The virtual school schedules are driving parents mad! COVID-19 has caused many schools to revert from on-campus instruction to online courses. While it would seem like a dream come true for students who abhor the conventional on-campus instruction, the new normal that includes an extensive 7-hour schedule is now causing not only the students to complain, but also the parents.
The main complaints are that parents are not able to juggle both their children’s school schedules and their own work; computers are too difficult to operate; the quality of learning is low; and the recesses are too long.
As a petition on Change.org stated, “The 9:00-4:00pm virtual schedule is not working for these young children and the work schedule of their parents. Every morning we are having to give our children pep talks and boost their morale to encourage them and get them to sit in front of the computer. Every evening at 4:00pm we are having to wipe their tears and collectively take a sigh of relief that the day is over. They are children going to elementary school, not to war. We should not have to wipe their tears and give them pep talks every morning just to try and get them to pay attention.”
Parents are proposing that the virtual school schedule be shortened by almost three hours and recesses last no more than 15 minutes. A lot of the pressure for shortened hours arise from parents of elementary students who have to deal with antsy children that are not used to reading material onscreen for hours.
Students also have their own qualms about the online method, ranging from parents not being equipped to teach properly to cases of child abuse as a result of surmounting pressure on their parents.
The complaints are coming from all over the U.S., too. In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, some parents have joined together to file a lawsuit against the school district to force reopening of the schools.
The Piscataway Township Schools in New Jersey are starting to hear complaints about extracurricular activities being canceled, especially during a time when seniors are counting on these activities to boost their chances for being admitted to their chosen colleges.
Parents who have children attending school districts in Texas, Virginia and California are spearheading their own campaigns to reopen schools.
With no end in sight for the pandemic, many schools are confirming that the virtual instruction will continue into 2021.
