[ad_1]
A national coalition of parent advocate groups blasted efforts by some school districts to adopt remote learning amid a fresh coronavirus wave.
A total of 29 parent associations — including Keep NYC Schools Open — issued a statement opposing school closures Monday as an increasing number of districts either adopted or moved toward remote education.
“For over 21 months children have been forced to pay the greatest price, while adults have largely gone on with their lives and recreational activities,” the coalition argued. “This has led the Surgeon General to declare a mental health crisis among American children for the first time in U.S. history.”
The group asserted that kids are safer inside school environments and have already sustained damage from educational interruptions.
“We cannot move backwards: we must move forward and restore normalcy, which centers on in-person school for all kids across the country, in educational environments devoid of unnecessary restrictions on children,” the statement read.
Some groups — including teachers unions -— have contended that the coronavirus surge has rendered classroom learning unsafe and that schools should go remote until the wave subsides.
“We call on governors, mayors, superintendents, school boards, school administrators, teachers and parents to recognize the importance of in-person education for America’s children and keep our nation’s schools open,” the group said.
Despite calls by the United Federation of Teachers to temporarily resume remote learning in the nation’s largest school system, Mayor Adams has so far resisted the idea.
“We’re going to do everything that we have to do to keep our schools open, and I know there’s questions about staffing, and I know there’s question about testing,” Adams said. “There’s a lot of questions, but we’re going to turn those question marks into an exclamation point, we’re staying open.”
[ad_2]