Mom Says Fort Worth ISD COVID-19 Policies Keeping Her Children At Home More Than At School
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - More than six weeks into the Fort Worth ISD school year, one parent says her children have only attended approximately two weeks in person.
Grace Atherton said the current quarantine response protocols are not working for her 2nd and 5th graders.
"They went week one and then they were quarantined," she said. "They were able to go back to school and were in school for four days and then they were quarantined for the second time. They went back for four more days I believe, might have been five, and they were quarantined for the third time."
According to Fort Worth ISD's website, after a COVID-19 case is confirmed students determined to be close contacts are advised to quarantine for 10 days.
There are some exceptions.
District-wide, since the start of the school year there's been more than 11,000 close contacts on campuses.
Atherton said the past year and a half has already caused learning loss concerns, but now the situation has intensified.
"They haven't learned anything," she said. "The only kind of schooling they're getting while not at school is sending work home or they're posting it on their Chromebooks, but there's no lesson plan. There's no structure. There's no support. There's no help. It's just here's the work do it."
She's pushing for another option, whether that be virtual school or even a mask mandate which she believes would decrease cases. She said she's reached out to district officials and Governor Abbott asking them to consider this.
"This isn't just a problem with me, my friends, my friends' children, my school.. it's all of our children," she said. "It's our future. This is our future generation and they're not being able to get an education. It's been hard. It's been really difficult."
