Alisal Union School District to start with distance learning
SALINAS, Calif. (KION)
Salinas' Alisal Union School District will start the 2020-2021 school year with distance learning.
The board voted unanimously for this option at Wednesday night's special meeting.
The decision comes as school districts across the country are deciding how to start school this Fall, with safety during the COVID-19 pandemic a major concern.
Board members said they were especially concerned about the risk of COVID-19 considering most of the cases in Monterey County have been reported in Salinas. So the vote was unanimous. But they said there's still plenty of work to be done in improving online learning. They mentioned the importance of establishing routines for students and figuring out how to make it a more personal, enjoyable experience.
Parents and teachers' concerns surrounding distance learning were also read aloud.
“We have been informed that most children do not get severe cases of COVID-19. But we don’t know what it does to their bodies in the long term. Why should we risk their future?” teacher Claudia Murillo wrote in a comment.
The meeting was streamed live on Facebook, and many of the comments came from parents who said they can't necessarily support their children's remote learning because they work during the day.
The vice president of the the board, Robert Ocampo, also touched on racial tensions nationwide and said he hopes the curriculum will change to include educating kids on institutional racism.
