West Ada parents, students push for opening schools to some in-person classes at protest
Hundreds of Idaho parents and students gathered outside of the West Ada School District building in Meridian on Monday to protest the district’s decision to begin classes online amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The protest was held over the board’s decision last week to start the school year with remote learning rather than in-person classes. The school year, delayed by the virus, is set to begin on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The decision to be online-only affected just the first week of school; the board is meeting again Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Kayla Isaacson, one of the organizers of the protest, told the Statesman that she and many other parents were disappointed in the school board’s decision to hold classes online instead of a mixed learning approach of online and in-person.
“I have no complaints with the hybrid schedule,” Isaacson said. “These kids need to be in class.”
Isaacson — a Meridian resident with two children in school — said she’s not sure how to balance her workload while having her children at home with remote learning. She said she hopes the Monday demonstration will persuade members of the school board to drop the online-only approach. She said parents in her group want a date for when classes will be in-person.
Videos on social media showed people of all ages at the protest, with many holding signs while voicing their displeasure. A few were wearing masks, and many were gathered closely in groups.
Char Jackson, chief communications officer for the West Ada School District, said the protest was a result of parents simply wanting their children back in school, which is everyone’s goal. She said the community is always welcome to voice opinions to the district.
The West Ada school board, in a 3-2 vote, passed the measure last week to start with remote learning. The board also added a requirement for all students and staff to wear masks or face coverings in school once in-person classes can take place.
Jackson said the school district will follow recommendations from Central District Health, which issues updates every week. However, any updates from CDH would take some time before being implemented.
CDH published an update Monday afternoon indicating that the West Ada School District is still in the “red” category, meaning there is “substantial community transmission.” The health district recommended to keep classes online as of now.
West Ada has been in the “red” since early August.
After last Tuesday’s vote, Ed Klopfenstein, a school board trustee, issued a statement regarding the board’s decision to have classes online.
“We are in a pandemic, and CDH deemed Ada County’s rate of infection is still too high in our community,” Klopfenstein said in the statement. “Teaching online is not what the board wants. We think the best place for our students is with their teachers and in school. But we want to do that safely and in coordination with Central District Health. So having in-person classes is going to rely on lower infection rates in our county.”
Jackson said that members of the school board have received dozens of calls and emails from residents regarding the upcoming meeting.
Because of the pandemic and school-opening delays, sports are not being played in West Ada and many other districts. Teams are able to practice, though. Videos of the protest on social media showed some students in football jerseys attending. One held a sign that read, “Let us play.”
Stephany Galbreaith, spokesperson for the Meridian Police Department, said several officers were at the protest as a precaution, though no incidents were reported.
The meeting agenda for Tuesday for the school board shows items on the plan for athletics, as well as a measure that would allow preschool and kindergarten students to be in class daily if the district is moved into the “yellow” category.
Isaacson said she and other parents are planning on attending the Tuesday evening meeting. The school board wrote on its website that the number of people who can physically attend will be limited because of social distancing restrictions.
This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 3:35 PM.
