Colter Peterson / St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP
In this Nov. 5, 2020, file photo, custodial workers clean a classroom at Richard A. Simpson Elementary School in Arnold, Mo.
Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020 | 8:30 p.m.
A 200-page plan to return students to in-person learning throughout the Clark County School District was presented Thursday to the CCSD School Board.
But before trustees could vote on the proposal that would bring staff back Dec. 1 and return students in early January, Superintendent Jesus Jara and School Board President Lola Brooks decided to delay the vote.
Learning has been conducted remotely since mid-March because of the pandemic, and with cases again spiking throughout Nevada, Jara said the timing isn’t right to bring people back.
Jara receives a weekly briefing on the pandemic from the Southern Nevada Health District. Lately, that data has shown the test positivity rate increasing, which pumped the brakes on returning plans. Earlier this week, Gov. Steve Sisolak asked residents to stay home for two weeks to slow the virus spread.
“I’m never going to put staff and students in harm’s way,” Jara said.
Dr. Fermin Leguen, acting chief health officer of the Southern Nevada Health District, told trustees last month that the virus positivity rate shouldn’t be the lone factor to consider when discussing a possible return.
Other factors include: the mental health of students isolated at home and away from classmates, families hurting financially because a parent has to take off work to supervise at-home learning, and parents unable to help because of work or a language barrier.
But then, the virus again spiked out of control.
Trustee Deanna Wright said there was too much uncertainty with coronavirus rates rising to confirm in-person return dates.
“The minute we put some hard dates on that, I had a struggle with that,” Wright said.
Brooks sympathized with families suffering without the much-needed school services they depend on. She echoed Wright’s views that health data prevented the ability to lock down specific dates of when students and teachers could return.
“This decision is too important to rush,” she said.
Trustee Linda Young said coming up with a plan to safely return more than 300,000 students and 40,000 employees is no easy task that can’t be rushed. Coupled with the pushback from the both teachers unions, being patient in the process was the consensus opinion with trustees.
“I appreciate the fact we took a little bit of time to pause,” she said.
Wright also said the surrounding community is failing to help contain the coronavirus, and shares responsibility in opening schools safely.
“People are not wearing masks. People are not staying home,” she said.
Trustee Chris Garvey was the only board member who expressed frustration at delaying the vote.
“I’m a little disappointed we’re not going to be making any decision tonight as a board,” Garvey said. “We have committed all of our children to be in isolation for the rest of the year.”
