Districts being proactive with upcoming strike

Providing information as soon as possible helps parents plan

This week is one fraught with uncertainty, both for educators and parents.

Teachers are preparing for a walk-out to protest education funding in Arizona. The statewide protests are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, which leaves parents in a bit of a bind, not knowing if their children will have school on those two days, or how long the walkout will last.

Given those parameters, on Monday, Somerton and Gadsden schools took the step of announcing to parents they would be closed on Thursday, with District 1 announcing schools would be closed on Thursday and Friday. On Tuesday, Gadsden announced it would be closed on Friday, too.

The Yuma Union High School District on Tuesday followed suit, announcing that all YUHSD campuses would be closed Thursday and Friday. Crane schools announced Tuesday that all campuses would be open, with the exception of Ronald Reagan.

Closing the schools is an unusual step, but a necessary one.

District One, for example, polled its employees to find out if the district’s schools would have adequate personnel to fully and safely operate the schools. Given the high number of expected staff participants, the district decided to close down, with the exception of the school cafeterias, which are staying open to provide breakfast and lunch for children.

The districts looked at the information on the table, and made decisions early to give parents as much time as possible to prepare.

That is critical, because right now, there is a lot of uncertainty. For parents of older children, it’s not as big of a deal. Many teens, for example, are responsible enough to be home alone for a day.

However, for parents of younger children, such as those in elementary school, it’s a much bigger concern. Working parents may not have the flexibility to take their children to work, or might not have the support structure here to quickly adjust to school closing with little notice.

Several community organizations have stepped forward to help fill the gaps, with The Treehouse Kids Club, The Big Red Barn Preschool, Yuma Family YMCA and the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona among the organizations offering childcare options.

The situation is a challenging one. However, parents can best prepare for it when information is relayed to them with as much notice as possible.

The districts’ proactive approaches, along with the support of community childcare organizations, are appreciated.