Eagle Mountain-Saginaw school district is facing backlash over its reopening plans
People who are worried about reopening plans in the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw school district launched a petition calling for officials to delay in-person learning until Sept. 28 and allow virtual instruction for the first four weeks of school.
School is scheduled to start Aug. 20 with in-person and online learning options. The petition is being organized through the change.org website.
The school board will hold a specially-called meeting at 8 p.m. Thursday at 1200 N. Old Decatur Road.
The meeting will be live-streamed to maintain social distancing. Those who want to comment about the reopening plan will have to sign up to speak and wait outside the meeting room until they are called to speak. Face coverings are required at all times.
Christopher Isaacs, a teacher in the school district who submitted the petition, could not be reached for comment, but there were over 500 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon calling for the school district to rethink its Reconnect 2020 plan.
Megan Overman, a spokeswoman for the school district, said in an email to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that officials have gotten varying suggestions and opinions on how schools should open.
“We look forward to hearing from our parents and staff at our special-called Board meeting tomorrow night. Regardless of how we start school, we are prepared to support all children and families, and we are proud to serve the families of EMS ISD in whatever capacity we can,” she said.
The petition states that while parents and teachers want children to go back to school, there are still concerns and questions about how the district will handle a safe reopening.
“There is no decision that will satisfy everyone. We are also completely empathetic to the challenges that parents are facing every day COVID-19 exists; many of us are parents of students as well. However, teachers are struggling with feeling like they have been completely ignored and are voiceless as it pertains to the school opening,” according to the petition.
The petition also questions why school officials were making decisions to reopen schools based on Attorney General Ken Paxton’s opinion rather than those of health officials.
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 5:45 AM.