MEMPHIS, Tenn. — School bells are expected to ring again at Shelby County Schools come early January, as the system begins to return students to class in phases. Parents have until the end of this month to choose in-person or virtual, but some have already decided.
If all goes according to plan, SCS students will return to the classroom at the start of the new year. Some people have already made the decision as to whether or not their students will go back to class or not.
Charlotte Jacobs’ granddaughter will be returning to second grade at Idlewild Elementary in the new year.
“I actually just left Idlewild School,” Jacobs said. “I spoke to Mr. Murphy who told me that tentatively the children will be going back to school January 4th.”
Jacobs is relieved, and thinks spending all day in front of her laptop is taking a toll on the youngster’s health.
“My granddaughter has been having headaches,” Jacobs said “She has been complaining of her eyes hurting. So, I don’t think that it’s a great to have them in front of the computer for eight hours a day.”
SCS plans to reopen schools in what’s called a phased approach, starting with the youngest students.
“We’re starting with Pre-K thru 5th as well as our CDC students who are in that grade band,” Dr. Angela Whitelaw, of SCS, said. “We do feel that definitely we’ll be learning during those two weeks, basically we’ll be learning from parents, (and) we’ll be learning from teachers on the things we need to be prepared for high schools and middle schools”
SCS stress it is important for parents to choose by October 30 whether their students will take the in-person option or stay with virtual learning for the remainder of the school year.
The information will help SCS determine classroom staffing and socially distancing desks among other things. Teachers will have the option of in-person or virtual instruction, and SCS said a child’s teacher will not change neither will the current learning platform which is Microsoft Teams.
Regardless of the safety precautions, everyone is not in favor of the idea.
“Because the experts don’t know what’s going on and social distancing, and the kids not gonna listen. So, they just exposing them to double trouble,” Georgia Bowden said.