Arizona school districts struggle with reopening as parents grow tired of online learning

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The coronavirus pandemic is a confusing time for many, and maybe even more so for students, parents and teachers, trying to figure out what to do about school.

Some Arizona school districts feel it's safe to get back to in-person learning, while others are playing it safe by continuing online learning.

Many school districts don’t feel they’ve reached the safety metrics to reopen and others do. If you’re a parent in a district you don’t agree with, you're kind of stuck with what you have.

Some parents in the Scottsdale Unified School District are taking a stand against online learning.

“We are here today to prove a point. This has to start somewhere. Open up the schools," said parent, Dan Curtin, pressuring the district to reopen during a "Logout" rally on Sept. 8.

They believe longtime remote learning does more damage to kids than the virus ever could. “I feel like there’s a whole bunch of fear being spread with the group that’s not at risk of anything," Curtin said.

It's a different story for children in the Higley Unified School District. They began in-person learning Tuesday, Sept. 8.

The district feels the metrics have been met to reopen its doors with safety protocols in place for students, parents and teachers.

“Today, we’ve been extremely excited to see all the kids showing up. We’ve got a large majority of students and all of our teachers have come back to work, so we’re extremely excited about that," said Mike Thomason, the district's superintendent.

The Scottsdale Unified school board meets Wednesday, Sept. 9.
They are expected to go over the latest survey from parents on how to move forward.

The board could decide to reopen schools or continue online learning.

In July, some parents in Scottsdale rallied for the district to reopen in-person classes, but only when safe.