BCSC parents vent concerns about COVID-19 plans

Parents and community members urged Bartholomew Consolidated School board members to keep the physical schools open for classes, but also expressed concerns about how eLearning was being handled, the lack of social distancing in classrooms and the resources available to teachers.

At Monday night’s school board meeting, nine members of the public signed up to speak to the board and to air their concerns.

Barb Wills, a parent of five, said that four of her children opted for in-person classes, with one taking the Bridge eLearning option. She said she was encouraged by the plans for masks and the COVID-19 indicators.

Austin Hover, a parent of two children in BCSC schools, said that it was unrealistic to expect children to wear masks and social distancing is impossible in places such as the lunch room. Plus he said that he thought students should not be subject to rules the community isn’t following. However, he also said that his children need to be in school and not eLearning.

Tracy Kiser, a BCSC parent, said she represented Show Your Work Transparency Now, a group demanding more transparency from the school district on the COVID-19 metrics reporting and decision making. She praised the district for presenting more data on the spread in the schools, however she said more information is needed. Especially on how the metrics will inform decisions on whether to keep schools open and what those thresholds are.