Governing Board met Tuesday, Sept. 1 to determine a plan for a "hybrid" model for returning to school amid the coronavirus pandemic, and it decided to leave the decision to parents by way of another survey.

Those in support of the in-person school option showed their support by gathering outside the private special session meeting with green T-shirts and signs Tuesday night.

Many schools in Arizona remain online and districts within counties that are in the "moderate" spread category, like Maricopa County, can begin drafting plans to provide in-person education.

Gilbert Public Schools announced it'll transition to a hybrid model on Sept. 8, with full in-person learning on Sept. 21. They will also offer online learning.

Some parents at the rally say a majority of parents voted for an online option when the school district surveyed them in the summer.

“There was an overwhelming majority of parents that voted during the survey at the end of July to return to the classroom. 75% of the parents chose to go back to school in the classroom. The other 25% said to stay online. We want to send a message to the board that they represent us and it’s time to send them back to the classroom," said parent, Amanda Wray, adding “She’s at home. 6 hours a day. And pediatricians have told us forever sitting in front of screens is bad for kids and now it’s all they have. It’s unacceptable."

In the meeting, the board debated the hybrid model, splitting kids up into morning and afternoon groups on campus, focusing on traditional instruction and not specialty classes.

“What keeps me up, is our K-2nd grades that really need in-person instruction. I think we can limp along with high school kids and do that for a longer period of time, but I really struggle with our youngest,” said Dr. Scott Menzel, the district's superintendent.

The board was faced with two options: A survey of parents on the hybrid model or continuing to follow county health benchmarks which meant prolonged distance learning.

The board opted for the survey.

“They may want more, but we are in the yellow zone so we can’t fully return and to rebalance our staff at this point is going to be more difficult or more disruptive if we change again. Families may find it more disruptive. I don’t know until we ask them," said Sandy Kravetz, board member.

As of Sept. 1, the American Academy of Pediatrics says Arizona has the second-highest rate of pediatric COVID-19 cases in the country, behind Tennessee.

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