Public Comment - One Size Fits No One

[Lissie Ham]

Dear Dr. Steinhaus & School Board Members,

I find myself in a very uncomfortable position. One of my children very definitely needs in person school since online PreK is just not doable. But as I write this my father, step mother, and at least one other family member in Texas are battling with Covid. The new plan for preschool is exactly what the little guys need. But the plan for the rest of elementary is definitely a one size fits no one plan. I have a 3rd grader in special ed who will now spend the entirety of Monday and Tuesday in online meets with only 55 minutes of the day off a screen. 

I appreciate that you took parents request to not have on campus lunches seriously. Unfortunately I would much rather go back to having to pick up my son for his lunch time each day. I strongly feel that 3 hours and 40 minutes per week of in person education are not worth the exposure risk. What Chamisa was doing before Thanksgiving break was working. This is not a substitute for that plan. 

This is also a huge slap in the face to our over extended teachers. Elementary classroom teachers are losing 8 hours per week of planning and one on one time while simultaneously having 8 hours of teaching added to their schedule. How can we ask them to do that? And trying to cram all specials, special ed, and GATE into two afternoons? I would say it was a bad joke if I hadn't seen the reality of the schedule. How are these teachers supposed to follow all of their students IEPs when given virtually no time to do it?

Please rethink this plan. No one is benefiting from it.

Lissie (Elisa) Ham