Melissa Milligan
This week has been an eventful one for Greenville County parents and students alike. While some parents have already made their choice to participate in virtual learning come fall, several families are still in the process of decision making. July 14, 2020, the Greenville County School Board meeting spawned a bit of upset among families who were not yet willing to accept virtual or eLearning options and were still holding out for an in-person option. Whichever side of this argument you land on and all politics aside there are some very credible arguments to be heard on both sides.
Reactions were strong with parents when school board member Glenda Morrison-Fair conveyed her opinion (from her area, area 23) of parents wanting to return their children to school, “because I think they use us (school) for a babysitting service”. This cause to be heard and understood, only gained momentum when the Governor’s address came out yesterday, with a push for back to school on a full 5-day schedule. This plan included a delayed start after Labor Day for added preparation time, instead of aligning with the slow and easy start plan previously mentioned by Dr. Royster in Tuesday’s meeting.
Greenville County Schools Offer Updates via Facebook Live
The one to two days of in-person schedule previously offered had a built-in fluidity of being able to be out of classes all week (on 100% eLearning) if DHEC numbers tracking the spread rate reflected that this would be necessary (as the safest option because of the added risk of infection). The unknowns with this is that the instability from week to week would be a yearlong roller coaster for families who would choose this option. The quick response from Greenville County School Superintendent Burke Royster, after Governor McMaster’s conference, was taken by some as a harsh and confirming the stance on reopening schools without adequate in-person options. Leaving parents with absolutely no choice other than through online methods are particularly upsetting to parents and children with IEP’s and learning differences that cannot be accommodated with their educational needs through those lines of learning.
Greenville County Schools Start Date Moved to August 24th – iOnGreenville: Your Guide to Greenville South Carolina
Many parents at today’s P.R.E.S.S. Rally (Parents for the Return of Extracurriculars, School and Sports) shared with me that the statement contained a flavor of criticism and denunciation of moving forward without having a choice to return to school full-time and in-person. Due to the increasing unhappiness of parents and students a rally was scheduled for today with the goal to express to the district that their voices, concerns, and questions deserve to be heard, not just dismissed. The rally started shortly after three o’clock with a crowd of about 100 people. What I saw in the crowd were people uniting their voice with one message, peacefully and purposefully. Among the crowd were parents, doctors, students, business owners, parents, grandparents, and of course local news media. Ashley Martin, the founder of P.R.E.S.S. told me she initially started the group just for moms of students who were struggling like her over what to do for her children’s educational needs in the coming year. Not happy with the eLearning experience a group of moms united in this frustration quickly grew to a group that now numbers over 4,000 in just two weeks!
Something to be noted from a member of P.R.E.S.S. was that many families could not attend today’s rally due to work schedules but are wholeheartedly in support of the return to school full-time in the coming weeks. The rally was scheduled from 3p-5pm so it did impact the turnout numbers. What was especially encouraging to see was that there was a near 100% compliance with wearing masks and being mindful of social distancing. The organizer of the event was even prepared with additional masks should anyone need one. Voices were not raised, there was no yelling or disrespect shown to the district. Tim Waller, spokesman for Greenville County Schools in fact came out prior to the start of the rally and made parking accommodations for the vehicle containing sound equipment and allowed rally participants to utilize the front sidewalk along the road. Greenville Police Department was previously alerted on the day of the activity planned for the afternoon and was in attendance and monitoring the situation from discrete vantage points around the property. The event was well organized, orderly, and efficient in their message. This is what I heard:
Parent
Margret Bastoni—parent of 4 school-aged children, two of which are athletes, was optimistic after Governor McMaster’s statements yesterday, but then she sat in on some Zoom meetings this morning– now wasn’t feeling as optimistic. “Unless he (Governor McMaster) should issue an executive order I feel that school boards just see it as a recommendation and not necessarily something that needs to be done. So, we are hoping and praying that he will do what is best for the students in South Carolina”.
I spoke with several parents who are in agreement with Mrs. Bastoni, that it might take Gubernatorial influence along the lines of an executive order to intervene on the behalf of Greenville County School students needing in-person schooling as an option. Another step that most parents are hoping it doesn’t have to come down to, but are prepared to take is pursuing legal action in coming days as well.
StudentSoon-to- be eighth-grader, Mykylah F. told me, “I prefer to go back to school on the first day. I did like to do eLearning it was hard to transition at first. Just being at home and trying to get a schedule together– just being sure to do my work when I was supposed to, and getting everything done, rather than just not doing it”. She said she misses the social aspect of school the most– not being able to stay in touch with her friends, teachers, and enjoy school activities has been hard for her.
Several students from various schools took to the mic that was carefully sanitized after each speaker had their turn. Each one eloquently and clearly expressing the benefits of being in school and everything they have lost and missed out on being home. Clancy, a student-athlete from Blue Ridge mentioned athletic scholarship opportunities and potential impacts high school students will be facing entering college without this support. She has plans of becoming a doctor one day.
Doctor
Dr. Jeanne Green spoke about getting our children back to school and the fact that there is no such thing as a completely risk-free environment. She ended with the statement that “We have got to get them back in school so they can learn. They learn from their peers and create an understanding of how dynamic learning occurs.”
Teacher
I believe a teacher A.R. said it best, “Just throwing this our there WE as teachers have NO control over what the district does. We want to go back. I did not get to see the VERY first-ever senior from my program walk for graduation. I would give anything to have the time that was stolen from me with my great students. If you see people attacking teachers, please tell them a very upset instructor and three-sport coach will field their comments in person. I miss my students. Students who walk the halls of my schools, and my players so badly. Don’t question what teachers want. We want our classrooms back.”
GCS Spokesman
Along those lines of getting our children back to school, I wanted to reach out to the GCS spokesman Tim Waller to get his thoughts on the events and direction this whole situation will be going in the next week. Tim graciously answered several of my questions. What I found from him is a sincere and committed thoughtfulness for a man caught in the eye of this storm.
“First and foremost, parents and students need to know that our number one goal is to get children back to school”. Next, he explained that “the district and school board welcome frequent and ongoing communication with parents and students.” What we both could really connect on was that we are “all in this together.” While that phrase is becoming way overused, it is true…we have never been in this situation before and we really have no choice but to work this out together, if we want the best possible school format choices for our children. Tim reminded me of the meeting set for Tuesday, July 21st. This meeting will provide more details on what the plans will look like going forward. After getting this new information (and getting questions answered about the new plans), parents will have 6 days to make a decision on participating in virtual learning, as that option is set to close registration on July 27, 2020.
Whichever side of this situation you find yourself on, virtual, eLearning, 1 or 2, or 5 to Thrive, I for one will just be glad for the time when one chokes over a sip of coffee that they won’t have to quickly follow up, that first good breath of air, with—it is not corona—just coffee! Will those days ever come again?
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