Southland teachers push to start online
District 230 educators demonstrate in favor of remote instruction
Michelle Etchason is starting her 29th year as a teacher in High School District 230, and said she’s never been fearful about returning to the classroom, until now.
The president of the union that represents more than 540 teachers in the district, which operates high schools in Orland Park, Palos Hills and Tinley Park, said that for the safety of teachers and students the district should drop plans for a reopening that has students alternating between classroom and online learning.
“Right now, a lot of us fear coming back to school,” Etchason said.
She and about 50 other teachers took part in a car caravan Tuesday, starting at the district’s administration center then passing by the high schools with signs reading “stay online until cases decline” and “go virtual no viral.”
In a message Tuesday to students, families and faculty, the district administration said the reopening plan is not set in stone, and that updated guidance from public health officials as well as feedback received since the plan was first announced are being considered.
The message from Superintendent James Gay notes the reopening plan is “built to be flexible in addressing state, region and local factors. We are taking all of these factors into consideration as we determine the best path forward.”
Initially, parents had to decide by Friday whether their student would take part in the blended learning or opt for online learning only, but the district said that deadline has been pushed back to Aug 12.
The district has more than 7,400 students at Andrew High School in Tinley Park, Sandburg High School in Orland Park and Stagg High School in Palos Hills.
Surveys showed 84% of parents indicating they were likely to have their children return to school, although only 73% of students indicated they felt safe in returning and 62% of staff had similar sentiment.
Etchason said there are too many unknowns related to COVID-19, and that “kids are getting this, it’s not just about the teachers.”
Each district student has a districtissued computer, and “we have the ability to do this and do it well,” said Etchason, an English teacher at Sandburg.
Christin Mozden, who teaches English language learners at Andrew, said that with virus cases on the rise “there is no reason to jeopardize everyone’s well-being” by bringing students back.
The plan proposes that, initially, no more than 25% of a school’s student population would be in the building on a particular day, and that the number would gradually rise to half of the
“Kids are getting this, it’s not just about the teachers.”
—Michelle Etchason, English teacher at Sandburg High School
students if conditions warrant.
Students who are learning remotely would take part virtually in classroom lessons and interact with teachers, according to the plan.
“We love our students, we love our schools,” Mozden
said. “If students can opt for remote learning from home then teachers should be able to do the same.”
She and Etchason noted the Teachers’ Association has a good working relationship with district administration and the school board, and understand their situation.
“We need our voices heard and we need administration to hear the staff,”
Mozden said. “The administration is trying to do the right thing in a really hard situation.”
They said that some 1,200 signatures have been gathered on an online petition demanding that online classes be held, noting that in-person learning in this environment “is stressful and difficult for our students.”