Concerns rise as LPS plans to reopen, parents speak out
Return to the classroom or stay home amid pandemic?
Thursday morning, the Lincoln Education Association expressed concerns about Lincoln Public Schools plan to reopen August 12th.
Channel 8 talked to some mothers who say it’s time for children to go back.
The Lincoln Education Association, who represents over 2000 Lincoln teachers, listed its concerns for schools to reopen this fall.
“Educators want to be back in school,” the letter said. “We care deeply for our students and their families. However, we are concerned that the plan to reopen our school buildings while we are still in the midst of an uncontrolled pandemic presents too great a risk to community health and safety.”
They recommend remote learning for now with possibly staggered attendance in the future. The letter says though the risk is different for children, its higher for teens, and reopening early could be dangerous for all in the community. Channel 8 spoke with mothers who say Its time for schools to reopen.
“I am excited that they are coming up with options for reopening and I think kids need to be in school and I know that the virtual school for my elementary students was really difficult,” said Brittany Khun, a mother of three.
“Close the schools never, because we have viruses here every year,” said Thelma, a nurse. “The teacher is fresher for all the classes and the level my daughter does.”
Her daughter says she misses her friends and that learning online can be difficult.
“I miss learning at school because it was really hard to do it on a computer,” said Orabella, an elementary student. “Because you couldn’t write on paper sheets and answer the questions as easy and writing on the computer is sometimes hard.”
LPS provided Channel 8 with the following statement in response to the letter: “The health and safety of our staff, students, and community are one of our top priorities. This is why we continue to collaborate with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department.”
LPS will announce its full reopening plan this next Tuesday also Governor Ricketts and state education officials will hold a press conference tomorrow morning to discuss schools reopening.
