Some Winchester Parents Want Separate School Plan For Younger Children
WINCHESTER (CBS) - Winchester is just like every other town in Massachusetts these days, full of anxious parents, wondering what school will look like this year. Remote learning? In-school classes? Or a hybrid model?
But there's a group of parents here that want the younger students, kindergarten through grade 5, to be physically in school, not learning remotely A group of parents held a rally on the town common Thursday night to push to have their kids in school in September.
"What I'd like to see is K through 5 evaluated separately from 6 through 12. I'd like to see what resources our town needs to bring more K through 5 students into the classroom as close to a full-time basis," Winchester parent P.J. Infurna told WBZ-TV.
Winchester parent Erika Hoffman said her son struggled with doing kindergarten remotely. "He refused to do any schoolwork. He went upstairs, and he would cry and was depressed, so I believe that it's really important for our younger elementary-age kids to do more in-person days," he said.
The school department said they don't have the resources for young kids to be in school and older students learning remotely or in a hybrid version.
Dr. Lisa Fiore, a professor of education at Lesley University said parents and teachers need to take a deep breath, be more flexible and willing to learn.
"Education is a competitive landscape and a lot of families are worried primarily about what their children, their students are missing or what's lacking," she told WBZ.
However, parents say it's not just the book learning.
"It's the children's academic progress and social and emotional health that's at risk. Education is essential and it should be treated as such," Infurna said.
"I think socialization is something that humans are absolutely wired for," said Fiore.
