DELAWARE, Ohio — While we are seeing more and more school districts return to in-person learning full time, that will not be the case at all for the rest of this school year for Delaware City Schools.
“My kids just want to be back with other kids,” said Chelsea Baker, a mom of two kids in the school district.
“We’re kind of stuck in a hard place because we have to either jump districts or put our kids in private school,” said Rachel Massa, another mom. Massa said she is considering taking legal action against the school district.
Some parents of Delaware City Schools students say their concerns aren’t being heard.
At a school board meeting Tuesday night it was decided students would remain in a hybrid learning model through the rest of this school year.
“For one of my children, he’s getting a half year of education. And to be as a parent that’s unacceptable. I don’t blame the teachers they’re doing their best,” said Mandie Shaw, another mom.
At that meeting, school board member Ted Backus said many parents can’t deal with the schedule change right now.
“It’s a life change,” he said in the meeting. “Students have now found ways that they are working during those days that they may not be in the classroom. Many of them are being utilized as helping their parents babysit younger children.”
“I know that just as the needs of our students are great the needs of our families are as well. We have offered the hybrid learning option all year, which provides for some in-person learning, I do understand their concerns,” said Heidi Kegley is the superintendent of the district, which serves about 6,000 students.
Kegley said there are concerns about social distancing in hallways, cafeterias, and on buses. In addition – a post-spring break return would be around the same time as required state testing. She said the focus now will be a full return to in-person learning in the fall. In addition, there will be a graduation ceremony this spring-like there was one last year.
Some parents however say it’s possible for students to return right now.
“We don’t want to have to seek other school districts. We don’t want to pay a huge amount of money to find private schools,” said Kylie Hunt, a mom to two children in the school district. “But it’s time to go back to school. If it’s not now, if it’s not August, there will be a problem.”
“Biggest factor is kids are not learning the way they should be and they’re falling behind,” added Larry Floridi, a dad who has one child in first grade.