The uncertainty of 2020 has spilled over into the new year and the debate over when students should return to schools full time continues around the country and in Longmont.
One local group, St. Vrain Educational Advocates, wants schools to return to in-person learning five days a week for students who are able to attend, while keeping a remote option open. The group on Tuesday will take part in a Groundhog Day Nationwide Rally urging schools to again open their doors.
“We've been advocating for the kids to go back with a collaborative approach,” said Dan Maloit, founder of St. Vrain Education Advocates. “We always try to build relationships with the district and find out what the real need is to see what we can do to help, and then advocate for the kids to have at least have a full-time in-person option.”
Maloit launched the organization in August after watching his daughter struggle with remote learning. He is now working with nine similar groups representing districts including Boulder Valley and Jefferson County that have the goal of returning students to in-person learning. Maloit said his push is about a simple message that avoids other debates such as mask wearing and whether someone should get a vaccine.
“I just see people on both sides are very upset, and I wanted to find some way to find a middle ground of why don't we have an option for full-time in-person?” Maloit said. “We're not going to argue about masks or litigation, we’re not going to get rid of the online option and we’re not going to force everyone to do the online option. It makes more sense to have a fully available in-person option for the families that need it and to follow the rules.”
The Groundhog Day rally on Tuesday will take place in Denver outside the state Capitol. Maloit said participants will form a vehicle caravan from the Independence Institute in Denver to the Capitol and are expected to observe COVID-19 safety practices.
“The rule that I keep pushing with all of them (parents), is how to reach out to people and how to stay on message. It doesn't do any good to yell,” Maloit said ahead of next week’s rally. “There's no shouting at a school board, nobody hears that and the people that like it already agreed with you, the people that don't like it, didn't agree with you.”
In addition to Denver, rallies are set to take place in New York, Oregon, and Washington, D.C.
St. Vrain School District is offering more in-person learning than many other nearby districts.
Elementary schools are open four days a week, Monday through Thursday. Middle schools and high schools are using a hybrid model with two days in class and two days online. All schools are using Fridays as independent learning days on which students can work from home or visit school libraries.
During Wednesday’s school board meeting, St. Vrain Superintendent Don Haddad said he is hopeful the district can move back to full-time in-person learning after spring break, which is March 22-26.
In a recent report, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control said they found little evidence of rapid spread of COVID-19 in classrooms unlike what was found in certain workplaces and businesses. Boulder County Public Health and the governor’s school task force also have shared studies that have demonstrated that schools are not a primary source of transmission.
