Salt Lake City Students Rally To Return To Classroom
Dec 7, 2020, 11:30 PM | Updated: Dec 8, 2020, 12:09 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Hundreds of Salt Lake City School District parents and students gathered Monday, hoping school board members will allow students to return to in-person learning after a report showed thousands are failing classes.
The district of roughly 22,000 students has been the only district to be 100% online since the pandemic hit. Students said the increase of failing students, combined with their overall lack of quality of life is reason for the board to reconsider plans to reopen.
“I miss the social interactions with other people, the tiny conversations I have between classes, the ones I have during classes,” student Weston DeMordaunt said.
“I’m really lonely,” added Ivy Bateman, a fourth-grade student.
Emily Snow brought her three children to the rally because they can’t drive yet. She worries about their grades and their mental health.
“I’m a former high school English teacher. And you know what it means to get an ‘F’ in English, it means you have to make it up to graduate from high school,” Snow said.
And, she said it’s time to listen to the children.
“We’ve listened to a lot of adults, we’ve listened to school board members talking in literal circles for hours, but what about our kids?” she asked. “I want everyone to hear the kids.”
The school board has said they won’t consider sending students back to class until the positivity rate is 5% or lower. Currently, it’s close to 25%.
Elementary schools are scheduled to go back to in-person learning in January. There’s still no discussion of when secondary students could go back.
