Parents Concerned That Charleroi School District Does Not Provide Live Online Instruction To Quarantining Students
CHARLEROI, Pa. (KDKA) -- Parents in a school district in Washington County are concerned about how their kids are learning when they quarantine at home.
Some parents in the Charleroi Area School District are hoping to get answers during a school board meeting Tuesday night. One mother told KDKA's Amy Wadas that she wants to know why students are allowed to participate in live virtual instruction during snow days, but they can't when they are quarantining.
Evonne Henderson said her eighth-grade daughter had to quarantine after a COVID-19 exposure. Henderson said she did not realize the district does not offer live virtual instruction as an option for these specific students.
"When I was told that we stopped that, we don't do that for the 2021-2022 school year like we did prior, I wanted an answer as to why," Henderson said.
Henderson stressed that students are given the option during snow days, so she wants to know why not during quarantine sessions.
"If they're teaching anyways and they're having Monday through Friday regular scheduled day and a child gets quarantined, why can't you turn the computer on?" Henderson said.
Charleroi parent Ashley Hazy agrees.
"You should give them an option to join in on a live instruction and not just send home paper packets of busywork," she said.
The superintendent said it is not that simple.
"Connectivity issues with some students in the community," Superintendent Edward Zelich said. "Two is what the challenges with your connectivity issues and teachers trying to teach."
"We did teach live last year, but all students were at home so it was doable," the superintendent added.
He said it is also doable on a snow day since everyone is home, too. But Henderson said students in quarantine are missing out. In an email exchange with her daughter's teacher, she was told, "What I have been doing for the past several months is having the students take pictures of their notes we take in class and send to their friends before class is over."
"You don't rely on another student in middle school to take notes," Henderson said.
"I know teachers can't ask kids to take pictures and send," Zelich said. "But stuff like happens. Now that I'm aware of it, I got to investigate it and make sure we're following policy."
The superintendent said students can get their schoolwork on Google Classrooms while in quarantine, but he is hopeful that the district will make some changes for the better down the road. He said the district conducted a survey with the local intermediate unit and found Ringgold is the only one who does live instruction for students who are quarantining.