Parents Choice: In-class or virtual

Due to COVID-19, our schools’ doors were closed and initiated a makeshift online learning environment that was poorly designed and managed by the Charles County Board of Education
(CCBOE). For over a month during this time, parents waited for answers, instructions, and guidance on how to proceed with our new additional role of becoming teachers along with our already existing duties as parents and workers. This time proved to be an abject failure as the teachers who were attempting to carry out their duties as educators were instructed poorly by CCBOE leaving parents and teachers to scramble around trying to navigate uncharted territory. The packets that were eventually sent home were an abomination to any sort of productive learning; they were unorganized, unfocused, and elementary at best. Furthermore, we were instructed to return the packets all at once with the uncertainty of if they were graded, or even looked at, but nonetheless every student passed on to the next grade. They asked us to be patient and have understanding and we did. However, On July 14, 2020, with virtually minimal communication or input from parents, the school board voted for more virtual learning, with exceptions, to begin the 2020-21 school year.

This petition is to dissent and protest the CCBOE’s decision to keep virtual learning and to only allow those they call the "special population" to attend in-class learning. The board has proven that it cannot fulfill its duties to provide each student with the adequate education and has chosen that what is best for the few is best for the many. They have had ample time to survey the population and determine which parents do, and which parents do not, want virtual learning so they could then structure and prioritize for both in-class or virtual-based learning based upon the parents’ preferences. The option should have been ours and they should have facilitated both styles of learning as the parents and citizens of Charles County, who pay the taxes to run their system, see fit.

Secondly, their definition of special population includes children whose parents work for the school system. Those students will be able to attend in-class learning so that their parents can teach and work while they are at school leaving the rest of the student population’s parents to create work contingencies that neither CCBOE, the county, nor the state of Maryland will support financially. This is a violation of equal opportunity for all students! The decision that was made is not justified if some students can attend and some notat all. Please sign this petition to take to the board to make them revoke their decision and better accommodate both types of learning styles at which point the parents, and not the administration, will decide what is best for our children and thus providing the appropriate education styles based on our personal judgements.