With the School Board wavering on the re-opening of government schools, parents who favor opening school buildings to students see hanky-panky by those who don’t.
The two sides are the online crowd vs. the “brick-and-mortar” crowd.
While the administration in telling parents on the school system’s Web site that they will have choices, Thursday’s special board meeting cast doubt.
Board members threw it back to Superintendent Diana Greene to look at some more. Another board meeting is set for July 23.
The schools must present a plan to the state by the end of July. Currently, the plan is for schools to open Aug. 10.
Much of the battle is being fought on Facebook through competing group pages.
Those who want to keep the schools closed say opening them presents a health hazard.
Those who want their children to have options say the online-only proponents are trying to keep the schools closed by faking responses to show support that doesn’t really exist.
One online-only site was urging people to call and sign up for online learning even if they didn’t intend to use it, advising them that they could always drop it later.
Those for attending school say this tactic is to pump up support and influence the board to offer only the option of taking lessons by computer from home.
This also is the desire of teacher union bosses here and elsewhere in the nation.
“Teachers and students are being put in harm’s way,” Alex Ingram, a sixth-grade history teacher, was quoted by First Coast News. “My school is my family. I’m not going to play Russian roulette with my coworkers’ lives.”
Concerning the appeal for false sign-ups, April Carney, a parent who favors choice, told Eye on Jacksonville, “It is despicable that they are resorting to these tactics in order to get their way. What parents need is options, not a ‘one size fits all’ approach.”
If there is a consensus it seems to be tilted toward compromise.
Duval County Parents for Equitable Choice Pandemic Task Force is the private group on Facebook that is supporting school opening.
