Reopen the Schools

Parents Advocating for the Reopening of the Delta/Greely Schools

Please take a moment to join this petition if you would like to see our schools be reopened, agree with the content of the letter, and would like to have your voice heard. Please share with those who would support this effort.

November 23, 2020

We the parents of the children attending Delta/Greely School District children want the school REOPENED for in class instruction. We are fully aware of the CDC's recovery rate statistics for COVID-19 and do not believe they warrant distance education or any other changes to the format of student instruction within the school.  There are many of us parents who would be considered high risk, but still believe that shutting down the schools is NOT warranted. We can use common sense and keep children and staff home that are experiencing any signs of illness.

We agree to hold the school district, administrators, teachers, and staff harmless from potential infection of COVID-19. We would do so by signing a hold harmless agreement; though we have never held the school liable for past illnesses with higher fatality rates.

We realize you must be under great pressure to make the most safe, financially sound, and educationally minded decisions. However, we believe that mental health and education are truly suffering. Families are suffering mentally and financially with the lack of continuity.

We can appreciate the due diligence the district is taking in guidance from the Department of Education, following state mandates, and trend reporting from the Department of Health and Social Services. However, the shutdown for the past 3 weeks has made no difference in reducing cases in our area, cases continue to rise. As parents advocating for the reopening of the school, we can accept that COVID-19 could be present in the school just as so many other viruses have in the past. It is not a leap to understand that it is entirely possible we have more positive cases because we are in fact testing more.

We believe we are in the majority in wanting the school reopened. We are well aware there are those opposed and or face medical issues within their household. Many of these families took their own initiative and started out the school year by homeschooling.  We offer that personal responsibility for their own health is an option, though it should not include shutting down the school on everyone's behalf. If some families face challenges with a fully open school and did not choose to homeschool from the beginning of the school year, perhaps there could be a transition period from distance to homeschooling to accommodate those families.

We are strong Alaskans certainly we can be brave and keep our schools open just as so many in other states such as Idaho and South Dakota.

 Thank you for hearing us and considering the importance of reopening the school.