CPS parents have one week to decide what fall classes look like for their students

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Public Schools parents have until Tuesday, June 30, to decide whether their students will attend fall classes in-person or virtually.

The school district released its return to school plan on Monday detailing what classes could look like come August.

District leaders sent out a survey for families to choose whether their students will go back to school or complete classes online.

Brooke McCarty said she understands CPS is trying to provide as much information as possible to parents. She said it is a big decision to make without much time.

"I think if I had to make the decision today, I would lean towards sending (my kids) to school because I'm not cut out to be a teacher," McCarty said.

However, McCarty said she was concerned with a few of the scenarios that CPS listed in the re-entry plan in regards to changing her children's school location. The CPS re-entry plan states, "the school district may reassign a child’s school of attendance, if necessary."

The school district explained that if a school building has reached in-person capacity and there is room at another school, the district may assign students to a different school.

"How do you choose that, 'hey we're going to take you guys out of your (school) and put you into another one,'" McCarty said.

Mary Earnhart, also a CPS parent, said her family has decided to send their second-grader back to school.

Earnhart said the decision came down to students being able to go outside and play with their friends.

"I'm glad that they are still going to have music and PE," Earnhart said. "I saw at the beginning of the year they're going to have those teachers come to the classroom, but to me, that's better they're still going to have the kids up and moving around. They're not having unrealistic expectations of them just sitting in one spot."

Assemblies were taken off district calendars, according to the plan. PE will look different, too, with some of it happening at desks inside the classroom. Elementary schools will hold PE outside when possible, the district said.

Both McCarty and Earnhart feel that CPS rushed the decision-making process for parents and guardians.

"I'm sure there are a lot of school districts that were not giving people options," McCarty said. "I felt a lot of pressure to make a decision and make a decision, fast, so that was definitely one of the downsides for me."

McCarty said this past semester with online learning was hard for her family as she works full-time.

McCarty said before she makes a decision, she wants to attend a district webinar to ask more questions.

"I would like to know exactly how they're going to decide who the online teachers, and who are going to be the in-person teachers," McCarty said. "How do they decide with the numbers, who will be transferred first? That is one of my fears I really would like for my kids to be kept in their schools if possible."

CPS is offering multiple online meetings for parents to ask questions. The online meetings are scheduled between June 23 and the 25th.

The school district said it will record the webinars for later viewing.