Chandler Unified school board votes to head back to in-person learning on Jan. 19

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Parents, students, teachers and administrators within the Chandler Unified School District will be heading back to school as the school board met Wednesday night to decide if students will continue virtual learning or return to the classroom.

Passed in a 3-2 vote, in-person schooling will begin Jan. 19, as originally planned after the district took classes online for two weeks after the holiday break when there was a planned sickout among educators.

There are mixed feelings about what's next for teachers and students. Some parents want students to go back to in-person learning, telling the board that virtual learning isn't working for their kids.

While other parents and teachers say the current COVID-19 numbers in Arizona show that it is not safe to go back just yet.

At Wednesday's meeting, many were asking the board to go back into the classrooms, but there were more than 450 online submissions to the board with concerns regarding mental health, returning to in-person learning and not returning to school and staying virtual.

Kerry Hamilton is a parent within the district and says, "It's just a challenge for my family and so many other families that have to manage childcare and oversight and making sure our kids are getting a proper education. There are so many different factors that weigh into this and it's not that schools provide that daycare, it's a different educational experience."

A teacher within the district says it's not time to head back into the classroom just yet. "As much as we all want the kids back in, it is not worth dying over. They are learning, just not in the typical way. Learning to adapt to situations presented to them is as valuable as any lesson is."

For more updates from the district, click here.