Some Columbia Public Schools parents in support of kids heading back to in-person learning

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Public Schools announced Monday their plans to potentially send students back to the classroom on January 19, 2021.

The Columbia Board of Education decided to push the date for students to return to an in-person learning environment from Jan. 11 to Jan. 19. The board also plans to install air purifier systems in classrooms throughout Columbia, to help stop the spread of the virus.

CPS parents and teachers have voiced concerns about how online learning is affecting the mental health of some children. Students are finding the online learning environment challenging and aren't as motivated to communicate with teachers and classmates.

Teachers believe the best learning environment for students is in the classroom and parents are in support of that.

"They want to be back, they want to be with students. Many of them are considering leaving the profession because this is just leaving such a bad feeling about this year so we want to be back but safety is a priority to us, so we want to be back safely.", says Kathy Steinhoff, a CPS High School Math Teacher, and President of the Columbia Missouri National Educators Association.

Steinhoff explained that teachers are not fans of the online learning that's in place either, they would much rather be in classrooms teaching students. Teachers are concerned with safety and want to ensure that returning to classrooms is done in a cautious manner.

Parents of CPS students are frustrated with the delays in the return to learn dates.

“I’m not sure that they truly understand the depths of mental fatigue and frustration and helplessness and hopelessness that and fear that a lot of parents are feeling right now,” says Karen Weaver, a retired teacher, and grandmother of CPS students. Weaver assists her daughter in supervising her children's online learning classes.

Weaver says that children are struggling with the online format of learning and it's important to get classrooms back open for their sake. Parents are concerned with their students' progress in classes and how staying isolated at home for school will affect their mental health.

“I think that there’s just not a lot of empathy out there and total understanding of how difficult this really is for kids and there's no fear in the world like fear for your child,” Weaver said.

Teachers are excited about the new purified air filters that are going to be installed in the classrooms.

Kathy Steinhoff, says "We are very very excited about the ionizers. I mean even if you put COVID aside, our indoor air quality is a real issue in schools all across our country." Steinhoff explained, "It's something we've been wanting for a long time," Steinhoff believes that this will increase the safety of teachers and students once they're back in person.

Weaver believes that the new purified air filters will create a safe place for students along with following COVID safety guidelines. Weaver says she hopes that the air filters will make a difference since the board is spending over $1 million on it.

“The air is going to be better, you require masks, you socially distance to the extent that you possibly can and then with the vaccine, I see some hope I think there are many parents who don’t really quite see that hope because they’ve been disappointed so many times," Weaver says.

The board is set to have another meeting Jan. 11 to determine if the date set for students returning to classrooms is still feasible. The board will determine the data of COVID cases in the area after the Christmas and New Years holiday. Family gatherings and holiday get-togethers are expected to take place over the next few weeks and health care officials have warned of seeing an increase in the number of COVID cases.

The 14-day case rate per 10,000 people living in the Columbia Public Schools' attendance area continued to go up since the district originally went online.

Since then, the rate hit an all-time high of 111.7 cases per 10,000 people on Nov. 23. It has since gone down and is 94.4 as of Monday.