Call Me Barack

Last week I led another work out (early Wednesday) and then I signed up to make a public comment at the Thursday evening school board meeting.  They were going to decide whether or not to move to Stage IV, which will mean all my kids (FINALLY) will go to school at least 2 days per week.  And the last vote to move to Stage III was close enough that I figured it was time to actually get involved.

And I wasn't the only one!  They had about 45 people sign up to make comments (I think the split was 2/3rds parents, who were all in favor of school happening in-person, and about 1/3rd teachers, who were all against it).  And, I found out after the fact, about 800 people were livestreaming the meeting, which is far and away the most they've ever had.  There were even two kids who spoke about how much they wanted to go back to school!  Two of my neighbors also made comments, and I recognized a woman from my choir!  (And two moms of my kids' friends texted me to say they'd appreciated my comments!)

And what was even more surprising was the next day when my neighbor sent me the local newspaper's story on it, and they'd quoted me!  

So now I'm super famous.

But more important, the board voted to move to Stage IV, but pushed the date back to March 15th.  So it was a partial victory, I guess.  As one of the board members said, "I think this solution will leave everyone angry."  I guess that's the mark of a good compromise?  

Anyway, here are the remarks I'd prepared.  In order to say all that in two minutes, I had to talk extremely fast, and the whole thing made me very nervous.  Which is funny, since I don't usually get particularly nervous to give a talk in church.  But there isn't usually such a strict time limit, and the stakes feel a lot lower...

Good evening, my name is Alanna Smith and I live in the Scottsville district.  I have five children who are all enrolled in Albemarle County Public Schools, one at Monticello High School, one at Walton Middle school, and three at Mountain View Elementary School.  I have nothing but respect and admiration for everything that their amazing teachers are trying to do by educating them virtually right now, but this system isn’t working.  And it’s way past time for them to return to school.
Currently, my two teenagers do nothing but stare at screens all day.  This is the least healthy thing that young people can do.  They are not learning the material nearly as well as they have in the past.  They are isolated and cut off from their friends.  Their grades are suffering.  This is not a good situation for them.

My younger children are struggling to retain the information they learned last year.  Their reading levels have been dropping and they hate doing Zoom school.  It’s so sad to see their love of learning quashed at such a young age, but that’s what virtual school is doing to them.  During the times that Albemarle County has moved to Stage 3, my two youngest have been allowed to attend in-person and on those days they are SO HAPPY.  ALL children deserve this joy and success.

I’m a stay-at-home mom with a master’s degree, but even though I am fortunate enough to have resources to help my children, they are still struggling.  What is happening to the children whose parents can’t be there to help them? 

Schools throughout the country, including Louisa County, Augusta County, Fluvanna County, and nearly every private school, have safely continued with in-person learning during this pandemic. There have not been mass outbreaks of Covid.  They have continued to educate children safely and effectively, and there is no reason why Albemarle County Public Schools can’t do this, too.  

This school board recently determined that it was safe for high school students to participate in basketball, wrestling, cheer, and swim.  So I cannot see how sitting in desks, six feet apart, wearing masks would NOT be safe.  How can wrestling be safer than academics?

Parents who are uncomfortable sending their children to school can be allowed to continue with virtual education if that is what they want.  But for those of us who understand science, who see that healthy children are not greatly affected by COVID and rarely spread it, who know that the CDC has recommended that children go back to in-person school immediately because it is healthier for them than staying at home, we need to be able to exercise our constitutional right to public education NOW.

It was a stressful week. But the upshot is that, between leading my FiA group and that school board meeting, Craig is teasing me that I'm now a community organizer, fighting for education and fitness! Me and Obama! 😆