Allentown School Board will continue virtual learning through 2nd quarter

Allentown School Board will continue virtual learning through 2nd quarter

By Genesis Ortega

October 23, 2020

The Allentown School Board voted Thursday night to continue exclusive virtual learning for the district’s second quarter. But some parents disagreed.  

The virtual meeting began with public comment. Some teachers and nurses encouraged leaders to keep everyone safe by continuing remote learning. 

Other parents and students expressed frustration with the virtual platform – and called for schools to reopen.

“I don’t know how you can expect a kindergartener, who is learning how to write, to write on a Chromebook. The software is poor at best. The Zoom meetings, this should not be an environment in which children should be learning,” one parent, Lauren Fizz, commented.

Superintendent Thomas Parker said he was sympathetic to those concerns, but recommended continuing remote education for now based on information from local medical experts. 

“Kids want to be in schools. Parents want their kids to be in schools. There’s still a concern for safety. And our responsibility as a school district is to balance both. So let’s address the things we need to improve to improve our virtual environment,” said Parker.

Schools were set to re-open on Nov. 12. The board’s unanimous decision to postpone in-person learning now goes until at least January 2021. 

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