RPS 205 Teachers Are Urging District to Switch to Remote Learning

During my family's recent bout with COVID-19, my oldest daughter and her entire class did 17 days of remote learning. Her teacher did an excellent job pulling it off with just a few hours' notice, but trying to herd a bunch of first graders remotely is less than ideal.

My family still does not know for sure where or how we contracted the virus, but ever since my husband, my oldest daughter, and I tested positive for COVID-19 I have often been asked, "do you now regret sending Ella for in-person learning?" The answer has been, and always will be, NO!

That being said, I fully understand why several RPS 205 teachers are urging the board to make the switch to full remote-learning. 13-WREX reports;

Several RPS 205 teachers and the president of the Rockford Education Association started the public comment session of Tuesday night's board meeting illustrating their problems with COVID-19 and urging the board to move to remote-only learning.

Some say they're overworked and understaffed, others mention they just recovered from COVID-19.

 

I have several friends who are teachers and they say the constant stress of preparing for the possible remote-learning switch at the drop of a hat is overwhelming, so I totally understand why RPS 205 teachers are asking for this change.

So, will it actually happen soon? Here's the response that RPS 205 Superintendent Dr. Ehren Jarrett sent to WREX;

We know there are concerns and struggles in this unpredictable school year, and we appreciate our staff, students’ and families’ perspectives during this difficult time. Our administration is in constant communication with the Winnebago County Health Department to determine our next steps and ensure it’s safe to offer in-person and blended-model instruction for students and families who need it. We will continue to work with our local health officials to plan our next steps.

Not a very clear answer, right? Well, these aren't very clear times we are living in right now. I will say this though, as an RPS 205 student's parent, I would not be surprised if a temporary switch to full-remote learning was made to get us through the holidays. Just my gut feeling, so you may want to start planning accordingly.

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