Many Eastchester parents want kids back in school full-time

The school system is running on a hybrid model with kids in school two days and online for three days during the week.

News 12 Staff

Feb 10, 2021, 6:23 PM

Updated 1,391 days ago

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Eastchester parents are joining a growing demand for students to return to in-person learning full-time. 
Right now, the school system is running on a hybrid model with kids in school two days and online for three days during the week. 
But some parents are saying that this model really isn't helping their kids' education.
Many parents are also asking that social distancing within schools be reduced from 6 feet down to 3 feet with plexiglass barriers so that more kids can come back to classrooms full time. 
However, Eastchester teachers say they want to go back just as badly as the kids do, but for that to happen, the district will need even more stringent safety measures.  “If the guidance changes and if they move to 3 feet, then that's a different conversation, but right now we feel that 6 feet is safest for all of us," says Clare DeLong, president of the Eastchester Teacher’s Association.
News 12 spoke with a parent today who shares the struggles she and her middle school son have with remote learning. She says it's is not benefitting his education. "Excellent teachers, don't get me wrong. They're working so hard these teachers. It's just not normal, it's not human. I don't understand it. They say follow the science, let's follow the science. We did what we had to do. It's time!" says Michele Popov, an Eastchester parent.
The Eastchester School District Superintendent Dr. Robert J. Glass says their “re-entry task force” will update recommendations for in-person learning by the end of this month.
A number of other communities are planning rallies to open schools including at Orange County's Fort Montgomery Elementary School, Putnam County Courthouse in Carmel, and at the Clarkstown School Board meeting in Rockland.