Parents across Ohio are rallying for on-campus learning and extracurricular activities to resume as the school year starts.
More than 100 people rallied in the rain in front of Brecksville-Broadview Heights City Schools offices on Monday, according to cleveland.com. While some were there to show their support for online-only programs the vast majority called for the immediate re-opening of campus learning.
In nearby North Royalton, parents held an early morning rally according to a Facebook post by The North Royalton Post. The rally was planned by “parents who want to see their children return to school.”
In Cleveland, students and parents gathered in front of the Catholic Diocese to support Catholic schools remaining open. Catholic schools in the area are currently scheduled with the option of online or in-person learning. The rally comes after the Cuyahoga County Board of Health recommended all learning start online this year.
The superintendent of Catholic schools in the area Frank O’Linn said in a statement that “Catholic schools are at the heart of the mission of the Church,” and detailed several precautions the church was taking.
A petition started by a user named “Rocky River Parents and Stakeholders” has garnered nearly 600 signatures. It urged the Rocky River School Board to “reject the Cuyahoga County Board of Health’s recommendation.” The petition went on to say that the guidelines “ignore overwhelming evidence,” regarding the transmission of the virus to school children and the roles in school learning plays in kids’ mental health and education.
Decisions to ban extracurricular activities has also received blowback as well.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association announced sports last week can start on August 1, cincinatti.com reports. However, The Cuyahoga County Board of Health made a recommendation that sports not be played during the lockdown.
As several schools follow this guidance people in the county have turned to petitions to address their concerns.
Another petition in Euclid, calls for the district to allow sports to be conducted during the lockdown. The petition, which has almost 500 signatures states that “our kids have worked countless hours” and “must have a season for recruitment reasons, to give kids the best chance to go to college.”
A similar petition regarding Shaker Heights High School echoed the concerns, stating that the school must “move forward with our sports season, if not we are hurting our kid’s futures.”
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Ben Kolodny is a reporter at The Ohio Star and the Star News Network. Follow Ben on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Open Schools Now” by Becker1999. CC BY 2.0.
