City Divided on February 1st DCPS School Re-opening

School reopening in D.C. is a complicated and controversial topic. That being said, I encourage anyone with school-age children to watch the 4-hour session. However, knowing that if you have a school-age child finding four hours is virtually impossible. Therefore, pay particular attention to the first and last hours of the session. There you will get the gist of the concerns from all sides of the argument. The safety of our children and teachers depend on it as well as the educational future of our children. This is a brief recap of that January 21st Roundtable

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The city is divided on whether re-opening DC Public Schools (DCPS) on February 1st is in the best interest of the city’s 50,000 students. Parents found themselves figuratively and literally in the middle of the 4-hour Committee of the Whole, Public Roundtable meeting on January 21, 2021. Passions were high during different portions of the sessions. None more passionate than the testimony from parents and teachers, each clearly concerned about the safety of the children and teachers balanced with the need to feel our children are not falling behind.

The Council

The councilmembers in attendance consistently expressed concerns over ensuring the safety of the students and teachers. The Council questioned whether returning to the classrooms at the height of the pandemic was wise. The roundtable also questioned digital, educational, and racial equity. Digital equity refers to access to the infrastructure required to support distance learning. The chief comment – bandwidth. Adequately addressing students with the greatest needs is the role of educational equity.

Public perception is that the DCPS process is “chaotic, not transparent, and provides limited information.” Constant changes around re-opening dates have created a lack of trust in the community. Regaining that trust is critical.

The Teachers

For the most part, teachers echoed the sentiments of the council. Although they highlighted personal safety as a leading issue, classroom sizes, adequate technology, and proper learning spaces were also front and center. Several teachers were advocates of outdoor learning and its effectiveness. Pointing to other school districts with harsher winter climates than the District. Elizabeth Davis, President of the Washington Teachers’ Union brought a different set of issues to the table.

Davis reported that DCPS has broken a Memorandum of Agreement the two had reached, withheld data, and had not provided clear instruction on what teachers should do if they did not feel comfortable returning to the classroom. DCPS solutions ranging from using sick leave, using the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and resigning. None of which seemed appropriate for this situation.

The Parents

In the meantime, parents are caught in the middle. Even though in this case, the middle is dependent on whether you have access to a viable distance learning environment. All of the parents were adamant about returning to a safe learning environment. However, parents in “bandwidth deserts” find virtual learning very challenging. Parents with young elementary school-age children fair the worst. “Tell me how you keep a five-year-old focused on a computer screen?”

On the other hand, parents with better access and support structures were better suited to continue in virtual mode. There were a number of advocates for distance learning and were concerned about the continuing bad press it receives. Nonetheless, even these parents demanded better communication from DCPS.

The DCSP

And then, DCPS rounded out the discussion. Dr. Lewis Ferebee, Chancellor, DCPS conclude the 4-hour session. The Chancellor spoke for about an hour on the pressing need to return children to the classroom. He reported that 79 schools are currently offering in-person instruction to over 1000 students in 140 CARE (Canvas Academics and Real Engagement) classrooms. He also touted the success of the 2-month in-person pilot programs at Brent Elementary, Ross Elementary, and Kimball Elementary.

“DCPS has remained grounded in the firm belief that a safe and healthy in-person learning opportunity is the best way to teach and reach our students who are facing significant barriers to success with virtual learning.”

Dr, Ankpoor Shah, Interim Senior Deputy Director for the Community Health Administration (CHA), joined Dr. Ferebee to reinforce the fact that the proper safeguards are in place for students to return to the classroom. Nevertheless, Chairman Mendelson asked a number of questions pertaining to other schools around the country and around the world that have struggled with reopening.